Day 18
Miles Advanced: 64.8
Total Miles: 1024.1
Miles to the South Pole: 17
Elevation: 9,332ft.
Weather: Sunny, -28F
Not all those who wander are lost.
J. R. R. Tolkien
I went to middle school in Safety Harbor, Florida. I hated school with a passion back then but I did have one class I liked- geography. OK that was a lie, I hated geography too. But I did like the geography book which was filled with some great photos of far-off exotic lands. I used to flip through the pages of that book dreaming of all the wonderful places that I hoped to visit one day. But there was one page I loathed. There on page 220 was the South Pole Station. Why didn’t I like that picture? Because I despised school and I knew I wasn’t going to college, and I’d never become a scientist, and therefore, I’d never get the opportunity to go to the pole and see that place for myself.
I’ve learned over the years that there is more than one way to skin a cat.
So tomorrow we arrive at the South Pole Station. For some of the crew it is a homecoming. For some, a personal achievement. And for others, it’s just a half-way point. After all, we do have to turn around and drive all the way back to McMurdo. For me, I suppose it is a combination of all those feelings. I’m elated to have successfully driven to the pole but I will be just as happy to be back on the trail again- headed north to see some other, far-off exotic land.
Beyond the Backyard 