South Pole via Kansas Glacier
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2017-11-27
Jan 06
#37: Four seasons in one day
Published at 06:21
I?ve never seen such a contrast in weather in a single day on the Antarctic plateau. We woke to an overcast morning with the hope of some sunshine through breaches in the cloud. Instead we had a number of violent squalls that had us cinching our hoods and craning our ruffs. After they?d had their fill the sky relented to a thin cloud veil from which a parhelia spawned that eclipsed all others. So vivid was it it appeared etched into the sky. Both rings had inverted arcs of rainbow above them and a solid band of light emanating from the sun encircled the horizon as if capturing us in its beauty. It?s impossible to look at such a thing and not be deeply moved by its beauty.
As quickly as it appeared the parhelia vanished into the clouds and left me a bit forlorn, I wanted it back and kept looking over my left shoulder for a reincarnation. We lunched under a gloomy sky which deteriorated to a white out where there is no discernible difference in ground and sky, one merged into the other. Paul felt a sense of vertigo, an unsteadiness brought on by the lack of horizon.
Lately Heath has been leading the 5km before lunch and he did well to stay on our preferred course. Navigation in these conditions requires skill and perseverance. We use telltales - lengths of thread tied to our poles - to guide us, so long as there?s no drastic change in wind direction. During my 5km after lunch I checked the telltale after every 20 paces and the compass after every 100. By days end we?d kept a good line and added 17.2km to our tally.
We?re now lazing about in the tent, eating, drinking Milo, reading, blogging, farting, with the sun casting an apologetic pall across our tents.
Pics
A series of parhelia photos
Jade skis into the murk
A clearing sky as we end our day
Eric
As quickly as it appeared the parhelia vanished into the clouds and left me a bit forlorn, I wanted it back and kept looking over my left shoulder for a reincarnation. We lunched under a gloomy sky which deteriorated to a white out where there is no discernible difference in ground and sky, one merged into the other. Paul felt a sense of vertigo, an unsteadiness brought on by the lack of horizon.
Lately Heath has been leading the 5km before lunch and he did well to stay on our preferred course. Navigation in these conditions requires skill and perseverance. We use telltales - lengths of thread tied to our poles - to guide us, so long as there?s no drastic change in wind direction. During my 5km after lunch I checked the telltale after every 20 paces and the compass after every 100. By days end we?d kept a good line and added 17.2km to our tally.
We?re now lazing about in the tent, eating, drinking Milo, reading, blogging, farting, with the sun casting an apologetic pall across our tents.
Pics
A series of parhelia photos
Jade skis into the murk
A clearing sky as we end our day
Eric
- Name: Camp 32
- Elevation: 2911 m
- Latitude: 89° 19’ 33” South
- Longitude: 135° 33’ 1” West
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