The small spine of mountains that has been our only reference point is now only a solitary cone behind are right shoulders. In another day or two, that small peak will dissappear below the horizon. Then, all will be white and the only thing that will mark our position relative to anything is our daily GPS reading.

When its not a whiteout, we can actually make out the topography of the snow. A far vast horizon means flat or downhill terrain. A near horizon and we will be climbing soon.

After a relatively leisurely morning we continued to ski south on flat snow although it would change during our second shift. With Bill leading, we were able to see far into the distance. Then, short of the horizon, an abrupt change. Uphill.

We witnessed other clues to our impeding climb: more and larger sastrugi and increased winds. For an hour or so, it turned plain nasty (right at lunch time) and we were forced to hunker down on our sleds, backs to the wind and eat semi frozen snacks.

The positive result of today's work was that we were treated to an amazing view to the north. A panorama of unimaginable scale unfolded ski stride by stride the higher we climbed.

We are all inagreement. We've earned our dinners tonight! 14.7 nautical miles.

The other good news is it's not too late to save the polar bear if we join together and take immediate action. Thanks to a lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Obama administration has proposed designating more than 200,000 square miles of Arctic coastline and sea ice as critical habitat for the polar bear!

The administration is seeking comments on its proposed critical habitat now Please tell the Obama administration that the proposed critical habitat is essential to the survival of the polar bear and that it must be protected against threats from offshore oil and gas drilling. Take action with the Center for Biological Diversity to make sure we don't have to face a world without polar bears. Click here:

http://mail.google.com/mail/?hl=3Den&tab=3Dwm#inbox/12527f22b04c90a1

Image: A self portrait by Eric with Dongsheng, Bill and another Antarctic sun dog.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.savethepoles.com

For information about guided Antarctic expeditions, please visit http://www.antarctic-logistics.com/

For information about Bill Hanlon's foundation, please visit www.basichealthinternational.org

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