Major change: Mark Langridge has given up on the idea of doing Hercules Inlet to the South Pole and

Published on 05.12.2008 - SoloAntarctica

Mark was forced to take this difficult decision during the night of 25th-26th November. He had thought that he would be able to achieve his goal of reaching the Pole within 40 days, but he now realises after 18 days on the ice and 'only' 210 km covered out of a total of 1400 km that he will not be able to make it.

Despite this setback, the English explorer has decided to keep going and try and reach the South Pole. Now that he has put the disappointment of not completing the challenge he had set himself, he is back on his way again. And all of a sudden, he had the best day since the beginning of his expedition, covering 27 km and crossing the 82nd parallel.

Mark continued with this good run on 27th and 28th November, taking himself another 54 km closer to his goal.

On 29th November, with his sledge still weighing in at 90 kg, he had to cut his day short due to white-out conditions, a dense fog that prevents you from seeing the terrain in front of you, and he only managed 11 km for the day.

The following day, the weather was bad again, but despite slowing him down, Mark was still making good headway.

Since then, there has been no more news of his progress, but there has been a letter of support from Hannah McKeand. This polar explorer holds the record for the trek between Hercules Inlet and the South Pole, with a time of under 40 days: "Hi there Mark. Sorry to hear you had to change your plans, but that was quite a challenge you set yourself! When I did my time of 40 days, my sledge only weighed 80 kg when I started. So there's nothing to be ashamed of... Good luck for the rest of your trip and keep putting one ski in front of the other. As unlikely as this might sound, when you have reached the end it won't be very long before you want to get back out on the ice again. Cherish every moment you live, including the highs and the lows, because you will never live life again in the same way. You're incredible! The best of luck, Hannah". What fine thoughts!

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