Following a surreal 56-hour stay at the South Pole, it was a relief to see the twin otter arrive to collect us at 23.00h last night. We packed all our gear into the plane and turn around time was less then 1 hour. The forecast wasn’t good and the pilots didn’t want to waste any time.
We were bound for Patriot Hills, – our base camp over 1120km away. The base team had sent ham and cheese sandwiches for us to eat en route… Our excitement at eating fresh food after so long was childish!
The flight was smooth and despite the cramped space, enjoyable. It was fascinating to watch the route we had trudged over – it was a clear, sunny night and visibility was certainly better than when we had been skiing.
After a brief stop half way to refuel, we continued on, reaching Patriot Hills at 03.45h. We were all wrecked and expecting to have to pitch our tents and retire with half- empty stomachs… We were over the moon when the staff here invited us to dinner.. Wow! We started with skewers, followed by steak, potato, vegetables and dessert, topped off with champagne!We really hadn’t been expecting such a welcome and enjoyed every mouthful. We relaxed and chatted until 07.00h, before turning in…it was great to finally on the way home.
Unfortunately, the winds have picked up here in Patriot Hills and it looks like it will be at least 3-4 days before the Illuyshin can come in from Chile for us; we are awaiting up to date forecasts.
Clare
