Slowly recovering
Published on 02.12.2011 - Cas & Jonesy : Crossing the Ice
Because of a better weather these last days, the two Aussies have been able to ski beside each other and have a chat while skiing.
Excerpts from their last communiqué (on 1 December) : "... One thing that they are discovering out there is that everything is a compromise. Especially when it comes to their health. In order to help Cas’ infection heal and prevent reoccurrence, he needed to air the area more by removing extra layers of clothing. While this did help the groin issues, it had consequences. Removing the clothing worsened the cold injury (the rash on his inner thighs) that he has been carrying since the first week of the expedition. It was similar with Jonesy’s injury too. His achilles was painful from skiing and he found that using orthotics helped ease the pain. However, using orthotics took up all of the extra room in his boots causing his toes to crush. It’s as though they have to sacrifice one discomfort for another. ..."
"... On a positive note, the reduction in wind over the last couple of days has made skiing more social. For the first time on the expedition, Cas and Jonesy were able to ski beside each other and have a chat on the trail. This was a great change for the guys as normally they walk in single file meaning they can’t talk to each other. Even though they are doing this expedition as a team, they feel like the most isolated people in the world. Since they’ve been out there, they’ve seen only 2 other expeditions. The first one was a Spanish group who caught the same flight into Hercules Inlet at the same time as them. They camped near each other the first night but that was the last time the guys saw them. Then, a couple weeks later, they saw the Norwegian, Gamme whose tent was pitched about 200m away. But since then, nothing. They are yet to see anything but ice, snow and more ice. “Devoid of life” as Jonesy describes it. ..."
