Their pace has improved but the race against the clock remains…
Published on 06.12.2011 - Cas & Jonesy : Crossing the Ice
Aussies are short in time
© Expedition website
More than a week ago (on 28 December), we informed our visitors that for the Australian duo, time was becoming short. This problem is still relevant today.
The assessment remains final : even if Justin Jones and James Castrission (Cas and Jonesy) have improved their pace significantly over the last week -having reached the figure of 24 km per day-, they still have 1.800 km to go.
On 6 December they wrote : "... Even though their pace has improved significantly over the last week, the guys are looking at strategy options as they are short on time. The race against the clock is on, and even if the weather holds out and the injuries remain under control, a rest day is looking like a luxury that they cannot afford. ..."
Besides, the conditions of the voyage turned better these last days : the weather holds, the terrain is not too bumpy, the snow/ice has become harder (finally) and as far as their injuries are concerned, they are under control.
A problem arose though : they are a little short on sleep for the moment. From their HQ : " ... They are continually waking up through the night, with some nights getting only 5 hours sleep. A lack of sleep does not allow their bodies to recover properly and makes it harder for them to go the distance the next day. As they are fatigued when they arrive at their new campsite each night and after a hot meal are snug in their down sleeping bags, they are unsure why sleeping is such a problem. The 24 hours of sunlight and pain from injuries do not seem to be the reason. ..."
The solution to all this small setbacks : even if they are a couple of weeks away from 25 December, to salivate already about the Christmas pudding that they have with them in the sled (courteous of Jonesy's sister).
