Dispatch #14 - New Route via Reedy Glacier to South Pole

New Route via Reedy Glacier to South Pole

Dispatches

Dec 15

#14:
ice ice baby

Published at 06:29

Wind abated overnight and we felt ready for the ice. With anti inflammatories and strapping Rob's foot played ball and we did the first 5km pretty easily. The second session saw Rob and I on crampons which could have killed his foot all over but he nursed it through.

The Reedy is highly ablated being so far south and large expanses of white and blue ice are exposed. But the surface is not flat, it's covered in sun cupping, making it very uneven to walk on. The sleds skitter across but our feet twist and roll with every footfall. Luckily occasional longitudinal valleys of snow stretching 5km or so give us highways to ski on. We're camped on one now.

Keith is still on the bike, still much faster than us. I predicted his bike would be strapped to his sled 90% of the time but so far he's cycled 95% of the distance. I'm gunning for him to ride the whole way.

Just over 20km today, 473 to the pole. I am reporting my distance remaining as the skua flies, but we may have a dogleg that adds up to 25km.

Eric

Photo of one of many crevasses we crossed today and Keith on his bike framed by the Wisconsin Range

Name: Camp 8
Elevation: 1065 m
Latitude: 85° 45’ 46” South
Longitude: 133° 17’ 58” West

One of many crevasses we crossed today.

Keith on his bike framed by the Wisconsin Range

Comments

2016-12-15 12:37:39 robert and barney swan says: ROB you are the man . you are so inspiring to us all at 2041 .sending all the power to you we have Rob and Barney
2016-12-15 06:36:56 Mt Creek Hobart says: Yiew, Looks amazing,