Mark George : One degree to go
Published on 07.01.2012 - South Pole Solo
Mark George is so excited to see light at the end of the tunnel (he has no more than 30 nautical miles to go) that he almost doest not sleep anymore at night. Will he decide to do the return trip ? No answer yet...
Covering about 16 nautical miles every day, Mark George is getting nearer the SP every day. On 7 January, he had still 30 nautical miles to cover to reach the South Pole.
Excerpts, (7 January) : A perfect day for a walk. The sky is clear and the wind negligible. In fact it was pretty flat and I was all alone in this amazing dessert. For hours I travelled, listening to the sound of my ski’s on the snow, the sled being pulled behind me and my breathing. I thought much about home and all the special people who lived there.
I have to detour the way you access the pole through the US base camp and have about 30 nautical miles to go (see the picture below). I know the weather is forecast to change for the worst so today I enjoyed it for what it was.
But the weather forecast does not sound very good for the days to come. So if George knows that the Pole is now definitively reachable, he is also aware that his trek is not over yet and that the conditions before getting to the Pole could be the worst of all the trip.
But so far, Mark has not spoken yet about the possibility of making the return trek to Hercules Inlet : few months ago, when he announced officially his solo expedition, he said that he might think -after having reached the Pole- of going back the same way.
