From the blog of Ben Saunders and Tarke L’Herpiniere for December 23. They're just past 89 degrees south and are less than 100 miles from the pole. I wonder at their dedication to their goal, their awareness of and respect for those who have been their before; but I can't imagine their recognition and acceptance of their anonymity.
But there are occasional moments of magic. We talked briefly today of what it must have felt like for Shackleton and his men as they turned for home near here, and for Scott and his team as they headed on to the Pole. For us, the South Pole represents people, air traffic, vehicles, noise, buildings, warmth, safety; it's a huge distraction and we're keen to arrive in the dead of night, take our photos by the Pole and get away again before anyone notices us. For Scott and Shackleton it was a point in the centre of a vast expanse of nothingness. The feeling of remoteness and isolation they must have felt at this stage of their journeys must have been immense.
Another perspective