Day 18: Halfway and a good one!
South Pole: Solo but Not Alone
Howard Fairbank
Sat 10 Dec 2011 01:39
Elevation: 1616 metres, biggest single day climb today....
You probably picked up from yesterday's blog that I was struggling a bit.... I woke today I bit worried whether things would go further down or spiral upward back to the positive days prior to 'Nunatak day'. It was mainly my right foot issue that was affectng me, but also I find reaching halfway comes with mixed emotions...It's like wednesday of the working / school week: Your halfway through but is that a long way you have come ora long way still to go?
Well, with a route distance of 914 km, I now have 461 to go, so almost spot on halfway. That feels pretty good, and it also means Christmas day at the South Pole is a very real possibility, but 'Mother Nature' will no doubt decide!
Back to the start of today.....
I'm not a pain killer person, never take them, but today I packed 4 in my wind pants pocket, JUST IN CASE. I put an extra sock on my right foot (now 5 socks, 9ncluding vapor barrier layer!). For those that haven't dragged a sled, it's not just like normal walking, one's back and shoulders are being yanked back, so your toes have to constantly fight back to keep the front of your boot from lifting upwards. When one really pushes the pace or has a very heavy sled, the toes get quite stressed, and almost need like a grab rail in your boot to help them claw back. This is the problem I have, where my toes and ball of my foot are now traumatised.... Anyway enough detail...
The extra sock helped a lot, I had a great day, and forgot about thee painkillers. Not that it's all hunky dory, it will take a while, but a least now I can manage the situation by wiggling my toes, yesterday I could do zip...
The day started with a moderate head wind, anndd in a big sastruggi obstacle park. I felt good, and patiently made detours around all the big ones...Not good terrain for getting into the zone, but I somehow managed a good average speed. Two hours later I was innexactl opposite terrain, not a sastruggi insight, not even the occasional one, but just smooth VAST open desert...With the cloud shadow giving it a strange brown tinge, it really looked like warm desert sands This was the start of the big hill today, but also perfect for getting in the zone, and so I did... The kilometres flew by, and my mind lapsed into a huge philosophical journey! Gee, Imi, I missed you on the other side of the debates... (I'll come back to the content later below)
The now, infamous nunataks are STILL with me, but believe you me, I haven't been seduced again! Two days later they are stlll clearly visible, but other than them, it's just vaste ice wilderness. Today, as I stopped a few times to take it all in, it really hit me how vast and awesome it really is...strange shadows, magnificent skies, deceiving virtual hills and valleys, and nobody around, no sounds, other than the wind when it blows. I takee my camera out, but almost each time I realise you can't capture on camera or video what I am experiencing and seeing.....photos will be scorned as shooowing nothing and that would be tragic, because there is SO MUCH in the scale of things and the experience. I use the 'Mother Nature' thing quite a bit, but todday I thought , I'm SO small, and instantaneous in her vast timeless wilderness that 'she' is probably indifferent to my presence.
I managed 28, largely, painfree kilometres, in 9 hours of marching. To try and minimise further damage to my foot, I've decided that provided I'm over 25 km for the day, I'll stop at 9 hours.
You may wonder why I never mention the actual temperatures out here? Well, I'd been warned about Antarctica: At this time of the year it's not the still air temperature that is really cold, probably only -10 to -15 C. It's when the devilsh wind blows, the windchill is biting. It's hard out here to estimate the temperature with windchill, but at the headwind peaks it defniteely feels like the minus 30's. The worst is one gets caught out by the warmish still temperature, almost becoming casual and complacent. Two of my fingers have big white frost nip blisters from just that, and most of my fingers are sensitive to touch from minor cold damage....I need to be more careful!
As I went through my planning tonight, it seems it's going to be touch and go as to whether I get to the Pole on or before Christmas day? I'll be pushing to try and do it, but largely weather wiill determine it. I plan to dump (burn off!) quite a bit of fuel ssoon, I have far too much, andd can save 3-4 kgs.
So, my philosophical excursioonn today....
Well I've been living out here for 18 days now, I'm halfway, and I asked myself: "So what are you cravving for, what are you missing or needing?" I honestly couldn't find one item, thing, activity, etc. I then thought, that's a bit strange, because this life is SO different to breakfast at Empire café, socialisiing with friends, hours on the laptop, reading the latest news, etc, etc.
I definitely don't miss shopping, going to gym, paying bills, doing laundry and kitchen dishs, spermarkets, traffic, garbage duty, etc, etc. I'm eating the same basic food each day, wearing the sae clothes each day, not shaving nor brushing my hair, not showering, I have no idea what's going on in the world, I haven't seen or spoken to anyone yet there is NOTHING I feel I need or want?? Not even a hot bath! Why in that 'other world', do 'we' need so much variety, external stimulation, so much socialising, news, gadgets, material pleasures, etc,etc Strange hey, but why is this I asked?
The answer appeared to be in: I'm doing what I REALLY enjoy (holisticly), in a very spiritual aand healthy environment, ALL my BASIC needs are well satisfied, and above all I have huge meaningful, and all consumng PURPOSE. A purpose that is linked to me gaining 'personal height', a concept my friend Imi, introduced to me back on our Yukon trip. As he said the words, I knew "That's what it's all about!" A sense of inner spiritual development, that is free of ratification or approval, or motivated by others. It may involve others, but doesn't have to, and once gained, nobody can ever take that personal height away from you....A good concept..
Out here I have no need for the so called luxuries, boredom distractors, pampering etc, and my life is SO simple, and free of clutter that I can get within myself and live and feel me!
So if some of this is true, then maybe it's all about having that meaningful and consuming PURPOSE? That then leads to the big question: So, what is the PURPOSE OF LIFE?
This took me back to day 35 in my full on North Pooole expedition, where in the same mid space as today, I had a damascus experience, where I discovered my response to the question...! I''ll leave you with these thoughts and share with you further in the coming days...
Since 2004 I have been trying to live what I call 'Simply Adventure', a way of life which is Simple, as outlined above bit. But one also centred 'Simply' around adventure, because in adventure Ii find In can find myself and my soul, while still having strong meaningful purpose.
In sharing this with you I'm not trying to say I know the answers, and have it all sorted, I know many of you are much further down your own tracks.... All I'm trying to do is share my exploring of an alternate approach....and maybe it triggers a few thoughts for your journey...!
Lastly, this Blog and your parrticccipation, whether acttive oor passive, provides a very important social / human connection for me, one that enables me to not have a craving need to 'get out of here', and be with friends / others....so thank you, it's a very special part of the 'not alone' part of 'Solo but not Alone'
Please feel free to post up your comments, disagreements, views, beliefs....it's al serious fun!
And you just thought this was a South Pole expedition hey!
Off to bed, feeling very content....bit of aa wind outside, but nice and wwarm inside my little tent!