Expedition Diary
Expedition Diary
Saturday 9th January 2010
Had a call from Katie at 7.30 to say that they had landed safely at Madrid but were having to rush to get the flight to London.
At present we are just outside London where we stayed last night (thanks John and Fiona) have checked the internet and so far plane is on time
We got to the airport in good time (early as usual) and met Marcus and Debbie Warren Price (Fred's cousin and his wife) for breakfast.
The plane arrived on time but it took an hour for them to get out and through.
Katie looked very tired but is well.
Its lovely to have her home.
We had a good trip home and then a party early evening.
Thank you to everyone for their support.
Friday 8th January 2010
They left Punta at 7.30 and travelled up to Santiago.
The flight from Santiago was delayed for an hour, but hopefully they will arrive on time to get their connection to London from Madrid
I have checked the internet and at the moment there seem to be a lot of delays from Madrid to London, so lets hope by tomorrow things have sorted themselves out.
Thursday 7th January 2010
After a busy night celebrating!! they spent the rest of the day packing, shopping and looking forward to coming home.
Katie did a couple of telephone interviews in the afternoon.
They decided to have an early night.
Wednesday 6th January 2010
Had a call from Fiona at 10 am to say that they had just landed in Chile and it was snowing!
We now just need to get them home, which wont be easy with the weather being so bad here.
Katie phoned later in the morning to say that the flight had been fine and she had slept most of the way, she said that she had just been for a run as she felt she had not done much for a couple of days (Mr Franse, her hockey coach, would be proud) anyway she was just about to have a shower and then go shopping, I think that she is determined to spend all the money we sent her with!
I asked Katie about the shower in Patriot Hills, she said that it was very short as they had had to melt the snow, then heat the water first.
(Sorry cant find a picture, perhaps Katie will add one when she gets back)
Tuesday 5th January 2010
After another day of waiting (it seems that all we have done for last month is wait for a call!) Katie phoned at 8 pm our time to say that the weather was coming in and they were hoping to catch the midnight flight but if the weather come in quickly they would be there for at least another three days!!
Will be going to bed with fingers crossed.
Monday 4th January 2010
Had a call from Katie at 4.30 pm, they had a good flight from South Pole back to Patriot Hills, it took four hours and they were on a DC3, because of the weather they had to fly at 16,000 feet (plane not pressurised so a few fuzzy heads). When they got back they found it really warm as the temperature there yesterday was only -8
They got a great welcome back, and had roast turkey with all the trimmings and champagne....what a great end to a fantastic expedition.
Wendy and Katie have been told that they can use the showers later today which as you can imagine they are delighted about.
Unfortunately the weather deteriated and they are not able to leave Patriot Hills, the wind is blowing sideways over runway so planes cant take off or land, hopefully it will improve tomorrow. but she is fine with this as they are having pizza for tea (would you believe, they bought the pizzas over with them from Chile and buried them in the ground, so they have just dug them up for tea!).
This is my final picture of
Patriot Hill so I hope that
they are not there too long!
Image supplied by BPE Ltd
Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd January 2010
I have put both days together as really the team did not do much except rest. Unfortunately they were not allowed onto the base for the party on Saturday but were invited on today for a look around and to visit the gift shop, Katie went a bit mad, but as she has not been anywhere near a shop for over two weeks she was probably getting withdrawal syptoms!
She phoned on Sunday afternoon to say that they were due to fly out to Patriot Hills that evening, have an overnight there and they back to Chile Monday, so we will see if that happens.
Here are a few facts about the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Base
1) It is the southern most inhabited base in the world.
2) The base lies about 100 metres from the South Pole, but because it is located on a glacier it would moves above 10 metres a year towards the South Pole but it has been anchored.
3) The first base was built in 1956.
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South pole base sign
Image supplied by
BPE Ltd
Friday 1st December
Katie called at about 8 pm to say that they were still at the pole, apparently ALE are waiting for someone doing the solo trek to arrive probably Sunday before they come down, as the weather is settled they are not in a rush to get them out, so they will probably be there until Monday which is some ways is nice for them as they have spent so much time and effort getting there.
They ran around the world a few times.......around the pole, going in and out of different time zones......what fun.
They have not been into the South Pole Base yet (you have to be invited) but Katie said that they are all doing fine and it is nice and cosy in the tent.
They have been for a look around the outside and at the old South Pole base (pictured below) apparently this is in the process of being taken down so Katie is getting lots of photos as she will be in one of the last groups to see it.
She is in good spirits and having a great time, as you can imagine they are spending lots of time sleeping and resting.
On Saturday night they have been invited into the base as the staff are having a new years party and invited everyone there, we did ask if she had managed to have a wash or a shower yet and she said no they would not get anything until they get back to Chile (that will be nearly three weeks, think they have had a few snow baths though).
Thursday 31st December
"They have arrived at the South Pole"
Had a call from Katie again this morning to find out where we will be tonight, it is -35 but she said it is not too bad, I wished her luck, they were all very excited. They have ten miles left to walk.
After a long day, Katie finally called at 10 pm, it was a very emotional conversation, she was nine metres from the South Pole and in floods of tears, she walked the final bit talking to us on the phone, she was exhausted and exhilerated, unfortunately we lost connection but at least she has arrived.
Ceremonial South Pole
Image supplied by BPE Ltd
Wednesday 30th December
Katie phoned about 7 pm our time to say that they had just stopped to re-fuel (eat) and they could just make out the base, it was just a lot of small black dots but they all gave a cheer, at that point they had about 14 miles to go, she was quite tearful as she has had such a wonderful time and she does not want it to end.
Had a call from Fiona in the evening to say that they had had a very long day and were exhausted but they were now only 10 miles from the South Pole which means that they will get there on New Years eve.....how fantastic will that be.
They will probably get to the pole late evening our time.
Forgot to ask the temperature in all the excitement, their postion is 80.50 though.
This is the new South Pole base that
they could see in the distance
Tuesday 29th December
The temperature has now dropped to -35 so very cold for them.
They had a tough day today as it was uphill all the way which was extremely hard work,it really is a case of mind over matter when it is like this, but they did well and covered 10 miles so only another 20 to go!
They can now almost taste the finish and are getting very excited but nothing is for sure until the get there.
Running out of pictures, this is one we took of
Katie before she went.....yes she is in there somewhere.....hopefully this will keep her warm
Monday 28th December
They are doing extremely well, they walked for 6 hours and are now at 89.30 which means that they are really ahead of schedule and should now be at the pole either new years eve or new years day which is amazing, they really will have a tremendous new years party.
They are also the fastest team Mike has ever had in breaking camp, they can now do it in 2 hours 6 minutes.
The weather is now -30 so a little warmer than yesterday!
They should be able to see the South Pole base soon.
This is how Katie will look, all iced up, very attractive!
Sunday 27th December
They are now at -33 so it is getting colder but moral is still high and as a team they are getting stronger.
Today they walked for 5.5 hours and covered 9.3 miles which is great, they are now ahead of schedule. They are now at 89.20.
Katie phoned in the evening, apparently has loads of battery so will be phoning more frequently as they are now more than half way which will be lovely.
Apparently she is getting quite an artist and today built a snow teddy, it should have been a rabbit but the ears fell off!!
Another fact......it takes the team 2 hours 22 minutes from waking to to walking, this includes the long job of melting the snow for hot drinks.
South Pole View
Image supplied by BPE Ltd
Saturday 26th December (Boxing Day)
The weather has gone colder again, down to -27, however they had another good day and travelled another 8 miles and are now at 89.11.
Wendy is still looking for the oxygen shop...the altitude does make things very hard, but hopefully things will get better for her soon, fortunately Katie is now ok.
Katie is obviously re-living her childhood as she made a palm tree out of snow today, obviously re-living the times we spent in the Carribean for christmas.
Antarctic View
Friday 25th December (Christmas Day)
Katie phoned this morning and it was lovely to hear from her, she said that she was finding things a lot better and was really enjoying herself. She had taken tinsel (pink of course!)
with her and was going to decorate her poles for the day
I asked what the temperature was like today, she said lovely in the tent!
They crossed into the last degree today and a great cheer went up, by the end of the day there were at 89.03 81.40 so still doing very well.
They seemed to travel up hill a lot which made it hard but were rewarded by great views for nearly 20 miles.
After they camped, they opened presents and cards sent by family and friends, decorated the tent and had christmas pudding......what a wonderful experience, they will certainly never experience a christmas like that again.
Apparently Katie built a snowman as well, it probably was not as big as this one though!!!
Thursday 24th December (Christmas Eve)
After a worrying day, had a very promising phone call from Fiona in the evening, she said that Katie is a lot better and her spirits were high.
It also got a lot colder today, the temperature went down to -32, they covered 6.5 miles so are still on schedule.
Katie led for two sessions and believe it or not, they did not end where they started, in fact she was very straight!!
Just a quick Antarctic fact, apparently they have 200 million 800 thousand cms of snow there, and we thought we had a lot.
Spirits are high and their imaginations are going wild, apparently they have a horse, a snake, a bunny and a duck following them (lack of oxygen seems to be like me having five glasses of wine!!)
They wished everyone a very happy christmas
Image supplied by BPE Ltd
Wednesday 23rd December
Had a call from Katie this evening, they covered 7 miles which Mike is pleased with, their position is now 88.50 81.39 and they have about 98 miles left to go.
The temperature was -28 and cloudy which is making it colder.
Katie was quite low, but this was expected, we had been told that day three is the worst day for them all so hopefully she will be brighter tomorrow. She said that it was not as cold as she expected but the lack of oxygen was making things hard for all of them, however it does not seem to be stopping them, in fact they can get the tents up and stoves lit in under five minutes which is the fastest that Mike has ever done in the Antarctic.
A Typical Camp scene
Image supplied by BPE Ltd
Tuesday 22nd December
They had a good day today and walked 5.5 miles.
The temperature has now dropped and it is -28 however it is still sunny and clear so that is a bonus.
They are all in good spirits and coping well with the altitude
Striding South (previous expedition)
Monday 21st December
The weather is still being kind to them so they managed to get off on time.
The flight is by Twin Otter and took them five hours.
The temperature was -26 when they arrived but still very sunny with no wind so they walked for two hours before they set up camp.
They need to take it slowly for the first few days as they are now at altitude, in fact the South Pole is at 10,000 feet so it takes a few days to acclimatise.
All in good spirits
Twin Otter
Sunday 20th December
Today the team had a full medical by the doctor at Patriot Hills and all passed with flying colours.
Katie phoned in the evening and I must admist sounded more excited than the previous day, Mike has told her that her fitness is excellent, in fact her pulk is heavier than some of the others as the fitter ones carry the most!
In the afternoon they had a visit to the communications tent to see how things operate.
They had stew for dinner, this will probably be the last decent meal they will get for a bit, from now on they will be living on dehydrated meals!
They are still on schedule to fly out tomorrow at 10.00 am their time (1 pm our time) subject to the weather..................then the hard work will begin.
(Sorry no new picture)
Friday 18th and Saturday19th December
On Friday and Saturday they left Patriot Hills to embark on a two day training trip, they walked out to an old abandoned plane approximately 10 miles away, the weather apparently was fantastic, very sunny, it made the trip very enjoyable. The trip is used to test all equipment and themselves.
Katie phoned on Saturday morning to say that things were going well, she said the weather was fantastic, in fact they were all really warm, Mike and Ian had spent the afternoon skiing topless!!
They arrived back to Patriot Hills quite tired, they were due to fly out to the Plateau tomorrow but as they were doing so well they decided to have a day off and fly out on Monday.
Previous training trip on plateau
Thursday 17th December
I apologise for the delay in updating but our internet went down (still is) I am updating this from Sherwood Lime (thank you David and Colin).
They landed at Patriot Hills yesterday evening and had a very warm welcome from ALE Staff, in fact they were invited to dinner. The weather is -6, very sunny with very little wind.
Today they spent time adjusting their ski bindings, sorting out sledges, acclimatising and getting ready for the two day training session before the go onto the plateau
This would have been their first view of Patriot Hills.
Patriot Hills
Wednesday 16th December
This was a very hard and frustrating day for the team as it was just a case of waiting for the all important telephone call to say that the weather was suitable and that they could go.
The first call at 6.00 am never came, the next few were negative until finally they were given the go ahead at 4.00 pm, this was when Katie made her final call to us. They had been told to change into their expediton clothing (one set thermals, socks, expedition boots, under fleece coat, expedition coat, head gear and three out of the four sets of gloves that they have), Katie was very nervous but also extremely excited.
They will travel by cargo plane with all the equipment down the middle and the seats round the edge, a bit like the military planes you see on the news. Mike had said that if possible, they would try and sit near the back as there are windows there. The flights was due to leave at 4.30 pm and arrive approximately six hours later.
When they get to Patriot Hills it will be 24 hours sunlight which will seem very strange to them.
Ilysushin Cargo plane outside and in.
Tuesday 15th December
This morning they had a safety briefing by Nick Lewis from ALE, this was very informative, he showed them examples of frost bite ..... and told them how to avoid it.
The team were then tested for two hours on their training and competencies sheet, it is very important that everyone understands how to keep warm, how to look after themselves in the hostile environment and how to watch out for each other, working as a team is very important.
The team is very strong, spirits are high, there are a few nerves and butterflies which is understandable, they are now on standby to fly to Patriot Hills.
Example of frostbite, hopefully this should
not happen to them as it is a result of
carelessness.
Monday 14th December
There is not an awful lot to say about today, they are still checking equpment, mending anything that needs mending and practicing putting tents and stove up quickly, Mike likes them to be able to do this in five minutes.
They are trying to get a lot of rest whilst in Chile so no fitness training has been done since they arrived.
Katie is still in good spirits, she phoned in the evening to ask if she could spend $28 on a new face mask (the call probably cost more!!).
Sunday 13th December
They spent the day finalizing all the food rations and packing them into their pulks. Apparently it is a bank holiday in Chile so there was not a lot open, in fact they had to go to the local night club to have something to eat.
Katie has been told that the batteries for her ipod charger will not count as a personal item (they only get 750g per person) as they all want to use it to charge their ipods, which means she will be able to take some tomato sauce after all!!
This is a picture of Jeanie (from a previous expedition) packing food, this was what Katie was doing today, each pile is one persons for allowance for a day.
Saturday 12th December
They had a slow start this morning as were very tired. After breakfast, they all went shopping to get more food supplies. Apparently Mike had left some food buried at Patriot hills but it had been used by other people so they have had to replace it! Katie has been put in charge of working out how much they need, apparently she is the best at maths so lefts hope she works things out correctly!!
They had quite a bit of free time in the afternoon so Katie went out expoloring and got lost, fortunately some very nice men from the army showed her the way home. The weather today was 20 degrees so lovely and warm.
Katie phoned around 9. 30 pm our time (6.30 pm their time) to say that she was having a fantastic time, everyone was getting on really well and fortunately her cold was getting better.
They are due to have their final briefing and safety talk by ALE on Tuesday morning. These are the people that fly them in and out of the Antarctic, they are then gong to be on standby, this means they will get 30 mins (day or night) to get ready to go. At present the weather is very good and delays are short.
After she phoned they went out for drinks with two of the ALE people and a good evening was had by all.
View of Punta Arenas
Friday 11th December
They all had a very tiring day with an awful lot of hanging around.
They had a good trip to Santiago and landed on time, unfortunatley though, customs over there takes awful long time which resulted in them missing their connection to Punta Arenas, however, they were able to get out and havea look around Santiago which was an added bonus.
They arrived in Punta Arenas early evening.
Santiago Airport
View of Santiago
Thursday 10th December
Well, after two and a half years hard work fundraising and training the day has finally arrived for Katie to go, and what a wonderful experience it should be.
Her Granny and Grandpa and Uncle Richard came over for coffee at 10.30 and they waved us off.
We arrived at the airport as requested at 2.30 pm, Mike and Fiona beat us by a couple of minutes. Her Grandma and Grandad also came down which was lovely and Debbie (Fred's cousins wife) came to see her off as well. We then had to wait for the others who unfortunately got delayed in traffic but after everyone finally arrived luggage was checked in (that was a mammoth task in itself) and then we all went for a last minute drink with families before we said good bye and left them to go through passport control. Saying goodbye was actually easier than expected as Katie was very excited and so fortunately there were no tears (on either side).
Katie at airport with her kit (not all the skis are hers though)
Hand Luggage (must have weighed at least
25 kg as full of chocolate and breakfast
cereal!!!!
Katie phoned me from Madrid to say that the plane had been on time and they had all managed to get seats together for the whole trip which is nice. They were due to leave Madrid at 11.30 pm (local time) and should arrive in Santiago at 11 am Friday (local time) and hopefully, if there have not been any delays, should get to Punta Areanas some time early Friday evening.
Sunday 6th December
Today the team met at Mike house for the afternoon, last minute kit was distributed together some of the rations. They then went to the village hall where they practiced erecting tents and ligthing stoves, this will be done several more times when they get to Punta. Katie was pleased to meet everyone again and is now getting excited about going.
The Team
Mike Thornewill - (Leader)
Shally Suri - a pharmacist from Nottingham
Ian Berry - an IT Manager from Croyden
Wendy Kidd - a publicist from Northern Island
and of course Katie
We joined them later to watch a video on Mike's 1993 expedition to the South Pole which gave everyone more insight as to what they will encounter.
