Day 43 – Sastrugi slayer
Day 43
Lat S88deg 16.526’
Long W82deg 13.534’
Altitude 2667m
Daily
distance 11.08nm
Not quite slayer I guess as they got the better of me
quite frequently but that was largely down to the poor visibility. However, it
seems that I’m through the worst for sure and now on the relatively flat surface
that leads all the way to the pole. This past week has been pretty tough going
but again that was mainly down to the whiteouts. Earlier today the sastrugi
returned for one last battle and these were very gnarly, probably the worst yet.
Thank goodness it was a clear sunny day as even with great visibility there were
a few times I couldn’t see a way through. This went on for about 3 to 4 nautical
miles before they eventually petered out and then came and went briefly, each
time decreasing in size and frequency.
I will stay roughly at this altitude
too. It’s not too high but at this latitude it has the feeling of being closer
to 4500m. I am well acclimatised though but there’s still the odd occasion when
it reminds you with a shortness of breath.
Well today was superb from start
to end weather wise. Clear skies and barely a breath of wind so I started
without a jacket or pogies but at minus 20 it was a bit optimistic and the
jacket returned at the first break. By now I had cooled quite a bit and really
struggled to keep my hands warm afterwards. It took a couple of stints with them
nestled in my armpits to get some heat transfer and of course you can’t ski like
this so I lost a bit of time due to that. They returned to normal eventually so
a lesson learnt even after being out here for six weeks.
The sun is still
shining and it makes such a difference inside the tent with everything getting
dry and warm in no time. So much more comfortable.
The picture is a departure
from bearded selfies and white stuff and not very flattering either! It was
taken 29 years ago today when I joined the Royal Navy so happy navy anniversary
to all the 911 entry Artificers. I know there’s a few out there and there’s even
one still serving! Great days and such a shame it ended with a medical discharge
after the diabetes diagnosis. Have good memories getting drunk in places I
couldn’t spell at the tax payers expense but had it not ended I may not have
been doing this now so you never know how life will twist and turn.
#heartinternet #diabetesuk #curraNZ #expeditionfoods #primalpantry
#antarcticlogisticsandexpeditions #solo #southpole #antarctica
#seediabetesdifferently
