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.
Three out of Four (Day 90)
Day 90: S82° 40' 15.13", E169° 50' 23.28"
Duration: 9 Hr 30 Min
Daily distance: 25.9 Mi
Distance to go: 369 Mi
Temperature: -8 °C
Wind chill: -12 °C
Altitude: 190 Ft
Today ticked three of Tarka's four boxes for a perfect day - good surface, good terrain, good weather, good wind- - other than an annoying headwind, it was a grand day and we managed to bash out near enough 26 miles (42km), or a full marathon, which we're both happy about. We're keen to get home after a quarter of a year out here, and our target is to average 25 miles (40km) per day on the Ice Shelf back to Ross Island, so we're on track so far.
We'll pick up another depot tomorrow and we're hoping for more of the same weather and surface-wise. Both Tarka and I are incredibly fatigued and today was a new one for me; I didn't sleep well last night and I spent all of our nine-and-a-half hours on the move battling not to fall asleep on my feet, especially when it was Tarka's turn to lead. My eyes rolled back involuntarily every few minutes and their lids seemed so heavy that I'd occasionally relent and see how long I could ski with them closed before I lost my balance.
We're aiming for an early night tonight, and my blood sugar levels don't seem to be conducive to writing a blockbuster post tonight, alas, though we did see something today that I didn't expect to spot down here at all, and something I last saw in October: the moon. Tarka took a snap of me setting off towards it this afternoon and its presence seemed half-surreal and half-reassuringly familiar in what has been a pretty alien world for three months, a hint that soon we'll be back in the lands of day and night and glorious darkness to sleep in. I can't wait.
Comments
# Hilary, January 23rd 2014
Great day guys, you sound much more upbeat, even though you are really tired. Brilliant photo too. Glad the Antarctic has been kinder to you today, but the headwind on the way back must have been a nuisance. Hope you slept better Ben and have another great day today both of you!
# Nansen, January 23rd 2014
Be careful not to push too hard to get back quickly. You have plenty of time, so consider a rest day and then push home a little more refreshed.
# DJ, January 23rd 2014
Seems like you just picked up a cache - doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun?! Going off east of the former trail like you did, it didn’t seem like you were heading for a cache - guess you’ll be heading back west then for tomorrows route. Watching your trail today we could tell you must be having a better day - FYI, you’ve not had such low inter-segment variability in distance this whole trip so far. Almost like machines today!
Homeward!
# Richard Pierce, January 23rd 2014
Dear Ben,
I know you really want to get back as soon as possible, but I would recommend, bearing in mind what you’ve said about fatigue, that you build in a rest day when you pick up the depot today. Double rations and a rest day, in fact. You can’t afford to make any mistakes, even this close to home, especially this close to home.
Let me quote from Radar Love by Golden Earring:
“No more speed, I’m almost there
Gotta keep cool, now gotta take care
Last car to pass, here I go
And the line of cars drove down real slow.”
And we all know what happens then.
Too close to home now to let it all go.
Strengthening thoughts from a man fatigued just by life, never mind a quarter of a year walking through a white desert.
Take care, boys.
God Speed.
R
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dead-Men-Richard-Pierce-ebook/dp/B007FR3UXU
# AlisonP, January 23rd 2014
Great day lads! Terrific mikeage and a beautiful picture! Yes, you will be home soon. Here’s hoping for a four out of four day soon.
It worries me that Ben is so tired. The mother hen in me wishes too that you two would take a day of rest and double rations if you feel comfortable doing that to restore your bodies a bit.
# Heidi, January 23rd 2014
Dear Ben and Tarka, I echo the well-put words of Richard - GoldennEarring and all. I awoke this morning praying for rest for you both, and for wisdom and safety. I prayed you will be mindful to nurture your bodies as best you can. This is a feat of endurance…and we want to see you endure. I know what you mean about feeling tired…I stayed up too late last night catching up on old “Scott Expedition” videos! :-) To paraphrase a famous Antarctic explorer, be safe, be well. Warmest regards, Prince Ha….er, warm hugs from Southern California.
# Kiwawa, January 23rd 2014
Chase the moon boys! Chase the moon! xxxxxxxxx
# Arthur Blackwell, January 23rd 2014
You have left your mark on Antarctica literately, your footsteps and sled marks now will be frozen into the surface and your efforts will be applauded for a very long time to come.
# CaninesCashews, January 23rd 2014
Hi guys,
Wow, just shy of 100 miles in 4 days – amazing.
Lovely to see these mileages, it means a reunion with family and friends is approaching faster each day. But please don’t be tempted to overcook the pace. I hope you have built in a rest day on the way back, just to lose some of that fatigue and recharge. I’m sure the Beardmore must have taken a toll, which you are probably still feeling.
Stay safe.
Gav
# Jon G, January 23rd 2014
” no one grumbles when the moon shines. Everyone becomes happy and appreciates the moon in their own special way. Children watch their shadows and play in its light, people gather at the square to tell stories and dance through the night. A lot of happy things happen when the moon shines. “
Ishmael Beth, quoting a man in an Afghan market.
Maybe moonshine makes it 4 out of 5 today.
# Jonas, January 23rd 2014
As I have followed this daily, I just needed to leave a comment. (Even thought I have nothing great to say compared to all others great comments :-))
You are my new heroes! Id just love to be there for one day (One day is quite enough for me I think) to really try to understand what you are going through. A marathon per day in those conditions…. Wow….
How long vacation will you take when you get home? Or do you have a immidiate roundtrip planned to meet all of your new fans? :-)
Greetings from Sweden!
# Scott Expedition Team, January 24th 2014
Good question but not sure of the answer yet. One for when Ben and Tarka are home!
# Sue (and Noodle ), January 23rd 2014
A hundred times a day I remind myself that my inner and my outer life depends on the labours of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself to give in the same measure as I have received…. Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
# Uncle Pete, January 23rd 2014
Great goings chaps! The way you are going it seems to me you could take it in turns having a kip while the other pulls! The main thing is to keep within your safety envelope, there are so many waiting to see you home and safe and hear the (full) story, amazing as it undoubtedly is! And to see the amazing photo album to go with it! Go safest.
# Susan from Michigan, January 23rd 2014
Great Job! You’ll be home in no time. Hope the rest of your journey has the same conditions if not better. Enjoy some extra rations and maybe an extra day to get some much needed rest. You want to feel your best when you reach the finish line. Have a wonderful day!!
# Damian, January 23rd 2014
Less speed more haste to echo R Pierce’s thoughts. You’re making great progress but don’t make that progress at the expense of your long term goal.
Rest up and make best use of that depot tomorrow, a rest day could be just what you need.
All the best,
Damian
# Janet Stanley, January 23rd 2014
Fantastic mileage…a full marathon! Hope you are well rested Ben, take care to you & Tarka, you are both truly inspirational :)
# Intrepid, January 23rd 2014
Dear Ben and Tarka,
So glad you have now have the moon in your day!
My heart goes out to you. When I read your post, I felt like you were carrying my heart in your hand. Mine and everyone else’s hearts ... the world of us awaiting the completion of your journey, knowing you are safe and sound, home. And in a way, we are carrying you. We are invisible lights of the path home. You are with us word upon word, mile after mile. We help you persevere in the smallest of times, when you remember us listening, our attention on you, praying you are well. There are those whose lives you are meeting for the first time through joy and inspiration, motivation and calling. Everybody is completing a piece of a journey, 360 degrees of gratitude.
Here’s to tomorrow, all the way through.
# Richard Pierce, January 23rd 2014
Splendidly and eloquently said. Thank you! R
# Marina K, January 23rd 2014
Hear, Hear! Wish I had written that post! I echo your thoughts entirely.
I do hope B & T take the decision to have a day off to recharge and refuel (as long as this doesn’t break their momentum in a negative way). I am sure the support this side of the white continent will help (in some small way) to keep them going… From what I read I think they will make whatever IS the best decision for them.
As I hit refresh yet again on Google Earth for the umteenth time today already, I wish them both a good day’s ski across the ice!
# Pete Vassilakos, January 23rd 2014
Most excellent. I couldn’t have said it better!
# Mal Owen, January 23rd 2014
My thoughts expressed for me… wish I could pen it myself…... thx Intrepid
# Intrepid, January 24th 2014
Dear Richard, Marina, Pete, & Mal,
Thanks for sharing your experiences of the post I wrote. It’s fascinating (and totally surprising) when I let a feeling expand and as it flows through me becomes language and then even travels further still and renews itself as an experience of the reader!
BTW, I enjoy reading all your posts too. See you around….
# Dongo, January 23rd 2014
I don’t know how you guys do it day after day.
Huge admiration and respect of your already immense achievement.
Like Uncle Pete says “The main thing is to keep within your safety envelope, there are so many waiting to see you home and safe and hear the (full) story,” - so take care and don’t over cook yourselves on the final straight!
Best wishes from S France.
# Ian McNee, January 23rd 2014
Good work guys, you now have a milage I can actually imagine. Although I can still only think of 400miles as motorway milage - meaning it’s still a long way to go in real terms. It’s just you guys are real life supermen, so 400 seems like you’re nearly home.
So, I echo some earlier messages. Keep going guys but make sure you do everything you can to get back home and get home safe. Scott didn’t, but you’re not Scott. If that means another couple days out there then it’s another couple of days.
Greetings from Hull.
# Mal Owen, January 23rd 2014
It wasn’t till I read, ” been here a quarter of a year” that I realised how long I’d been feeding my daily ritual and how few days were left. This final stage will fly by…. And it’s only 335 days till Christmas !!! Good for you but not for me. I shall be a lost soul without you and don’t relish that shopping so soon !
Each day so far has had its highs and/or lows, today a mixture of both…. highs, the moon, the marathon and Tarka’s three out of four ..... lows, the headwind, the tiredness.
Not far to go now…enjoy the depot, have a food refuel and extra rest before you move on. Hope there are more highs left than lows and that you continue to be strong and safe and carry on mooning !
# Helena, January 23rd 2014
GO, GO, BOYS! You are doing just great. Still with you :-) Friends from Brno, Czech Republic
# Mia Bentley, January 23rd 2014
Good work boys…when i read your post of bashing out 40km a day it pushes me on to beleive i can do my half marathon in April.
Just follow the moon home xxx
# Pete Vassilakos, January 23rd 2014
Keep pushing guys! So close to victory. I often find myself of late, lost in thought trying to imagine what you guys have been doing in and out, day after day for the last 90 days. It’s mind blowing. It makes me feel claustrophobic, but also captivates me and makes me wonder just how far I would be able to push my human endurance mentally and physically. You guys are both a special kind of something! I will hold the highest respect for you both for the rest of my life. It must be an eerie thought to know you will be passing the marker in which those in history were unable too, and paid the ultimate price. I have no doubts you will return safely with the pride and guidance of the spirits of those before you, whom are now cheering you on!
Allons-Z !
Pete Vassilakos
vassdesign.com
# Pete Vassilakos, January 23rd 2014
BTW, it’s -29 C here in Montreal Canada today. It’s bloody warmer in Antarctica. Go figure….
# Rebecca, January 23rd 2014
Follow that moon! It does seem like a rest day might be in order, just to gather your strength for the final push home. The moon will wait for you. Stay safe.
# Raven, January 23rd 2014
Greetings from Vermont, where it’s -20°C right now! At least it gets dark at night though. Funny, the things you take for granted…wishing you restful sleep tonight!
# Dave, January 23rd 2014
Anyone on the moon would be following your progress keenly. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the people on the ISS are.
Any thoughts on taking a sleep aid to help stop you from slipping into the Twilight Zone?
Continued safety and progress.
# Phil Satoor, January 23rd 2014
I looked up the track of the ISS on the web and it seemed to me they never would be able to see much further south than about 70 degrees and Ben and Tarka are well south of that. Perhaps someone on the station could confirm. Of course anyone on the moon would be fine, assuming they’re on this side of it!
# Dave, January 23rd 2014
I meant via internet, Phil, to which the folks on the ISS have access. I enjoy watching the station pass overhead on clear nights from my much lower latitude. We never saw it during the brief hours of darkness on our recent visit to the Antarctic peninsula.
# Phil Satoor, January 23rd 2014
I must confess I’ve never actually seen it pass overhead. Is it easy to spot? Did you visit Antartica on a cruise and would you recommend it? I think that’s the only way I’ll ever get there myself.
# Dave, January 23rd 2014
I see the station often, Phil (as often as Michigan’s cloud cover and my sleep schedule allow, that is). NASA will even send a helpful email to let you know when it’s coming to your neighborhood’s slice of the sky—http://spotthestation.nasa.gov/sightings/.
I visited Antarctica on a cruise in December and loved, loved, loved it. Of course my experience was nothing like Ben and Tarka’s, though I can imagine many being inspired to go after following their expedition. TripAdvisor’s Antarctic Adventures forum (http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g1-i12337-Antarctic_Adventures.html) is a great place to pursue information about visiting the white continent. And it’s where I first learned about Ben and Tarka.
# Intrepid, January 23rd 2014
From Day 70, Resupply, “The joy of being outdoors and alive in the wild, pushing ourselves harder than anyone will ever understand….”
For all the reasons you created the expedition, for all the experiences you are finding on your journey, you two are two heck of extremely durable men!
Godspeed! Safely!
And to all those whose lives are (past, present, future) devoted to the same kind of extreme spirit,
Bless you.
# Phil Satoor, January 23rd 2014
When you said “we saw something today that I didn’t expect to spot down here at all”, I wondered what was coming. Some horse droppings from one of Captain Scott’s ponies perhaps, or some dog droppings from one of Meare’s dogs, or even the ghost of Captain Scott himself saying “26 miles!, we only got about 6 hereabouts. Splendid!”.
Not many days left on this expedition. Enjoy.
# Brendan Smith, January 23rd 2014
Wow, down to less that 400 miles! That picture is great! Stay well guys.
# ezi, January 23rd 2014
totally awesome!
greeting from Jakarta :)
# Willie Hannah, January 23rd 2014
HOOFING Mileage Ben and Tarka, what a fantastic achievement. On the ice shelf I echo the previous comments, the hard parts are done please don’t jeopardise your potential success, for the sake of speed. Get the mileage under you belt, if it is safe to do so, but not an any cost. Hey, the Waterboys are with you, as “I saw the whole of the moon”. Be safe, be strong, no risks now, Willie
# John, January 23rd 2014
26 miles? That is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Today I did some math and reading based on your blog post. I had alot [!!!!!!]of fun on that. Haven’t got TOO much to go ,so stay strong. John, 8 years old.
# Suri, January 23rd 2014
B & T,
My little math: 369/25=14.76
15 more days to go, you guys are almost there.
God Speed!!!
# jan, January 23rd 2014
Wow and wow, you never cease to amaze, frighten and leave me totally awestruck at your ongoing journey. How many men and women will ever have the experiences that you have undergone and mastered. So looking forward to you reaching your final destination, but will so miss reading your daily blog.. We are so lucky you have the power in your words and descripions to draw us so fully into your story. Good luck, you both know your own capabilities.. Stay safe.
# Andrea, January 23rd 2014
As this expedition will like to see that it did can finished the entire surface of the South Pole acces, even if this particular to can is of a new consistence of to can, it also will remember that the days that preceded and succeeded the marathons were not of the usual kind ones.
# Tara Carlisle, January 23rd 2014
Often don’t leave a comment because my eloquence isn’t up to par but never miss a blog and think about you guys daily. Can’t wait for you to be home but also will really notice the void that will be left when your journey is complete. Admiration, respect and awe to my heroes. Chase the moon - I love that! Look after each other.
Tara
# Damian Harris , January 23rd 2014
It’s hard to believe that 90 days have gone by already, at least for all of us following your journey from the comfort of our warm homes.
For you guys it must seem like forever since you set out.
However as each day passes it is one day closer to that little list of luxuries that you have been promising yourselves whilst on this journey.
May the last 369 miles be trouble free and easy on you.
# Sarah, January 23rd 2014
Hi Tarka
It’s Sarah from Evmax here. Dom put me on to your epic adventure and I’m currently trying to catch up. Massive congratulations to you both for all you have achieved so far. Love the days when it all comes together and fully appreciate the battle against headwind!
Awesome effort,
Sarah x
# John McNeill, January 23rd 2014
Questions: Just wondering what you do to care for your sleeping bags? +90 days in the same bag in sub zero temps has got to make moisture management difficult.
Thank you!
# Matt, January 23rd 2014
You guys are doing great. You deserve a lay over day to charge your internal batteries. Stay safe you are always in our thoughts and prayers.
# Austin Duryea, January 23rd 2014
Great mileage guys. Almost 100 miles in just 4 days. Amazing picture to by the way. I thought it was cold here in Texas with our 20 degree weather but then I look at the -8 where y’all are and I just think that I have it easy. To make Tarka feel better just cheer him up by telling him the faster and more miles y’all get per day the closer y’all will get home. Stay warm!=)
# Ty McClelland, January 24th 2014
Keep up the strong work, there will be plenty of time for sleep later!
# bee, January 24th 2014
I am constantly awestruck by your posts, be they short or lengthy and descriptive.
You are both an inspiration, thank you again for sharing your journey and experiences with us.
I, like many others, will miss your words everyday after you reach your final destination.
Wishing for you a smooth surface to glide on, the gentle wind at your backs and the sun (and moon) overhead. Loved the photo today.
Stay safe and well.