South 89 degrees 44.070 West 076 degrees 5.711 Elevation 9,179 ft 7.5 nm
18.3 statute miles remaining
I've done a few dumb things. First, early in the expedition I had extra food, so at the halfway resupply, I sent a lot of food back to base camp. Then at the three-quarter resupply, I went through my food and fuel as fast as I could to reduce my weight. I thought I would be done a week ago. I had some extra food in case I didn't make it as soon as I thought. Well, this morning I ate my remaining food. Part of the problem I've had the past couple of days is I didn't have enough food to keep my pace.
The next dumb thing that I did was to follow some truck track until it took me over six miles off course. I then headed toward my next way point which is at the start of the corridor that you have to use to go to the pole. That was a good choice, but this morning I made another bad choice and decided to return to my planned route. This meant going west three miles, but the corridor is east of where I was, so this was a bit of going the wrong direction. I was hoping that it would be worth going the wrong direction if I could get back on the track left by the arctic trucks. But when I reached my planned route there were no tracks. I then continued on the planned route, but by then I was tired and out of strength.
Then the famous
Hannah from ALE (who has held the record for the fastest solo unsupported ski trip to the South Pole) showed up with a bunch of food--candy, cookies, sandwiches, and chocolate bars. I needed to go through the new supplies and eat some, so I set up my tent
(link removed). Once I did that, then I had to dry out all of my gear
(link removed) before I could go again, or else with how cold it is, I would freeze to death. So I got some sleep while things dried out.
I have to call in to the base camp and let them know I am okay at 9:40 p.m. (Chilean time) each day. Failing to call in can trigger a search and rescue operation, and of course I don't want to do that. So after the call in, I will pack up my tent and get going again. With fewer than 20 miles to go, Hannah's tracks to follow, and candy and trail mix to keep my energy up, I should be able to finish biking through the night and into tomorrow. My plan is to keep going until I get to the Pole, so my next blog entry should be at the South Pole.
Feeling good about my odds of finishing the first
real bicycle riding expedition to the South Pole tomorrow. However, keep following these posts, as I will be adding some pictures and have a few things to announce, like a return party and, of course, more details on the
South Pole Epic Youth Project that I am setting up to help fight obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
Thanks for following me as I ride my bike to the South Pole. Remember to get out and be active.
