A harsh trek through the snow

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A tough but hopeful journey

The day began by waking up to a snow-covered landscape. Overnight, it had once again snowed considerably. So the team got up as early as 2 a.m. to provide around 5. Then the snow is still hard. Around noon, when it gets “warmer,” the snow becomes softer and stickier. And therefore even harder to get through. Still, today became a hopeful day because of a special encounter along the way.

Plodding through the deep snow

The snowfall of the past 48 hours had created a thick snowpack of about one meter. Slogging through the snow was tremendously tough, with skis sinking and sometimes even causing loss of balance. The first shift that started at five in the morning seemed like an eternity. And so it went with the second, third shift and on through the rest of the day. The only advantage the expedition team had was that they had the wind at their backs. Fortunately, the sleds, are getting a little lighter every day. Yet it is still quite a drag every day. After all, the team still needs to move up.

The challenge of navigating a whiteout

The view during the trip was anything but pleasant. Indeed, there is also still a white-out. Wherever you look, everything is white, white and white, making navigation very difficult. Even the person at the back of the group was not visible to the person in front. Navigating in these conditions was a huge challenge. The team did encounter another group that had less difficulty navigating: three migratory birds flying against strong winds. This was a welcome distraction during the arduous trek and gave members strength to persevere.

Hopeful and determined, despite severe weather conditions

The day ended at 3:30 p.m., but high winds and light snowfall persisted. The plan is, to leave early again the next day. However, the group does take into account the storm warning. If the predicted wind speed of 20 meters per second is reached, it will be too dangerous to proceed. Henk-Jan, therefore, hopes for a new weather update that is more favorable so they can continue their trip. The next day will be another test, but the team remains hopeful and determined.