Tracking
the Journey

  • Distance to go: 0 Mi
    Distance

    Ben and Tarka will cover 1800 miles starting from Scott's Terra Nova Hut at the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole and back to the coast again. That's equivalent to 69 back-to-back marathons hauling up to 200kg each (the weight of roughly two adult men) of kit and supplies necessary to survive.

    Distances here are shown in statute miles.

Deja Vu (Day 104)

Posted February 5th 2014,
by Ben Saunders

Category: Expedition, The Return Journey

Day 104: S77° 52' 32.34", E167° 24' 47.88"

Duration: 10 Hr

Daily distance: 25.1 Mi

Distance to go: 11.1 Mi

Temperature: -9 °C

Wind chill: -22 °C

Altitude: 197 Ft

As I type this, we're camped about 15km from our Ross Island finish line, which is less than four hours' skiing away. We'll have a massive lie-in tomorrow before setting off in the afternoon, principally as the bases here run on New Zealand time, which is 11 hours ahead of us, so if anyone's going to be there to wave us over the line and take a photo for our holiday snaps, we need to fit in with their time zone.

Antarctica, true to form, didn't make life easy or comfortable for us today, and the weather seemed to be messing* with us in a spookily adversarial fashion; luring us - wearing far too little - out of the tent with bright sunshine and a still warmth first thing, before pelting us with a blizzard barely ninety minutes later. The wind intensified just as we stopped to eat and drink at our first break, and as we sat on our sledges with our down jackets on and our backs to the gale, whirling eddies and vortices of sandy spindrift were spun up into our faces, filling our pockets and sledges and anything else left unzipped for more than a few seconds with fine, gritty snow. It calmed down before we started skiing, then revved up again at the next break, in a pattern that dogged us for most of the day.

As I mentioned yesterday, our sheer exhaustion seems to be overriding any chance of outright back-slapping glee at being so close to pulling this vast journey off (our GPS says we've clocked a cumulative 2,859km now, which is 68 back-to-back marathons dragging sledges) but team morale is definitely much improved, and the prospect of skiing a mere 15km after a big lie-in seems infinitely more manageable than another mammoth day. Interestingly, despite never having seen the view we faced today, skiing past White Island towards the giant flanks of Mount Erebus until we picked up our final (hundred-day-old!) depot, before hanging a left and heading past Castle Rock towards McMurdo Sound, the scenery felt strangely familiar after so many years of dreaming of reaching this point.

We'll start skiing tomorrow in the late afternoon UK time so don't be alarmed if the tracker doesn't budge for a while after our usual kick-off. We should finish in the evening, but it may take us a while to get online again and send a blog post back, so watch this space. I'm sure Andy, Chessie and the team in London will update the site as soon as we phone in from Ross Island, so you'll be the first to know when we're home and dry.

At the moment, the magnitude of it all hasn't really sunk in yet, though I'm excited about getting more than five hours sleep for the first time in weeks, and I suspect lying here tomorrow morning the excitement - and if I'm honest, the sheer relief - may start to finally kick in...

*This may not be the precise word Tarka used as we were shouting at each other in the blizzard, but it was hard to hear him over the wind.

Comments

# Jackson, February 6th 2014

While we are waiting for the next update I have a question: where do they sleep tonight? Hopefully not outside…I also noticed the NZ Scott Base webcams having a Jan 7 date…does that mean they fly out tomorrow the 8th?

# Richard Pierce, February 6th 2014

Scott Base runs on New Zealand time which is 13 hours ahead of UK time. They will be sleeping outside tonight as part of the unsupported status of the expedition I guess. It’s only minus 6C there at the mo, so they should be fine. Especially once they’ve had a Guinness or three brought out to them from Scott Base bar.

R

# Andy, February 6th 2014

Jackson, DJ et al
They will be in their tent camping again tonight. The stop and slight diversion 30 mins ago would have been to set up their tent, leave their sleds and then just ski with a day sack to Scott Base.
We will update on logistics back to Chile in the next few days when Ben and Tarka have has a chance to soak up the moment.

# Offroading Home, February 6th 2014

(11:47pm GMT) They look like they’re having a good time on the Willy Field road (such as it is) and are about 3.5 miles away from the solid ground of the penninsula.  From there it’ll be about a 500 yard “jaunt” up the embankment to the Scott Base proper. Parenthetically, from the web cams, it looks a bit “blustery.” I don’t see them yet, and in fact don’t see a view that is likely to show them.  However, I’ll yield to someone who has actually been there before I give up looking (Richard!)

They logged 0.54 miles this segment.

# Richard Pierce, February 6th 2014

UNless they come round the “front of SB, we won’t see them on web cam. :-( R

# dj, February 6th 2014

ANDY!  Can you make this happen??  PLEEEAAAASSSSEEEE!

# Intrepid, February 7th 2014

Maybe put some snacks and beers on a table out there….

# Marina K, February 6th 2014

@Andy or anyone else have a “best guess” of their ETA?

# dj, February 6th 2014

If you’ve been following the thread you’ll see that when they actually travel they log between .5 and .6 miles per segment (15 minutes) - seeing’s how its about 3.5 miles to the land they’ve got, what, 7 segments to go of actual skiing.  They’ve set up their tent now and only have backpacks on so now it’s anyone’s guess at their speed. We’ll just have to see.

# marinak, February 6th 2014

@DJ.  THANKS.  Forgive questions! Madly reading the comments and playing catch up as only just joined the “arrival party” from being out all day.

# Jackson, February 6th 2014

I did notice from the web page that the webcams only update every 15 mins. I hope the timing is right. Would be great to see them.

# dj, February 6th 2014

As far as I’m concerned - they’ll just have to stand there until they see the flash!!!!!  This has gotta’ happen!  Don’t nobody rain on this parade!!!

# Heri, February 6th 2014

Dear Ben and Tarka,
congratulations now that the finish line is within eyeshot. After being on your own and struggling with all kind of adversities out there for more than three month I hope your return to normal live will be as gentle and slow or as hilarious and intense with sparkling champagne and hurrahs as you want it.
Following your blog conveys an impression of a region widely unknown for me before and foreshadows a fraction of what you´ve been going through. I admire the persistency you, Ben, kept on writing the blog, although I guess after 10 hours of slogging your sledge over sastrugis thinking of food and warmth that’s unachievable it wasn´t always fun being on that duty. Astonishing the humor you held up high even under these constantly hindered conditions. I wonder if humor also helped you to escape from the rat race of fatigue at the end of the day and helped you to find back to your inner strength and balance.
Compared to the thrust of Messner´s and Fuch´s diaries on their expedition in 1989 it seems to me that you Ben and Tarka have a very careful and attentive togetherness where none of you has to be more heroic than the other. I hope you can preserve it beyond the end of your project.
For your return to normal I wish you that the nightmares of desperate fatigue, hypothermia and constant hunger phantasies will soon clear away without any aftermath or damage. And you can be sure the next time I think “I´ve had it” or “I give up” I will remember you.
Godspeed

# Austin Duryea, February 6th 2014

Well boys this is it. It was awesome following you from the begining. All the stories you told us, all the adventures you had, and the amazing imagery that you showed us. I’ve said this a million times but I wish that I could somehow meet you. Thank you for the amazing adventure. Can’t wait to see what your next challenge will be. Tal to you soon. Hopefully.

# Austin Duryea, February 7th 2014

I meant to put talk not tal in my post

# dj, February 7th 2014

@Richard… where is that “scott base” web cam in the grand scheme of things.  Right now it shows a couple of white vans, green sheds and container trailers.  It looks like if they were standing in front of those we could see them well.  It may be a bit much to ask if it’s too far; but if it isn’t, they’ve had a long rest and it could really help their “image.”

# Richard Pierce, February 7th 2014

Difficult to describe, but if you zoom in on SB on GE, then it’s the building nearest the shore, that three tall thin shadows are pointing at. R

# Richard Pierce, February 7th 2014

And I’m talking about the cam that’s the first one on that page. R

# dj, February 7th 2014

Richard… Ok, I think I got it.  I’m gonna add a placemark to the next refresh so you can see if I got it right.  Gimme a couple secs and refresh the “timings” network link.

# Intrepid, February 7th 2014

@ Richard, or anyone else….
Do you know someone to contact at the base to put out a table with a sign… BEN AND TARKA .... STOP HERE FOR PHOTO!!! maybe some beer too…

# Richard Pierce, February 7th 2014

As far as I am aware, SB staff will be out there to meet them, altho not sure if they’ll guide them to the webcam.

I don’t know how to refresh the timings link.

R

# dj, February 7th 2014

Richard…  they will if Andy asks them too.

To refresh, right click on the label “track timings” on the left; then, click on “refresh.”  That was also the way you could have refreshed the expedition link without waiting for an hour.

# Offroading Home, February 7th 2014

AGGHHH!  It’s past time for their GPS trackpoint - did they forget to take their Nano tracker with them - or to turn it on?  Have we lost them now?

# Richard Pierce, February 7th 2014

That’s what I was thinking. It hasn’t moved for an age. R

# Anthony Goddard, February 7th 2014

@dj The tracker dropped a position, but it’s back in action again

# dj, February 7th 2014

Ahhh, Anthony’s here too!

# Austin Duryea, February 7th 2014

Thanks for that link Dj to the webcam. It was pretty cool.

# Richard Pierce, February 7th 2014

I may need to pass on this last bit. I’m exhausted. Been up since 6.30 this morning UK time. R

# Mal Owen, February 7th 2014

I don’t believe you said that !!

# Richard Pierce, February 7th 2014

Ok, I shall replenish myself with wine and nicotine and try to stay the distance. No Guinness in the house, unfortunately. R

# Rebecca, February 7th 2014

Not really, right?!

# Mal Owen, February 7th 2014

Plenty of Cointreau here !! :-)

# Richard Pierce, February 7th 2014

Rebecca, I did experience a moment of weakness when my wife went to bed.

Mal, ah, now Cointreau would not be a great idea. I’ve ddone some interesting things after drinking too much Cointreau, to put it mildly, bearing in mind this is a family-friendly blog.

R

# CaninesCashews, February 7th 2014

We so need a party.

# Rebecca, February 7th 2014

Phew! We couldn’t cross this finish line with your being there, Richard!

# Richard Pierce, February 7th 2014

I am entirely dispensable. R

# Heidi, February 7th 2014

Richard, perhaps you can take a catnap and we’ll all wake you when we hear of their arrival.

# Intrepid, February 7th 2014

Richard, I can’t believe you would even consider leaving the computer!

There’s so many threads going… where exactly is the finish line… I know the base, but where on the base?  In front of the camera!!! Oh!! Someone draw a finish line there!!!

# Richard Pierce, February 7th 2014

I am a weak and volatile thing - I think they call it the artistic temperament.

On the upside, I am now wide awake.

R

# Intrepid, February 7th 2014

I’ve got the artistic temperament. I like to call it sensitivity to what’s really going on…

# Offroading Home, February 7th 2014

(12:20pm GMT) WHEW!  Better late than never.  They clocked 1.37 miles in this last segment and are well up the winding road to the base.

@richard… please check the webcam building to see if I’ve got it right AND don’t wus out on us now!  Now your doing what I’ve been doing for three months - staying up till after 2am to clock their starting times.

# Intrepid, February 7th 2014

Already on my ipad. Stay. Finish. Play some music. Load some music here!!! There were some suggestions before….

# dj, February 7th 2014

Richard… which way is “front” and which is “left” - use the ocean for reference if you need to explain.

# Heid, February 7th 2014

Which winding road:  the white part or the part that looks brown and muddy? 

And I flip-flopped my schedule quite a bit these last several weeks, staying up quite late waiting to receive the next blog post because I couldn’t wait until morning.

What’s happening now??

# Richard Pierce, February 7th 2014

I suppose I should have been more precise. The original position of your marker was at what I consider to be the back of the building. R

# Lauren, February 7th 2014

Richard,
I have to say, this is the timeliest plug for your book yet. And not a hint of subtlety. ;)

# Richard Pierce, February 7th 2014

Ocean is left. Front of building is to the right of the ocean, closest to the right-most of those 3 thin shadows. Does that help? R

# Richard Pierce, February 7th 2014

I’m a Yorkshireman, Lydia, so I don’t do subtle :-)

I wouldn’t plug it if it wasn’t relevant, and it is relevant to the whole Antarctic exploration saga, which is why it was nominated for the Guradian First Book Award in 2012 (although it didn’t win, says he, trying to write a bestseller despite the Antarctic distraction).

R

# Lydia , February 7th 2014

Richard it wasn’t me that said anything about your book :-(

# Lauren, February 7th 2014

It was me!  I’m a regular follower but not a regular poster.  Well, Yorkshireman, I’ve enjoyed your contribution to the conversations here, and I know it’s relevant. I have followed the link!

Congrats on your nomination, even if you didn’t win.

And congrats to Ben and Tarka!

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