Hollinger in Antarctica

After the last few days of utterly exhausting physical effort, today was a real pleasure. Not what most people would call a rest but a wonderful lightening of the burden after our multi-stage 500+ metre pull up a 30 degree slope (or worse!). Today we set off in a relaxed fashion from our high camp at around 11.00 am Chilean time and before long reaching the lip of the pass that drops down onto the top of the Horseshoe glacier. This glacier is an enormous plain of snow and ice covering thousands of square kilometres and is ringed by splendid mountains. In the distance we can see Patriot Hills but its’ apparent closeness is an illusion. It is 60 kilometres away. Antarctic distances are notoriously difficult to judge. The crystal clear air means that from a high vantage point you can readily see to the horizon and perhaps as far as 200 kilometres. With no human objects or growing things (Houses, people, trees etc) there is nothing to give you perspective. We had to lower our pulks on a rope for the first few metres and then we were able to toboggan a considerable distance before we had to start pulling. The whole journey today has been flat or downhill all the way so pulling the pulks has been easy and quite enjoyable. On three or four occasions we were able to give the pulk a push and jump on for a free ride! This was not always without problems as on one steep slope, the famous poo sledge (loosely fastened to the back of Ian’s pulk) overtook him and wiped him out. I’m happy to say that the contents of both sledge and pulk remained firmly secured in their respective containers!

So we walked at a comfortable pace through this extraordinary and beautiful landscape with almost no wind and glorious sunshine. The minus 17 that Phil recorded this morning was a mere minus 5 when we stopped to camp here at about 5.30 pm. A true Antarctic summer! So we had walked with only one pause for over six hours and we still counted it a rest after the previous few days. The one pause was because I had dropped my camera. As you can imagine  have taken so many photographs of this amazing experience in this amazing place so there was a moment of panic before I remembered where I had last used it and I hurried back and found it (phew!). Our aim on this long haul was originally to walk all the way back to Patriot Hills but the climb out of Connell Canyon means that this is now very unlikely. We may have to call in the cavalry. (Stand by for the story). Happy birthday today to Olivia 8JM and Thomas 8GO.