It's getting colder...

Though the temperature today was far from brutal (-15C) it was colder than the last few days, and with the 15 knot wind that was their constant companion it is beginning to seem a little more like Antarctica and less like springtime in Aspen. The morning was overcast but the sun made an appearance in the afternoon. 
Despite uneven ground and their first encounter with sastrugi (wind patterns in the snow) they increased their daily distance to 18 kilometers. The have been in the good company of some majestic mountains and tonight they are resting in what they describe as "the most beautiful campsite".

Soon they will leave all these landmarks behind as they ascend to the polar plateau. The team is in good spirits and everyone is happy to be making progress. The team's location tonight is S 80.26.515, W 81.02.052.



The team en route with the Independence Range in the background

Cyndi Douglass has asked a question about the team's daily routine. Every expedition has it's own routine, but it usually takes a couple hours to melt snow for water, eat breakfast and break camp in the morning, and the same in the evening to establish camp, make water and eat dinner. During the day the team will stop every 1-2 hours for a quick break during which they snack on high calorie foods and drink water from a thermos or insulated water bottle. We know that today they skied 8 hours, so they likely took 3-4 breaks during the day. We will pass this question along to the team and hope to have their specific answer for Friday's blog. Great question Cyndi!

We have relayed several messages to the team and they are delighted to have people following their progress. Make sure to listen to Ronny's audio update and check back again tomorrow for another update from the team!