Beyond the Backyard

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.

Day 17
Location: Polar Plateau
Miles Advanced: 46.7
Elevation: 9,112ft.
Weather: Ice Fog, -22F

We are now entering the area we call Sastrugi National Park. Sastrugi are mounds of snow that have been formed and sculpted by wind. They can be quite beautiful as they form into delicate fins and arches. Sometimes I’ll see one directly in my path that is so ornate, I’ll feel bad running over it.

Sastrugi are also a nuisance. They are hard as concrete and can be several feet high. Traveling over them is a jarring experience. We found it best to knock them down with the blades on the Case tractors. Blading a trail, following the GPS, and hauling a load at the same time takes a great deal of effort and concentration. It’s also a full body workout. Going up and down the sastrugi feels a lot like riding a disgruntled horse for 10 hours.

To top things off I forgot to latch one of the cupboards and all its contents came spilling out- breaking some mugs and bowls. I guess I’ll have to steal some at pole.

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.