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.
White Island (Day 3)
Day 3: S77° 52' 24.837", 167° 33' 58.1976"
Duration: 6.5 Hr
Daily distance: 6.3 Mi
Distance to go: 1772.9 Mi
Temperature: -30 °C
Wind chill: -40 °C
Wind speed: 16 MPH
Altitude: 105 Ft
We spent today hauling our extraordinarily heavy sleds at extraordinarily low speeds between the evocative and unmistakable landmarks of Mount Erebus (the whacking great volcano atop Ross Island, which the wispy plume of smoke coming out of the top would suggest is still very much active) to our left and White Island (a feature both Scott and Shackleton used to waymark their entry points to the Great Ice Barrier, or the Ross Ice Shelf as we know it today).
The photo is of the former, and I've spent a lot of today a) pinching myself I too am trudging over this hallowed ice, and b) wondering what the scenery looked like for Scott and Shackleton. Now we've lost McMurdo and the Pegasus snow runway (one of McMurdo's three airfields) over the horizon behind us, I reckon it would have looked exactly the same.
The going is still incredibly tough, and on the poorest surface - usually soft snow - the sleds barely move at all. At those moments it takes the kind of effort you might use for, say, pulling a tree stump out of the ground, or pushing an broken-down car off the level crossing to make any forward progress.
I'm not sure about soul-destroying, but our muscles and tendons and toes and heels certainly feel it, and my hip bones feel bruised from the harness. Tarka, sat on his sledge and eating an energy bar at one of our hourly breaks, turned to me with a bemused look framed by the fur of his hood. "Andy kept saying 'Enjoy it, enjoy it' to me before we left", he said. "I'm not sure he really gets what we're doing."
We stopped early today to repair a frayed solar panel cable, and to get a bit of rest as we're making good time. The mileage should creep up tomorrow...
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Comments
# Hugues, October 28th 2013
Keep at it guys. Following your journey tx to a small Intel blurb I read, sitting in a high rise office in Mexico City. When you feel bummed, just think you could be in a cubicle somewhere :-)
Are you guys smelling bad just yet?
One small step after another !
# Lemons, October 28th 2013
You’ve inspired me too travel to the middle of the earth and make popcorn go unicorns
# Caninescashews, October 28th 2013
In Somerset for a few days break - still trying to track your progress despite poor signals because of the storm and our location. Ironic really that you are in the Antarctic and get better phone reception than me!! Keep it up guys.
# Charleston, October 28th 2013
Good job hope that you will return soon once you get back your going to have to write a book of your experiences
# NB Ninth Grader, October 28th 2013
Great job so far keep up the good work! These blogs are extraordinary and don’t stop believing because we won’t! By the way, what do you do for your body when it gets extremely sore or the bruises you get?
# Scott Expedition Team (Chessie), November 11th 2013
Hi, just making sure you saw this - http://scottexpedition.com/blog/one-week-in - Ben and Tarka have a pretty comprehensive first aid kit but other than a bit of tape they haven’t used it so far.
# Steve 'Chippy' Paine, October 28th 2013
Woah. Frayed solar cable already. Take care of that kit boys because we’re all excited about the updates.
Ultrabooks workng as planned?
Chippy.
# Scott Expedition Team (Chessie), November 11th 2013
Hi Chippy, they’ve been doing a great job so far! Lots of pics and video to follow before too long.
# Julie Anne, October 29th 2013
“Seize this very minute; what you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius,power and magic in it.” -Goethe-
Thank you for going outside and taking us all with you.
# Alex, October 29th 2013
Thanks guys for the inspiration! Have a great and happy day tomorrow!
# Rob Swan , October 29th 2013
Tarka . Ben dig in guys you are doing GREAT . steady as she goes , with you every step
Rob Swan
# Tory Somers, October 30th 2013
I looked up this expedition after listening to Ben on NPR’s TED hour. What an incredible journey, and what a mental and physical challenge - I cannot even imagine it! Wishing you all the very best for a safe and healthy return.