I said the other day that I would be happy if I skied more than 25km… hmmm…
I didn’t get anywhere near that today; just over 20km… but I am pleased. It was probably one of the hardest days, physically speaking, since the start of the journey.
Rampant Sastrugi
I was extremely grateful when I woke up that the whiteout from the last couple of days cleared, with bright sunshine once again. The sastrugi continued as rampant as ever, just sitting there being annoying! Even with the clear skies, they still proved to be a bit tricky to navigate around. Fortunately no real problem there and no falls today. Looking at the messy ice all around me made me imagine how it would have been had I continued yesterday. I am sure that it would not have been pretty at all. The sastrugi will have their revenge (again… and again!) sooner or later, and undoubtedly the last laugh!!
15cm of fresh snow
But back to the point, rather than my endless ranting about man-eating sastrugi. Yes; a tough day! It was the fresh snow. With around 15cm of snow over the last 24 hours… it was just a constant slog to pull Sledmund through it all. It all felt like constantly going uphill, and then with the drifts going to my knees again, and getting the sled through them… and then again and again and again… it was draining. Even with the sunshine and being able to avoid the falls. I can’t remember looking at my watch so many times hoping that it was time for my break or the end of the day!
Food glorious food
So, just had dinner now; some sort of chicken with something and something. Whatever it was, it was nice! 1,000 calories to cheer me up. Plus my 60g of cheese and 50g of cooked meats. And crackers. And cookies. Oh and protein shakes and hot chocolate. Quite a feast! Still hungry though…!
Photo: for dinner just pour the bag of dehydrated food into the flask, add boiling water and… ta dah!!
Song in the head for the day: Pink Floyd, Echoes
Advent calendar chocolate: Famous Grouse… hummm chocolate! Did I say an hungry..?!
Please support Ben’s chosen charity Cancer Research UK https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ben-weber1