Day 43 Trek to the South Pole

From a lone traveler to one of a group!! Mike calls from Lat 88°51 S Lon 83°14 W!

HSH Prince Albert II left South America on the 5th of January for a three week tour of Antarctica. This trip, in acknowledgment of the end of the international polar year, is to visit 26 international scientific bases on the glacial continent which are currently measuring the impact of global warming on this greatly affected continent.

"The royal team arrived at 7 pm local time, just when Borge, Clémence, Nicolas and I were about to complete our day and set up camp. It was the first day walking for Clémence and Nicolas and we were happy to have advanced 16.5kms – not bad at all! Clémence ad Nicolas took it all in their stride, with no problems at all, even with the very cold conditions."

"With visitors dropping in on us like this, we quickly set up several tents, with one larger one where we could congregate and chat about our Antarctic experiences. It's always a great pleasure meeting up with Prince Albert. We have meet many times in the past, but this was certainly unique! We have a joint passion for the ice and have both visited the Arctic and Antarctic. I am very fortunate to have the Principality of Monaco supporting the Pangaea Expedition and to be associated with like-minded and motivated people who concentrate their efforts in creating awareness about the environment and the importance of its' preservation."

"Tomorrow we'll all walk together towards the Pole. It will be interesting for me to be with a group of people for a change. I'm looking forward to sharing this amazing time with these dear friends.
Even though it may be short, it'll be an experience I will never forget!"

Mike Horn