Our team is enjoying some very well deserved rest after a long, challenging day on trail. They rose to foggy skies at 5am and didn't settle back into their tents until 7pm.
Their day began with a steep descent from Trident Ridge. The foggy, socked in conditions tested everyone's balance and concentration as it at times like they were skiing on the inside of a ping-pong ball. Despite the difficult conditions the team expertly skirted crevasses as they traversed the Crean Glacier.
The team's efforts in the low visibility environment were rewarded by a dramatic unveiling of a nunataq (an isolated peak of rock projecting upward from ice or snow) as they crossed the 1916 Snowfield. Annie Aggens describes it as a very cinematic experience---the sun gradually pierced through the cloud layer and suddenly revealed the impressive craggy peak that was hidden in the fog just moments before.
The wind picked up just as the team was pitching their tents about 5.5 kilometers from the shore of Fortuna Bay where they will conclude the crossing and rejoin the Plancius. All are well, if a little knackered, and enjoying the evening in one of the wildest places on the globe.
Check back tomorrow for details on the team's final push.
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