December 23, 2012
Something from nothing
At one point this morning, I was ready to give up and call it quits. It seemed like I couldn't catch any break. A brutal head wind, long steady incline and drift after drift after drift of soft snow. I struggled with my morning's progress relative to the overall goal of getting to the pole (or even close for that matter).
When I checked my gps, I was surprised that I had made 8 miles but at the physical cost of complete exhaustion. My legs felt weak and fill with lactic acid. I hike-a-biked for about 15 minutes, tried to ride for another 15 minutes then finally gave up.
I had been traveling for nearly four hours - a little early for lunch, but I set up my little Hilleberg tent, through in my Ridge Rest and RoadPost Iridium phone. If I wasn't so tired, I might have started crying, but I ate some soup and a chocolate bar and felt a little better. I called Maria hoping for a little bit of encouragement and the conversation helped. It was nice to hear her voice and get the latest baby Merritt update. I also called into Union Glacier with a status update.
It is so easy to get mired down in one moment or hour or even day here. I have to keep reminding myself that everything is constantly changing. Good conditions will turn bad and vice versa. The key in Antarctica is to simply (well at least theoretically simple) keep putting in time day after day.
I almost suffered an expedition casualty - I temporarily misplaced my Wenger folding knife. While I have a larger back up, that particular knife is one of my most used pieces of gear. I found it in one of my Granite Gear stuff sacks!
I fell asleep in the tent for over two hours and had more weird dreams. After a few minutes, I forced myself to get dressed and head outside. It was late and I could have easily called it a day. Luckily, the wind died and I was able to make 20 totall nautical miles today.
When I checked my gps, I was surprised that I had made 8 miles but at the physical cost of complete exhaustion. My legs felt weak and fill with lactic acid. I hike-a-biked for about 15 minutes, tried to ride for another 15 minutes then finally gave up.
I had been traveling for nearly four hours - a little early for lunch, but I set up my little Hilleberg tent, through in my Ridge Rest and RoadPost Iridium phone. If I wasn't so tired, I might have started crying, but I ate some soup and a chocolate bar and felt a little better. I called Maria hoping for a little bit of encouragement and the conversation helped. It was nice to hear her voice and get the latest baby Merritt update. I also called into Union Glacier with a status update.
It is so easy to get mired down in one moment or hour or even day here. I have to keep reminding myself that everything is constantly changing. Good conditions will turn bad and vice versa. The key in Antarctica is to simply (well at least theoretically simple) keep putting in time day after day.
I almost suffered an expedition casualty - I temporarily misplaced my Wenger folding knife. While I have a larger back up, that particular knife is one of my most used pieces of gear. I found it in one of my Granite Gear stuff sacks!
I fell asleep in the tent for over two hours and had more weird dreams. After a few minutes, I forced myself to get dressed and head outside. It was late and I could have easily called it a day. Luckily, the wind died and I was able to make 20 totall nautical miles today.