The Third day of the Expedition to launch the 1st Hot Air Balloon on the South Pole.

Survival Equipment - Survival Supplies  

Curtis Lieber's Great Adventure Continued.

Typically there would be an aggressive headwind from the south but even that seems to lull the expedition further into the center of Antarctica, almost waiting to trap us once we've reached the point of no return. Today we've used 5 more gear boxes and now have 3 left. The weary group makes camp but does not meet for any strategy. The strategy is clear, go slower on the gearboxes and lighten the weight further.

On the third day to the South Pole the weather again is beautiful. Early on we see the Thiel Mountains to the west of us. We are steadily climbing in altitude. The mountain peaks stand 4,000 feet above sea level, but again only 600 are visible, the glacier is now around a mile thick below us. The forward speed of the snow buggies is reduced to 12 miles an hour to reduce the stress load on the gearboxes, but today we say good-bye to the last of the spares. 

We make camp number 3 of our journey and for the first time an argument breaks out and disagreement becomes obvious over what we should do. We have now traveled 365 miles into Antarctica and are at the halfway point to the South Pole. Tomorrow we begin traversing the Thiel Mountain Crevasse Fields and hit the most rugged Sastruggi (wind drifted snow banks). A vote is made and two thirds of the members decide that we should return to Patriot Hills. The encampment harbors independent arguments for several hours until Vladimir Chukov makes an announcement. He's glad we've voted in a democratic fashion, but this is a Russian Expedition and he is the leader, and we will move forward to the South Pole! 

Four Snow Buggies will be cannibalized for parts and left with 12 of the 28 remaining members of the expedition. Only 16 members of the expedition will proceed forward from this point. It takes an entire day to reorganize what must be the last preparation for the final dash to the South Pole. The next 365 miles are to be the most treacherous. They are fittingly named after the last 2,000 feet of Mount Everest……..the “death zone”! This is where man sees the summit clearly in front of him and yet the view clouds his thinking.

Copyright by Curtis Lieber