11 Apr Day 12
The guys ate good last night and felt ready for the 12th day of the expedition. But just as they started skiing Tor felt some stomach issues, and soon after Bjørn felt it as well. I spoke to the guys over satellite phone today and they could tell me that they’ve only got about 21,000 calories left, and the majority of that is peanut butter and marzipan (no wonder their stomachs are acting up). That equals to about 3,500 daily calories each, which isn’t half of what they’ll be needing. They’re in for some tough days.
Because of the 20cm of fresh snow they have a hard time conserving the little energy they got left. The pulks are acting like plows through the snow and the wind always seems to come head on – needless to say it has been another draining day. They covered 13.5km and set camp at the glacier «Veteranen».
The weather was really clear tonight, perfect for photographing. Taking pictures of the astonishing surroundings in the middle of nowhere under a clear night sky, knowing that their food supply is meager, reminded them where they were and the fragility of the reality in these conditions.
Whether or not it’s the solitude or the tired bodies that cause these existential moments I don’t know, but it sure don’t seem to affect the atmosphere in a negative way. Even though they’re exhausted, soon out of food and a really long way from a hot shower, they’re really exited to be exactly where they are.
Camp location for day 12: Lat: 79.052575 Lon: 17.235425
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