Tracking
the Journey
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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.
First Night on the Beardmore (Day 39)
Day 39: S83° 39' 9.792", E170° 53' 42.720"
Duration: 9 Hr
Daily distance: 18.9 Mi
Distance to go: 1365.7 Mi
Temperature: -6 °C
Wind chill: -12 °C
Altitude: 889 Ft
I won't lie. I climbed out of the tent today in a glum mood, nervous about what the day would hold. We put our climbing harnesses on as well as our sledge harnesses this morning, which the fearful part of my subconscious never takes as a good sign. Ahead of us lay a few big crevasses that we could see from our tent, what looked like a remarkably steep climb up to the saddle of the Gateway, a short descent the other side and then the behemoth Beardmore lying in wait the other side.
One of Shackleton's men said travelling on parts of it felt like walking over the glass roof of a railway station. I knew it would be the most risky and challenging section of our route, and I wasn't feeling all that brave about squaring up to it. The early crevasses were old, obvious and easy to work around, and the climb up to the Gateway's col, while steep, wasn't quite as hard as I'd feared. It took about an hour of short strides and hard pulling, the sleds seemingly doubling in weight with the incline, but the surface was kind to us and we went straight up the slope rather than zigzagging. Getting to the top, and seeing what lay on the other side, is a moment I'll remember and treasure for the rest of my life. I hadn't expected the view that greeted us, across to Mount Kyffin and to the right, the giant, sparkling motorway of the glacier itself, heading past the Cloudmaker (a mountain named by Shackleton that did indeed seem to have a perpetual puff of cloud at its peak) up to the high plateau itself. We descended after taking a few photographs and worked our way through some rough ice to the glacier's surface. To my surprise, it felt just like navigating over sea ice, scouting for a route and stepping over the cracks.
We crossed many crevasses but they were all manageable, thanks in part to staying on our skis nearly all day. Most of the open crevasses were one or two feet wide at most, so easy to span with a ski, and the big ones were all filled-in and safely bridged with snow. We've made really good progress and to my absolute surprise, I feel like I'm smitten with the one section of this expedition that I thought would cause me the most fear and dread. It's a magical, magical place, and skiing past landmarks like the Gateway, Mount Hope, the Granite Pillars, Mount Kyffin and seeing the Cloudmaker in the distance makes it feel like I've stepped into the pages of a familiar childhood story book. I'll sign off now as we did nine hours today and I'm pooped, but thank you all for following and commenting, and I hope the photos give a tiny flavour of the reason I'm so full of beans this evening. I'm a lucky, lucky boy.
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Comments
# CaninesCashews, December 3rd 2013
Great stuff guys,
A beautiful description of what must be stunning views. Heres to ‘manageable crevasses’!
Stay safe.
Gav
# Tim L, December 3rd 2013
Wow - what an extraordinary place to be! Keep up the good work.
# Jon Plowman , December 3rd 2013
Just thank you for doing it and thanks for telling us about it so we when you must have been really nackered
# Austin Duryea, December 4th 2013
Awesome details. No need to be afraid because you got this. Since Beardmore is a glacier than that means it’s always moving. Does that mean that sometimes you would get Lost?
# Intrepid, December 4th 2013
Wow! Could really feel the anticipation, the tensile fear and nervousness, as well as the big relief, joy, and excitement with your climb up the Saddle. Woot Woot!!!
Whereas you feel like you are stepping out of a familiar childhood story, I feel part of a big to-do story in the making.
Here’s to each breathtaking moment, and for your dreams impacting every one of us.
# Bill Hucks, December 4th 2013
Are you traveling roped up? You describe crevasses, snow bridges and climbing harnesses, yet no detail about your glacier strategies. Bear in mind that many of your followers are are experienced alpinists and glacier travelers who have legitimate interest in your technical choices. Please advise.
Thanks.
-Bill
# Scott Expedition, December 4th 2013
Hi Bill,
Ben and Tarka travel roped up when there are any technical crevassed sections or where they feel unsafe just on crampons. I’ll ask Ben and Tarka to do a dedicated blog with some more technical details of their equipment and current strategies on the Beardmore. In the meantime Ben wrote a about crevasse rescue drills in Greenland earlier this year here http://scottexpedition.com/blog/fantasy-vs.-reality and there is a short video here http://scottexpedition.com/blog/crevasse-training-in-greenland
Thanks for the support
# Allison, December 4th 2013
Tremendous. I hang on your every word. It all sounds truly breathtaking.
# Patrick Waite, December 4th 2013
No matter how you look at it, you are on top of the world. Enjoy, stay cautious. Don’t be afraid to be afraid.
# Bob Henderson, December 4th 2013
Great News! and Good Luck. Keep up that amazing pace.
# Kate Smith, December 4th 2013
Thank you for your brilliant blog and the great descriptions.I think I have a fairly good imagination and with your descriptive piece I manage to get to places of great wonderment. Thank you and take care. Cheers Kate (UK )
# Christina Boyle Cush, December 9th 2013
Hi Ben and Tarka. I am deeply moved by what you fellas are doing. I was fortunate enough to Skype with Ben a couple weeks before you guys took off. That conversation was the basis for an article that’s running soon in SUCCESS Magazine, here in the U.S. Just wondering, Ben and Tarka, if you have anything you’d like to say to the SUCCESS readers, as I am preparing a quick follow up that’s going to appear exclusively on line. They know all about why you are taking this journey, and how you prepared. So I guess they’d like to know if all the preparation has paid off? What you haven’t been prepared for yet? What’s been the best surprise? How are you staying motivated to keep going? I feel honored even to be able to type this message to you guys. Truly incredible human beings.
# Amir, December 10th 2013
Wow. What a stunning view!
I wish I was with you guys.
wish you the best.