Camp: Jake (Shaun’s nephew)
Date: 26/11/07
Position: S82.3880, W082.7956
Temperature: -15c
Weather: some contrast
Distance today: 27km
Distance to Pole: 850km
I have been very concerned about my frost bitten thumb. This is my 62nd expedition and I have always said that no exped is worth loosing a finger over. So my initial thoughts were rather gloomy. I thought I would loose the tip. It has now stabilised, and I am feeling brighter and now relaxing into the expedition, this is the first time in 2 weeks that I have felt like this!
Today was the first really good day we have had, it was been -16c, warm really! Also we have upped our marching hours now to 8 per day and Jonathon (being the super-competitive athlete that he is, wants to win the ‘un-official’ race to the Pole this season) so raced over the final hour to give us a new expedition record of 27km – problem is, he will only want to better it tomorrow!
We are now at camp 15, I cannot believe that we have completed 1/4 of the distance to the Pole. Great celebrations were had last night in our ‘eating the elephant’ journey to the Pole when we crossed 82 degrees South latitude only 8 more to go (each degree is 60 nautical miles.)
We are not all short of ailments though. As I write this I can hear Shaun howling in the other tent from a horrendous case of ‘nappy rash’ and ‘Jock itch’ to my amazement, I have also heard that Jonathon has finally after 2 weeks got a small blister on his foot – great news ;-). Good job we have a doctor with us, she is now over with Shaun, reluctantly attending to his ‘wounds.’
