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                    Ski the last degree to the South Pole 01/16/2008
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                    Starting Point: South 89: 02.038, West 94:27.811,


                    Ending Point: South 90:00.000


                    Distance: 107 km


                    Date: Jan 3 - Jan 9, 2008, 7 days’ hard work.


                    I underestimated the workload of last degree ski before the trip. I never imagined the sled would be so big.We started the trip with the sled weighing 50-60 kilos, and it looks even bigger than me. Though Antarctica is generally a big flat plain, it’s full of “sastrugi’, the snow drift. Though they may not be so high most of time, they are enough to hold up my sled from time to time. In addition to the snow drift, the journey is a gentle uphill all the way.
                    Picture
                    This trip is as much a mental game as a physical game. The big white plain, nothing else. You need a lot of patience to get through each “boring” day:
                    Picture
                    My skis point to due south
                    Picture

                    The average temperature for the trip is around -25 C, even with bright sunshine and blue sky. A light wind of 5-10 kts would bring significant wind chill effect. That makes cool picture though:

                    Picture
                    The last day was the hardest day. A constant head wind of 15-20 kts brought the wind chill to -40C:
                    Picture

                    We could see the destination from 7 miles away. What seemed so close was still many hours away. South Pole Station on the horizon 3-4 miles away. It was the goal that kept me going even though I was very exhausted already:
                    Picture
                    I finally pulled into South Pole!
                    Picture
                    I bet no one expected such a modern structure at South Pole!
                    Picture
                     


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