Day 1
Miles Advanced: 46.3
Weather: Sunny, then whiteout
Morale: Highish
This will be my third traverse. Sheeeit. They say you go the first time for the adventure, the second time for the money, and the third time cause you don’t “fit in” anywhere else. Hmmm. Anyway, I’m back- and I’m excited about the journey ahead… for the most part. I’m not entirely enthusiastic because I know from experience that a traverse to the South Pole is STILL the worst journey in the world. Sure, we’ve come a long ways since the time of Amundsen and Scott, and sledging supplies across the continent is a lot easier now. But be warned- when Antarctica bites, you will feel it.
The day started with amazing views of Mt. Erebus and ended with a demoralizing whiteout. We crossed the Shear Zone successfully (no one fell in a crevasse) and all was well. Our crevasse detection expert Zoe Courville scanned the Shear Zone last week and found Mongo (one of the largest crevasses ever discovered and mitigated on our route) opening up again. Apparently its 40 feet wide now! Freakin’ canyons under the ice! Fortunately the snow bridge above it is 40 feet thick so it is still safe to cross. Next year we might have to blow it up though and fill it with snow once again. Which would be cool.
Beyond the Backyard 