Cas and Jonesy : Almost at SP
Published on 30.12.2011 - Cas & Jonesy : Crossing the Ice
Australian pair has still to return to Union Glacier ALE base camp
© Expedition website
By now, the Australian pair Justin Jones and James Castrission should have arrived at the SP. If not, they should be so close. But the expedition is not over yet. They still have to return to Union Glacier ALE base camp.
Last position reported on 28 December : another 74 km to go !
On 24 December, Justin Jones and James Castrission had a important moment : because they passed the position 88° 23′ S. That's the point where Ernest Shackleton’s -being on an important expedition in 1909- decided to turn around and go back. At the time, this was the farthest south that any expedition had been before. In reaching that point, they faced a severe blizzard that lasted for days, were very low on food, and their extremities on the verge of frostbite. Completely exhausted, they planted the Union Jack at 88° 23′ S and then turned around -97 miles away from the South Pole. What a disappointment ! (see our coverage of this odyssey in our old antarctica.org website)
On 23 December, Cas and Jonesy took a day off. These last days, they also left behind their last two caches -one at 88 degrees and the other at 89 degrees in order to reduce the weight that they were carrying to the pole. Food is still tightly rationed at the moment, and will continue to be so until the end of the journey.
These last days, they also felt the cold a lot more because of the elevation. Because of that, they had some restless nights. But no frosbite is to report. And their spirit remains high.
