Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
some weighing as much as 50 tonnes. Our pace was 2 kilometres per
hour—half what it should be—and that's damned frustrating. We must
average 30 kilometres a day up here, but today we did about 15. Not
good. Apart from not covering the necessary territory, we also found it
difficult to warm up because of all the stopping and starting. Anyway,
one day down, many more to go. It is so
cold
.
aPril 8
The temperature on the ice today was -32 degrees. Being out in it was
almost unbearable. Luckily, we didn't have too many stops: we are get-
ting faster at negotiating the leads and the pressure ridges. But just
when we thought everything was going well, Eric broke a binding on
his ski. Just three days in and three bindings replaced: we have no
more spares. I am gravely concerned.
We alternate sleeping partners in our two-man tents, so that we
don't have a chance to get too much on each other's nerves. Inside,
we have our sleeping bags, the satellite and iridium phones and
