Tag: South Pole Traverse

Day 16
Miles Advanced: 51.8
Total Mileage: 845.6
Temperatures: -22F Ambient; -61F Wind-chill

Yesterday awoke to a delightful brunch of bacon, toast, and hash browns. We forgot the eggs in McMurdo so we scrambled up some pumpkin pie instead. While we ate, Bill played classical guitar melodies with such skill we were all impressed. Had I not looked out the window, it would have been easy to forget our present circumstances high on the polar plateau. It was a fine morning and well deserved too.

We are at an elevation of 8,300ft. Our barometer says we are a good thousand feet higher due to less geophysical pressure at polar latitudes. To counter the effects of altitude sickness, our mountaineer says we should take Diamox prophylactically. I will unfortunately suffer because I refuse to put anything in my butt.

The altitude also plays havoc with our tractors. They do not like the cold or lack of oxygen and once they are shut down are very hard to coax back to life.

In the pictures you will see our grey water outfall from the sink and shower. We don’t collect our grey water but we do collect our urine which is stored in 55 gallon drums.

The other picture is microwaved Beef Satay. It looks like dog food but tastes surprisingly good.

Day 15
Miles Advanced: 43
Total Mileage: 773
Elevation: 8,221ft
Weather: 13F. On Plateau: Wind-chill -43F

Mac Ops had given us the forecast- the weather wasn’t looking good. So the team got together and decided to push hell-bent for the polar plateau. The agreement was based upon the weather knowledge of the Leverette Glacier, which can produce the effects of an enormous drain that funnels storms in a concentrated strength down the valley. These are called Katabatic Winds, and the supercharged storms they create are legendary. Down here they are known as Herbies (hurricane blizzards) and you don’t want to be in the way when they decide to vent. I have pictures on this site under “Storm of the Century” if you’d like to see what these Herbies are capable of.

As we made our ascent we passed some of the most stunning scenery this continent has to offer. Nunataks- which are basically entire mountains that have been buried in snow and only their summits are visible, poking up like islands in the sky. Icefalls- which are chunks of ice as large as skyscrapers that topple over and pile upon each other like some horrific train wreck. Hanging glaciers- which appear to defy gravity as they pour over the top of the plateau like melted wax that solidifies firmly to the mountains vertical faces.

We worked 15 hours straight but were able to achieve the top of the Leverette just as the storm brewed. We were a tried but a happy bunch. Tomorrow we begin crossing the polar plateau.

Day 13
Miles Advanced: 64.6
Miles Total: 708.8
Location: Leverette Glacier
Weather: Sunny, 11F

We started the ascent of the Leverette Glacier. It’s every ones favorite part of the trip because the views of the surrounding mountains are fantastic. Especially up the Scott Glacier. Bald, pyramid shaped peaks jut straight out of blue ice and tower above like sentinels guarding the valley. Those peaks are a rock climbers dream, I wonder if they’ve ever been climbed.

At the base of the Leverette we built a large snow berm to cache our fuel on. We place our bladders on top of the hill so our fuel isn’t completely buried by snow when we return.

We were told that SPoT2 will be leaving McMurdo shortly and for some reason they can’t find any shovels. They claim we “accidentally” took them all. Personally, I require TWO shovels on my tractor at all times. Additionally, I keep one shovel under my bed in case my roommate tries anything. I also require three spare shovels just in case I break the three I previously mentioned. Anyway, if SPoT2 gets stuck in a snowbank somewhere (which I’m sure they will) we will be more than happy to come save the crybabies.