We started the day with bright sun, mild wind and a long day ahead. We are slightly behind schedule and we plan to push hard to catch up so we end the day at the half way mark. I developed two quarter size blisters on each heel that are taped & better but they still hurt. Altitude slowed me down today so I'm back on Diamox. My most significant issue is fogging goggles!
The sun reflects on the snow & creates heat (solar radiation), so we need sunscreen under our noses here! We had perfect weather until 3 pm then the clouds rolled in and the wind picked up with a total white out (made by the blowing snow), but it finally cleared. The temperature fell 10 degrees. It's impossible to determine if it's snowing or just the existing snow is being blown about, but when it's a white out it you feel like you're skiing inside a ping pong ball.
I had a very heavy load carrying the tent + 8 lbs of fuel for the team. From the very first segment (6 one hour segments), I had a tough time keeping up. Fortunately Jeremy picked up the fuel & loaded it on his sled at the first break. Blisters seem to plague the team. Most everyone seems to be managing well. We have four Canadians from the Toronto and Ottawa area who are very experienced and among them are a father/son team. We reached the 1/2 way point today!
We honored Hopecam Kid Tahiry. Tahiry is an awesome skater, she loves Princess Poppy in the Trolls movie and she can bake you right out of your cupcakes. Her favorite color is purple with a little bit of pink. Your fight and resilience powered me through today as we trekked through the white out conditions.
HOPECAM KID TAHIRY - GRADE 2 FROM EXMORE, VA