March 13, 2010
Day 11: 84
Skiing today, I started thinking about the myriad choices that we must make while navigating. Scouting a route, veering to the east or west, when to use skis versus snowshoes, a lead that is safe to cross...
Out here, we can't afford to make bad decisions. It's very stressful and adds another layer of complexity to the expedition. Despite all this, I had to laugh today at the predicament - if only there was a polar version of Bing to help me out here.
At home, I need more than a search engine, I need a tool gives me fast access to information that helps me make better decisions. That's what I use Bing. Bing helps me with other decisions too, but more on that later.
The day started in a cold fog (the weather not our minds) and a tough terrain that quickly sapped our optimism about making the seven miles to reach our goal of getting to the 84th parallel. Darcy pulled the first navigation shift and was able to pick his way nicely through an hour and a half worth of pretty bad ice. Nearing the end of the second shift, we all worked together to manuever the sleds through a slot of pressure ridge choked with ice blocks up to six feet across. Next, AJ managed to find the clearing and got us to a nice frozen lead then a relatively flat pan.
We pushed hard throughout the afternoon hoping that we would cross the 84th parallel. In the end, we had our best mileage - 9.5 nautical miles. We'd celebrate more but after such a big effort, we're tired.
At some point today, face mask frozen, my left hand weirdly icy and my parka ruff covered in frost, I had a funny thought and turned around to share it with AJ.
'It's like a beach, only colder.'
Image: AJ and the morning sun. Looks warm? It's not.
The Save the Poles expedition is sponsored by Bing with major support from the University of Plymouth, Terramar, Seventh Generation, Goal0, Atlas, Sierra Designs and Optic Nerve.
Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.
For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com
For information about guided Antarctic expeditions, please visit http://www.antarctic-logistics.com/
For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com
For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net
Out here, we can't afford to make bad decisions. It's very stressful and adds another layer of complexity to the expedition. Despite all this, I had to laugh today at the predicament - if only there was a polar version of Bing to help me out here.
At home, I need more than a search engine, I need a tool gives me fast access to information that helps me make better decisions. That's what I use Bing. Bing helps me with other decisions too, but more on that later.
The day started in a cold fog (the weather not our minds) and a tough terrain that quickly sapped our optimism about making the seven miles to reach our goal of getting to the 84th parallel. Darcy pulled the first navigation shift and was able to pick his way nicely through an hour and a half worth of pretty bad ice. Nearing the end of the second shift, we all worked together to manuever the sleds through a slot of pressure ridge choked with ice blocks up to six feet across. Next, AJ managed to find the clearing and got us to a nice frozen lead then a relatively flat pan.
We pushed hard throughout the afternoon hoping that we would cross the 84th parallel. In the end, we had our best mileage - 9.5 nautical miles. We'd celebrate more but after such a big effort, we're tired.
At some point today, face mask frozen, my left hand weirdly icy and my parka ruff covered in frost, I had a funny thought and turned around to share it with AJ.
'It's like a beach, only colder.'
Image: AJ and the morning sun. Looks warm? It's not.
The Save the Poles expedition is sponsored by Bing with major support from the University of Plymouth, Terramar, Seventh Generation, Goal0, Atlas, Sierra Designs and Optic Nerve.
Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.
For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com
For information about guided Antarctic expeditions, please visit http://www.antarctic-logistics.com/
For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com
For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net