Day 6
Location: Ross Ice Shelf
Miles from McMurdo: 311.8
Elevation: 206ft
Weather: Sunny, 11F
We are making great time across the Ice Shelf, sometimes breaking the 10 mile per hour barrier. Two years ago 10 miles an hour was unheard of- as our loads were too heavy back then. The traverse is sleek and fast now. This year we left McMurdo with 144,000 gallons of fuel. The price of fuel once it gets to the South Pole costs approximately $30/gallon burdened. That means we are hauling 4.3 million dollars across a frozen wasteland. Crazy.
Most of the trip so far has been driving in whiteout conditions. It’s a strange experience because you can’t tell up from down. You begin to think you’re side-hilling or going around in a giant circle. I do my best to trust the GPS and occupy myself with music or an audiobook. Last year the traverse had a transmitter so the whole team could listen to an audiobook together on a radio channel. It was like a traverse book club! But unfortunately the transmitter broke and hasn’t been repaired since.
Bottom – (left to right) Erick, Mark, Bill, Pete, Tom, Me, Jeff
Beyond the Backyard 