Report from Børge: The position of our camp is S88˚45’58”, W96˚23’V. Earlier today we ascended up to a kind of plateau, which is almost perfectly flat, without any of the unevenness we’ve passed through so far – and that means we’re picking up the pace. Today we covered 22 km in less than eight hours. And we’re very satisfied with that. We are right on schedule now.
For Nils Thomas, the first day of his 35th year has proved to be a hard challenge. He’s felt exhausted much of the day, but has pressed on. His breath is short, he feels a bit weak, and he strives to keep his fingers warm. These symptoms indicate that the altitude is taking its toll – even though he has been in excellent form so far. In fact Nils Thomas was pulling an extra load in his pulk, in order to relieve those who have had to struggle more.
At the end of today we were hit by a “whiteout”. We saw nothing. Under such conditions I use the direction of the wind as a navigational aid. I can also use the snow patterns the wind forms on the ground, and when there is some visibility, the sun. That works quite well. Actually we’re only using the GPS equipment to check our position in the evening.
Nick sends his best regards to his mother and father in Seattle. He says he feels in fine shape, and he’s doing great – he hasn’t had any sort of problem.
Svante’s group has to wait for better weather conditions before they can fly further south. They completed their runway today, but apparently have to exercise a bit more patience.
