South Pole via Kansas Glacier

South Pole via Kansas Glacier

Dispatches

Jan 10

#41:
South Pole in sight

Published at 04:28
Dispatch created from email
With a day to go we finally hit pay dirt. A dazzling sky sat over a sparkling surface with hardly a puff of wind, and we hope the weather will hold tomorrow for our arrival. Methinks, and so does the Met team at Union Glacier, that the weather will be up to its old tricks tomorrow. Either way, hell, high water, polar bears nor snake bites could hold us back from reaching 90 degrees.

Jade spotted a flag to the east just before setting off this morning, one of the South Pole traverse road markers. Another flag appeared just after setting off then a large grey oblong popped into view during our second hour, the main South Pole building. During the summer of 1998-99, when I first skied to the South Pole (from McMurdo), the US started flying in materials for this new station, in all around 360 flights during the season. It would replace the classic white dome that housed much of the station for decades. The new station was officially opened the day before my second expedition arrival in 2008, this time from the Ronne Ice Shelf.

We?re now camped next to the road with around 9km to ski tomorrow. We?ll ski next to the road rather than on it, our little stand at keeping our expedition unassisted to the very end.

Like a parhelia etched in the air, so too is our anticipation.

Pics
1. Heath?s typical rooster tail snotsicle
2. Lunch break, South Pole buildings can be seen in the background
3. Jade.
4. Heath

  • Name: Camp 36
  • Elevation: 2837 m
  • Latitude: 89° 55’ 20” South
  • Longitude: 131° 7’ 22” West

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