Its been another uphill climb today for Mike! He is longing to get his skis on and to start gliding!
Mikes says, "The climb is getting easier but I'm still zig-zagging around crevasses. I'm tired today but did 17kms in all. I'm satisfied with that. I'm not after beating any records to the pole and think I'll be there in about 47 days."
Mike sends his first photos from Antarctica. The mask he is wearing in the photo is protecting his face from the bitter cold, southerly winds. The ice collects on the inside while he is walking and he simply taps the ice off once there is an accumulation.
Still many small crevasses like the one shown in the photo. The bigger crevasses are normally on the steeper slopes.
The weather is stable with southerly winds around 8 knots.
Progression is slowly getting easier for Mike but his sled is still very heavy. Today he walked 16kms before stopping to pitch his tent. After 6 days on the ice he has already walked over 100kms (65miles) and climbed 890 meters of altitude.
He is finding the cold of the Antarctic quite different to that of the North Pole. The dry air makes the cold temperatures more supportable and surprisingly enough his hands and feet warm up nicely while he is walking!
He is sounding great – obviously happy about the improving conditions! Another 5 oclock start tomorrow so its time for him to rest.
The sky is blue but once again there are very strong winds blowing from the North. Mike will leave the tent this afternoon once the wind subsides. He is making the most of his time in the tent this morning to check his communication equipment.
Mike is eager to start sending us photos of Antarctica and will be sending through his first photographs of the Antarctic shortly.
He is happy with his progression so far and after another day of walking should be ariving onto flatter terrain.
He reports, "The wind speed should reduce later today. I will head off as soon as it does as I don't like the idea of staying in my tent all day. I hope that the visibility will also improve so it will be easier to navigate around any crevasses."
Just after midday, Mike packed up camp and started walking again. He is clearly still walking uphill as his progression is slow. He is travelling at a speed of about 1 km an hour which would suggest he is encountering more crevasses along his route.
The ice formation is rather strange. The surface is undulating and wave like, rising steeply then flattening out again. Gradually rising in altitude, it will not be long now until Mike reaches the flatter ice on the plateau.
His GPS position at the end of the day was 80°14.225S and 80°23.798W.
"Today I had to zig-zag around very big crevasses whilst battling against poor visibilty and very strong winds. If the wind gets any stronger I will not be able to pitch my tent. If this is the case, I may be forced to stay put tomorrow", says Mike.
Mike thought the wind speed to be around 40 knots – very strong indeed! We hope that it will subside and the visibility will improve as indeed the forecast does suggest.
Otherwise Mike is well but tired. Physically, the first few days are always the hardest. As his physical state improves over the days to come, so will his progression.
It was a tough uphill climb for Mike today. He says,"The winds have been extremely strong. There is blowing snow but the sky is blue and the temperatures are not too bad at all! I've passed some small crevasses and am expecting more tomorrow. I have my crampons on and am pushing through deep snow. It's great to be energetic again after sitting on the boat for such a long time!"
Over the last two days Mike has covered 25 kms of ground since his departure from the coast. This is pretty remarkable as his sled weighed 196 kilograms at the start!
Another 15 kms of uphill grind. The landscape should start to flatten out and there should also be less accumulation of snow. Progression will then be faster.
He initially intended to stay by his tent for the first 24hours and spend the day getting the feel for his equipment but after all those days of waiting the urge to move was too great. It was time for him to get moving! Mike put on his crampons and by the end of the day Mike had hoisted his heavily laden sled 12 kilometers.
When starting from Hercules Inlet it is the first 33-40kms (20-25miles) that are the most difficult as it is an uphill walk. After that the terrain starts to level out and things become a little easier. The winds are still blowing on the coast but temperatures remain reasonable.
Mike is happy to be back!!
It was only on Saturday evening, after a few (too many) days of anxious waiting in Punta Arenas, that Mike was finally given the thumbs up. At long last, it was time to leave!
Having done all the necessary customs checks at the airport, Mike boarded a large Iluyshin 76TD aircraft and settled in for a confortable 4 and a half hour flight to the highly organised Americain base at Patriot Hills situated West of the Antarctic Peninsula. It was well after midnight when the aircraft touched the Antarctic ice of the runway, which incredibly enough, sits on 800 meters depth of ice! This runway is known as a Blue Ice Runway and is formed by the force of the crosswinds rushing around the surrounding mountains.
Mike was stunned by the calmness when he walked off the plane. It was a very still evening and he was overjoyed to be back!
Just 1 km away sits the ALE base where Mike was able to set up his tent and grab a few hours sleep before starting on his way the following day.
Sunday, at 6 am, Mike awoke. After a quick check-in at the base would he be able to leave. Not so fast Mike – it was only three hours later that he was given the okay to leave! Staff there wanted to check his route, equipment, plans, provisions and discuss the do's and don't's of this rigorously controlled continent.
A 12 minute helicopter flight took Mike down to Hercules inlet. At long last he was where he wanted to be – alone with only his sled and provisions and the white Antarctic landscape in front of him.
The first task ahead of him was to reach the continents edge which was situated 12 kms from his drop off point. Heading northwards Mike skied the 12 kilometers and set up his tent for his first real night on the ice.
Mike says " It's -15°C so it's pretty warm for the time being. Once I go up in altitude it will start getting colder. There are however strong catabatic winds blowing along the coast at the moment. I'll stay here tomorrow. It'll be a day of testing my boots and the feel of my equipment.
I'll take it slowly at the beginning and will probably only do 4-5 kms a day to start with. My sled is very heavy and it's not going to be easy going as I head over the mountains. "
"I'll keep you posted and will send some photos as soon as possible – but for now I'm just eager to start moving!"
Only another three days and Mike will be once again in Antarctica. It's been a busy time for Mike in Punta Arenas while he has been waiting for his flight. The airline company assures him that all is going as scheduled and on the 27th the twin otter will head south with Mike onboard.
These are days of intense preparation for Mike. The windy weather in this southern Chilean town has given Mike the perfect opportunity to test his kites. It is now, that important decisions must be made as to which size kite Mike must take. Mike's sled is heavily laden with around 200kgs of equipment and each item that can be discarded will make Mike's trek to the South Pole just that little bit easier. Mike's food alone weighs just over 100kgms! As well of this the other essentials, such as 30 liters of fuel, tent, sleeping bag, mattress, stove, pot, clothing, pharmacy, tool kit, etc must all be weighed. It's time to cut off handles, reduce quantities, anything at all that can reduce his load!
Mike is excited. The flight on the 27th will take Mike to Hercules Inlet and from there he will backtrack to the edge of the continent. He wants to explore the iceshelves and glaciers that are now being threatened by environmental changes.
Mike's dream to trek to the South Pole goes back to when he read the books of the South Pole pioneers, Shackleton and Admunsen. Mike like them, is drawn to these magical landscapes, the challenge to affront natures elements and the thrill of discovering new horizons, both internally and externally.
Mike is well equipped with tracker and communication equipment and will be sending us regular positions and messages from Antarctica. We'll keep you informed of his progress.