Putting the pain aside, today was pretty decent. Windy: strong south westerlies so pretty much going into my face. After the first hour of blanket cloud cover it became perfectly clear. The first hour was spent thinking… is it really going to clear? No whiteout today? Really?!?! So it was nice when it cleared up.
I am not a fan of strong winds. Especially headwinds. However it is good when it’s clear (within reason!!) as you can see the spindrift blowing across the surface of the snow. Nice for navigating together with your shadow and compass. So, 20km in these conditions, and it feels like close to half way through the 81st degree already after the labour of 80 degrees south!
steamy feet
I was a bit sweaty by the time I camped though, which isn’t good. I need to be careful with this. If clothes get wet because of sweat then you get colder quicker once you stop moving. In the mantra of my polar instructors: if you sweat, you die! At least when the sun is out here it’s warmer in the tent, which helps dry things out afterwards, but still.
Please support Ben’s chosen charity Cancer Research UK
Visit Ben’s blog site to hear Ben’s audio diary from his overnight camp. https://polarweber.com/