#2: good progress

Strong wind overnight created some havoc with our large tent and I was outside twice anchoring in the soft snow. At least the morning brought still and dry conditions and we spent the day plying an interesting route through the foothills south of Adventdalen. We’re making great progress averaging close to 3km per hour. It’s pretty awesome having Rob Swan on the trip, the first person to ski to both Poles, a feat he completed almost 30 years ago. He has continued to be active throughout his life, particularly in Antarctica where he was an early adopter of kite skiing and a pioneer in climate activism. We met three years ago in Punta Arenas when I was preparing to guide a South Pole expedition. Rob was doing some reconnaissance for his own South Pole mission and we hit it off. He is here with Paulina, a young and effervescent girl who is training to ski the last degree to the South Pole with Rob and others at the end of the year. Also with us is Chey, a South Korean girl training for a South Pole expedition she hopes to undertake in a couple of years. Former military, she is very analytical and a fast learner, she will make a great expeditioner. Temperatures are still above zero and it’s raining again outside. Thankfully the temperatures are forecast to drop after tomorrow. Eric