Half way point reached!
Published on 17.12.2007 - ANI South Pole Quest 2007/08
The past week of the Ani South Pole Quest expedition has been a difficult one. But the group is still on schedule and, as of December 6, had reached half the trip's course.
"A Disaster! I had barely finished writing in my dispatch for yesterday that, although everything has gone well so far, the success of an expedition always depends on both men and their equipment: my boots started suffering from what I can only describe as a heart attack..." This is how Adrian Hayes's report dated 6th December starts out.
He was lamenting about the fact that the bindings attaching his skis to his boots had broken at just the wrong time, meaning that he had to walk all day, through snow that was particularly soft and thick. Then, the next day, after the team had tried all sorts of repairs, the Dubai-based adventurer found himself again having to walk for a good part of the day, setting everyone's nerves on edge and leading to a serious argument to break out. The day after that, a bad storm vented its fury on the expedition, forcing the men to call a halt and stay in their tents for 24 hours.
Things were looking up a few days later, though. The ski boots were repaired, the overall mood of the group was better and even the weather improved.
Despite these mishaps, the five members of the team passed the halfway mark on 6th December and are making steady progress towards their goal again, at a rate of around 30 km a day. On 16th December, they passed 87 degrees south.
