Each day another story
Published on 27.12.2010 - One step at a time
Dutch traveller Willem ter Horst and his female guide are doing fine down there. After 30 days of progression, they have crossed already the degree 86 !
Willem ter Horst has quite an original way to write his daily blog from Antarctica ; every day, in fact, he focuses on a different subject and narrates its story in detail. On 16 December for instance, whilst they are crossing the degree 84, he explains how the pair is having its first glimpse of ther Thiel's mountains. Two days later, he writes about how slowly or quickly they gain altitude on this expedition, and more globally on expeditinos that are making the trek Hercules Inlet - South Pole. On 24 December, he descrobes ther uphill climb that never comes to an end. Excerpts : "... Today's story is that of the uphill climb that never came to end. The slope just kept on rising or so it seemed. Maybe the strong headwind had something to do with it as well, but it felt like I was always up against it today. There was no moment of nice glide or good rhythm; there was just hard work, fighting against the wind, fighting against the neverending slope for 8 long hours today. I'm glad I'm back in the tent and today's miles are behind us now. We didn't even do so badly today, we still managed 14.5 nm and got us to 84°44.7'S, but today is still a day I'd like to forget. It should be time to have a relaxed ski into rest day camp. We are arriving there in two days, most likely anyway. It's just 28.1 nm away. I hoped for great views of the Thiel's mountains today, but eventhough we had great visibility, the views will have to wait one more day. And since the neverending slope obscured all picture opportunities, the pictures I promised also have to wait another day, sorry about that. Special message to mum & dad: please e-mail me your mobile number and travel details, so I can call you on rest day. ..."
Another day, he tells the story of their meeting with the Indian Army or the books he reads (Willem seems to appreciate a lot Stieg Larson's trilogy Millenium) Next, he explains how the pair is choosing the order of the marches ; who is leading, when and how often they are taking their tour and how long they gop for each leg.
However that may be, the pair seems to get together very well. They are making about 15 nautical miles every day which is an excellent average. Here is their last position published (on 26 December) : 86.15535 S / 96.8312 W.
