Singing in the pain…

Published on 18.12.2011 - South Pole Solo

Mark Georgie George never stops talking about music when he writes his updates. This is a sort of a therapy for him, helping to go through all the difficulties encountered during the trek.

Latest datas

December 18 / South: 84 25.508 West 80 36 .417 / Distance: 16.2 nautical miles (30km) Time: 9.5 hours / Weather: clear with a lighter head wind / Snow: better than previous days
December 17 / South 84 09.442 West 80 19.005 / Distance: 15.1 (28km) / Time: 9.5 hours but very character building.
December 16 / South 83 53.417 West 80 09.174 / Distance 16.2 nautical miles (30km) / Time: 9.5 hours / Weather: sunny then poor visibility /Snow: massive sastrugi all morning, which made navigation tricky but it opened up in afternoon. Tough day but happy with distance.
December 14 / Camp: South 83 72.482 west 79 28.977 / Distance: 15.3 nautical miles (28.3km) / Time: 9.5 hours / Weather: 15knot wind in morning easing to quite still this evening / Snow: first 5 hours up and hill then getting better.
December 13 / Camp: 83° 07’ 256” South 79° 16’ 765” West / Distance: 14.4 nautical miles (26.7 km) : Time: 9.5 hours / Weather: overcast and hard to see where my feet were going this morning and then improved in afternoon / Snow: continued sign of improvement today.

6.000 calories a day

This season, we haven't spoken yet about the food the polar expeditioners are obliged to eat to be able to maintain their body fit and to support these dreadful temperatures during such a long time. Mark George is highlighting this subjet on 13 December.

Excerpts : "...So what does a typical day’s food consist of. Here is what I am looking at tomorrow."

Breakfast: Porridge for two people and add 100 grams of butter to that, a chocolate milk drink and water with vitamin tablets.
My day pack of snacks are for my breaks which I take every 1.5 hours and I take half an hour for lunch after 5 hours of skiing. My day pack consists of 100 grams of cheese, 2 sport gels, 1 energy bar, 2 or 3 chocolate bars/lollies and a small bag of peanuts. If I am flat I also take a bite out of another 50 grams of butter.
During the day, I usually drink about 2 litres of water.
As soon as I get into my tent, I have 50 grams of salami, and for dinner it is a Country Cuisine Meal for 2 -beef Stroganoff tonight (they make some great meals like spag bol, roast chicken and Moroccan lamb).
Then have a cup of soup plus about 50-100 grams of butter for dessert. Wash it down with a cool tea drink.

Despite eating all that, I am still hungry after using so much energy during the day not only on ski’s but reassembling and packing up the tent twice a day.