Thursday 22 December 2011

Antarctic Update

A big Happy Birthday to Bryony who celebrated her 21st yesterday. The team plans on having a rest today to fix a few items (bindings/tents/jackets) and to try and recover from the cold completely, which is refusing to budge! Also gives Bryony a chance to enjoy a rest on her Birthday!

The team sighted the Thiel Hills a couple of days ago. "It was novel having something to look at; it's been just white and blue the past 6 days!" This is the location of the teams second re-supply, just past 85' South - Halfway! Another rest day is planned at the re-supply, and then it's a straight run to the pole, trying to make up time (the guides have worked out that, even with the delays with losing a team member and other issues, they are only 24 hours behind schedule).


Bryony mentioned how difficult it was to tell the passage of time while skiing, thanks to the 24 hour daylight, saying "it's quite bewildering, you don't know when to stop or how far you've been going; you get physically tired, but your head just keeps going since it doesn't get dark". This isn't however her biggest complaint when it came to the environment. This came in the form of a phenomenon known as flat light or a sector white-out. During a these conditions of low light and overcast conditions it becomes impossible to discern the distance away from a snowy surface. The horizon is non-existent and the only gauge of surfaces is your ski tracks or other team members in front! Bryony likened it to "being in a 2D world".

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