7th January day 57. only 23 km to go.
We can see it. The excitement is rising.
Today we were all in a contemplative mood as we made our final two days push for the pole. Each of us in silence trotted along towing our sleds.
To me the most amazing part of this journey is the time you get to think, to be with one-self. The pressure of the environment and survival make you forget the problems of modern day life. I get a chance to put my over active mind on a shelf for a while, to look deep inside Pat Falvey and see who I really am. Time to reflect, reassess my goals and objectives in life and act on them.
I love expedition life. It’s just a pity now that I’m getting older that I can’t stay at this level of adventure. But age brings new opportunity, I am looking forward to the new challenges that it is brining.
I’m starting the gray hair adventure club. You have to be over fifty to join. I have so many new adventures I have dreamed and schemed about on this expedition, they will keep me active until I’m eighty.
Mixed emotions deep down about tomorrow. Proud of our achievement in getting this far. Wondering what’s going to happen after we reach the pole.
The last 14 months have been a roller coaster of adventure.
I had the largest ever group cross South Georgia which was the start of the Beyond Endurance adventure.
Shaun Menzies was pick from that to continue on for training and has complete Greenland and now Antarctic.
We have skied 300 km in Norway.
As we couldn’t get sponsorship to cross all Antarctic, we simulated this by doing an unsupported 600km 30 day crossing of Greenland, in horrible conditions, due to global warming. Giving us another Irish first on the Greenland polar ice cap. Fascinating story. 1st Irish team. 1st Irish female, Dr Clare O Leary.
And now the finish of the Beyond Endurance expedition of 58 days 1140 km here in Antarctic.
Tomorrow will start a new chapter in all of our lives.
I’m so looking forward to reaching the South pole.
