Blue Ice and Mountains
By Brian Newham. Yesterday was a long day and today isn’t to be any shorter but we really want to make the most of the good weather. Despite a fresh breeze it is sunny with great visibility so we need to push southwards. By late morning we arrived at an area of ‘Blue Ice’. It’s a term used to describe a surface that is just that – it’s like an ice rink but with a few surface imperfections. They…
RGS Event Not Going Ahead
I am sorry to annouce that the provisional event at the Royal Geographical Society on 20th March is not going to happen after all. Having put out the feelers to gauge interest it was decided by our Trustees that there was not a sufficient level to ensure that the full capacity of the RGS hall was filled. On behalf of everyone at Operations HQ and beyond who were looking forward to marking t…
“Terra Firma”
By Anton Bowring, Cape Town. Yesterday the expedition support team stepped ashore properly for the first time since we left Cape Town on 7th January. Although we got off the ship in Antarctica, the ice on which we stood was afloat. Even though we were surrounded by a landscape of undulating whiteness, we were no more on terra firma than the ship itself. Inevitably we are all feeling unsettled.
“Human Urge”
A rare blog from expedition co-leader, Sir Ranulph Fiennes: “Sometimes I am asked what attracts me to Antarctica, this expedition being the third time (hopefully) that I will have crossed it. The Norwegians have a word ‘polarhullar’ meaning ‘polar hunger’, suggesting the Poles and travel to or near them is addictive. For me, I call it normal human urge. The first time I crossed the Antarctic was…
The Dig
The Ice Team had their work cut out for them when they woke up this morning to find their fuel sleds imbedded in two days and nights of snowdrift. Perseverance paid off and they finished the day 39km further south than when they started. Good work…
On the Move
A sunny but breezy morning. 25kts and low drift. Took us about three hrs to get dug out and the Ice Train reassembled. Now we are trucking at around 5km/hr. Need to make some mileage today so likely to be a long one. Update by Brian Newham, Travers…
“Hope”
By Anton Bowring, on board SA Agulhas. It’s ten pm and it’s hot. The air temperature is way up in the mid 20s. We have slowed to seven knots and we are about to alter course. Cape Point lighthouse is just seven miles ahead. Looking at the chart, I can tell you that it flashes blink, blink, pause, blink every thirty seconds. The light itself stands eighty-seven meters above sea level and in good…
Update from the Ice Train
Just to let you know that the Ice Train was unable to proceed today. The wind rose again during the night and this morning was 40+ kts with zero visibility. However, things have calmed down and tomorrow is looking more hopeful. On a separate note, the SA Agulhas is due to arrive back in Cape Town tomorrow night, or early Wednesday evening. We’ll keep you…
Live Map
It is a mix of pleasure and frustration that we welcome you to the Live Map service on The Coldest Journey website, courtesy of Yellow Brick Tracking. A pleasure because it is a really cool addition to the site through which you will be able to chart the Ice Team’s progress in Antarctica; a frustration because it is not currently working on our site and you have to be redirected to another sit…
Stuck in the Snow
Another short video from Ian Prickett. This time he gives us an update on what has been happening today. As you will see, not much! Still, it’s a good insight into conditions down there right…
- Newer Posts
- Page 34 of 48
- Older Posts
