Every Step - Alone in Antarctica: The First Woman to Ski Solo Across the Southern Ice - page 16

Steve met me at his door, smiling as always. The last time
I'd seen him he'd been stood on a wind-scoured runway made
of blue ice beneath the Ellsworth Mountains in Antarctica.
Today, we made ourselves comfortable with mugs of coffee in
his carpeted study which was neatly cluttered with shelves full
of polar-themed books and maps of Antarctica. With a large
map spread on the floor we were soon squinting at the narrow
trickles of white spanning the chain of the Transantarctic
Mountains, trying to pinpoint the Leverett. The glacier was
so tiny that it was barely visible. I told him the reasons for my
choice and my reservations about following the SPOT route.
'Every expedition is following waypoints of one kind or
another,' responded Steve, pondering the issue. 'Even Scott was
following Shackleton's route. If you took the Axel Heiberg you
would still be following waypoints - effectively someone else's
route.'
He glanced down at the map, sipping from his mug as he
considered my plan.
'I think you're absolutely right, taking on the Axel Heiberg
alone is serious stuff. The Leverett is interesting; no one else
has skied it before and it looks like a nice route.'
I felt relieved at Steve's tentative approval but at the same time
noticed a fizz of trepidation. The plan that had been confined to
my imagination was now taking on a reality of its own, as if I
had wound a spinning top and was about to let it go.
'I'll try and find out when the SPOT convoy is likely to be on
the glacier,' Steve continued. 'In any case, we should probably
let them know that you'll be out there. They won't be expecting
any skiers.'
He looked at me suddenly and I felt vaguely scrutinised,
unable to decipher his expression.