The weather on this trip has been absolutely perfect. Every day sunny & still...beautiful blue sky (except Wednesday pm) & NO WIND. Yesterday we stopped at 10:30 for our first rest stop and we could see a glimmering light ahead of us. It was the reflection of the sun on the Research Center building over 12 miles away. Finally SOMETHING other than sky and snow to look at. Like a mirage it would appear then fade as we skied across undulating ice. The depth of the clear blue sky is hard to describe. We are in a place with absolutely the purest air on the planet and you can feel it when you breathe. We now can appreciate the texture of the snow, the slight shadows cast by the sun hitting snow called "sastrugi" waves of small textured terraces formed by the wind. It’s like crossing a desert except the waves of snow are the sand dunes. Why am I describing the texture of snow? Because it's all I've had to look at for six days outside of the team I'm skiing with.
I'm blown away how fast this week has passed. Sure there have been some hardships like blisters, cold hands and sleeping in a barrell tent in -20 F temps, but like any epic journey you come away different. More appreciative of what we have and how beautiful the Polar plateaux really is. I think about the hardships our Hopecam kids endure. The radiation, chemo and surgeries don't even compare. Polar skiing is a walk in the park (or tundra) in comparison. I'm honored to be supported by the children, their families, sponsors and many others to take in these projects.
This morning our team set off at 9:15 am for the last 4+ miles of our adventure. First time during the expedition we woke up to fog and strong winds. We could see in the distance the silhouette of the two story U.S National Science Foundation Research center building, adjacent to the pole. As we approached the camp we were amazed to see 20' satellite dishes, large white radar/weather domes, & large areas where flags were placed for testing for environment purposes. We could see the dozens of yellow tents forming the ALE South Pole Camp. We stopped skiing and entered the white Quonset hut where hot meals are prepared by the ALE chefs. Sitting at a table in a warm structure after 7 days of winter camping and skiing was a great feeling. Shedding our layers and thawing our frozen hands and feet.
After some hot soup and grilled chorizo we left the warm building to set up our tents and then put on our skis to visit the ceremonial South Pole where a large reflective globe is set on top of a red and white barber pole. Flags from the twelve countries that are part of the Antarctic Treaty signed in my birth year of 1959.
We all took pictures at the globe and a professional photographer named Stein Retzlaff (@steinretzlaff) volunteered to take pictures of each of us at the pole. Together as a team each of the members of our team held up the photographs of all our Hopecam kids as we videotaped a beautiful thank you to all our sponsors & Hopecam kids. After we took individual pics, we then skied another 5 min to the "Geographic South Pole" and took pictures as a team there. The pole moves 20 ft a year and adjacent to the pole is the U.S National Science Foundation Research center building, which also moves the same distance. The 65,000 sf building supports 140 research scientists for 6 months a year. After those pics were taken we skied back to the dining tent and now await a clear weather day to return to Union Glacier camp and with some luck, return to Chili Tuesday night and back to normal life.
We brought the logos of many of our supporters on laminated cards and I was able to take pictures to thank our supporters for helping us connect over 5,000 children with cancer to their friends undergoing treatment.
As we ended our journey to the South Pole we thought of Hopecam Kid Reo. “Reo is a cancer hero, having to learn how to walk again and all other daily functions due to treatment. She loves to use her Hopecam device to stay in touch with her family as she has received most of her treatment 8 hours from home. When she gets home she looks forward to riding her horse, playing with her rabbits and dogs…and of course, hangout with her friends.” Today was for you Reo, we thought of your fight and how strong you are as we skied through the wind and fog to complete our journey to the South Pole.
Hopecam Kid Reo