South Pole – Antarctica has spoken

The Unlimited Child South Pole Expedition – Day 8

Despatch from Sean:

16 January 2012 – Antarctica has spoken. It’s 26 degrees below freezing. The terrain is spectacular, the team is fantastic but it’s brutally cold.

We are tucked inside the fabric of our two man tent, our lives preserved from the Polar breeze only by this micron thin film of nylon. I’m wrapped in a spacey down suit to bat off the chill while my freeze dried finger tips glide over the keypad with ease.

Nzuzo is sharing with me. He is asleep. After a 7.5 hour sled haul today we discovered that he has frostnipped pinky and ring fingers. Not great news for him this early on in the expedition.

Crossing this endless icescape at less than two kilometres an hour today, I once again got to appreciate how fickle our lives really are and what really matters.

At the end of today’s sled hauling Barney mentioned how he had spent much of the day thinking about his wife and children. The most meaningful imagery always glows in your mind while the fatigue and frost are kept at bay.

It’s been great having the good doctor Berning along. He is the official time keeper and blows his whistle every hour to bring our eight man convoy to a halt for a warm drink and snack on the move. In our flasks we carry hot chocolate or tea. The good doctor will be keeping a watchful eye on Nzuzo going forward.

Dinner tonight was ham and vegetable sauce on pasta. The mess tent was so steamy we could barely see each other. But we had a good chat about the day and speculated on how long it would take us to get to the Pole.

Tomorrow we head out at 9.30. It seems late but that’s because it takes a full two hours to wrap up the camp.    

Best from the Unlimited Child team

Nzuzo (pics courtesy The Unlimited)