South Pole on Sunday?

After today's 8.6 nautical mile push ("Can we go 9?" asked one of the go-getters), the team is just two solid ski days from the Pole! They sleep tonight at 89 degrees, 43.8 minutes south. If tomorrow brings clear skies, they may even be able to see the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station by midday.

Contrast between land sky gets fuzzy even when it's only partly cloudy.

Today they encountered warmer temperatures, variable 5-7 kt winds and fast moving weather systems. The skies would change from overcast to clear and back to overcast during just one of their hour and a half pushes.

Aside from some lingering cold symptoms that many folks seem to be passing around, everyone is feeling strong and well rested. Keith concluded the dispatch by saying it was time for him to get horizontal for the next 12 hours.

Dale and Heather

No one specifically asked this question, but many people wonder about coming down with a cold while on expedition. It's not uncommon for folks to bring multi-vitamins, vitamin C tablets or vitamin packed drink mixes, but these are usually intended to boost antioxidant stores and keep the body in good general working order after long, hard miles in the harness.

The cook in his kitchen. You can just make out the teapot lid above the knee.

The Arctic and Antarctic aren't what you would call germ laden. If you pick up a cold while on expedition, you almost certainly contracted it from a team member rather than the environment, and that seems to be the case with our team.

As always, thanks for following and check back tomorrow for more notes from the field.