After an 8 AM wake up call, the team broke camp at 11, skied for four hours and covered just under five miles during that time. They settled into a rhythm of skiing for just over an hour, taking a five to ten minute rest and then repeating. As Michel mentions in the audio update, the team reached 89 degrees, 3.883 minutes south. Just over 56 nautical miles separates them from the Pole.
A few team members dealt with minor headaches and nausea last night and throughout today. These symptoms will diminish as the team acclimatizes to Antarctic Plateau's 10,000 ft elevation.
The team reports that the wind picked up around 2 AM this morning, and blew a sustained 10 kt out of the northeast (hitting them on the backside of their left shoulders) throughout the day. It's also a few degrees colder today.
After the first full day of skiing, the team enjoyed a special dinner of hamburgers and french fries! That sure beats the standard freeze dried fare. Eating so luxuriously every night would hugely increase each team member's sled weight, but it's such a comfort to have a "home cooked" meal on expedition. Captain Keith says he has one more special meal planned for the expedition.
Today is Diego's 11th wedding anniversary. Happy anniversary to you and your wonderful wife, Diego!
Also, Sasha and Alexey will be celebrating Russian Orthodox Christmas tomorrow by putting in a good six miles or more on the trail. Merry Christmas, fellas!
That's it for today. Thanks for following, and check back tomorrow for more notes from the field.
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