The Better and the Worse
Published on 13.04.2010 - Save the Poles
Whereas Eric Larsen's team has received its second resupply and is forging on towards the Pole, they're facing extremely contrasting conditions for doing so.
This has meant that one day, they couldn't even see more than 50 cm ahead because of the extreme whiteout, that the following day, they had to cover their faces entirely in order to avoid suffering from the headwind that was blowing so angrily, that the next day, the sun came out from behind the clouds and brightened up their advance, that during one night, they went backwards by three kilometres and that the next night, a strong wind pushed them the same distance towards the Pole... In short, the men no longer knew to which saint to turn as the pack ice was even more unpredictable than ever.
One thing in any case was certain: there were now fewer compression zones than before on their path and these had been replaced by interstitial water areas that were increasingly frequent and increasingly dangerous to cross. It even happened that the men had used ice sheets to ride on, that each got on one side and that they paddled as if they were aboard a little boat.
On 10 April, the 38th day of the adventure, the second resupply successfully reached their area. It was also a day of well-deserved rest. Now, they're ready for the final rush to the Pole.
Eric wrote on 09 April that they were taking more risks each day in the way that they were crossing the interstitial waters but that the horses undoubtedly had the smell of the stable in their nostrils. Their position on 12 April: 87° 58.298 N / 80° 02.657 W. They still have 226 kilometres to go.
