Travel Reference
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the Problems
There are no commercial flights to Antarctica after the end of
DecemberandnoneoutofAntarcticaaftermid-January.We'llbe
too late for these, so somehow we have to organise a later flight
into and out of the Antarctic. We may have to pull strings, and
after coming so far I'm not too proud to do that. Perhaps I'll have
to prevail upon my contacts—Australian consuls and officials that
I've met during my run, or Robert Tickner, the head of Red Cross
Australia—to organise another airline or special charter flights
for me.
I can't reach Tierra del Fuego until sometime between
January 9 and 14, and, after taking 20 days to reach the South Pole,
running 50-odd kilometres a day, I will then be ready to depart the
pole in mid-February or thereabouts. This will mean that I'll miss
out on my dream of celebrating Brooke's birthday and Australia
DayinSydneyinJanuary,buttherewillbeplentymoretimesto
enjoy these events in the future. My main priority must be to finish
what I have started.
I've told Greg we have to explore every option. An absolute last
resort may be to fly from southern Chile to the Antarctic, run to the
South Pole and then fly back to where I ended up in South America
to finish the run down to Tierra del Fuego. I will be going back on
my vow never to take a backward step, but if I run every day and
cover the territory I said I would, I can live with that. It's just that it's
messy, and I resent that it's not me changing the plan, but forces
out of my control.
Another problem, as I've said, is deciding whether to use the
six-wheel drive in the Antarctic or skidoos. Greg and Eric want
us to use the six-wheel drive. It's more comfortable for the crew
coming with me, and better to film from. The downside, as I see
it, is that it is ruinously expensive. Greg says he can pay for the
vehicle by using Channel Nine's final sponsorship payment and
getting more donations. Even so, I believe that using it would mean
we will finish in the red. I prefer the skidoo option, because they
can be there when we need them and they are far, far cheaper.
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