Is Winter Camping a Young Person's Game?

The weather was better today - not much wind, and lots of sun. My black balaclava actually felt warm, on the side that was in the sun. We got up at 8am, our usual time, then stuffed away sleeping bags, air mattresses (thermarests), foam mats, etc., etc. Next we took down all of the things we had hung up on a clothesline running down the center of the tent: inner boots, balaclavas, gloves, goggles, hats - basically anything that gets sweaty or frosty from your breath. Then the mandatory hot drinks to hydrate, and some hot breakfast. Struggle into all of your layers (I won't describe the smell after wearing the same items for several days...) and back out into the cold. Next is packing the sleds (pulks) with all of the aforementioned gear, plus grabbing out some lunch snacks (candy bars, foil packs of chocolate hazelnut butter, energy bars, etc.) and putting them into an inner pocket to keep warm so that they don't break your teeth). Finally, we rolled up the tents and hit the road.

The skiing was a little easier than yesterday, at least for the first seven marches. The last two were really hard. By the ninth I had hit the wall, despite lots of trail snacks, and got into camp fifteen minutes behind the group. Things were not helped by a blister I developed under the ball of my foot. I had tried putting a mole foam donut on it this morning, but that peeled off and the blister got worse. Trying to deal with it on the trail at twenty below, I covered it with duct tape. This had mixed results - it covered the blister fine, and did not peel off, but then the blister extended towards my arch. It is now at least an inch across. I'll have to see what's in the first aid kit to deal with it...

Meanwhile, David is moving at a faster pace, now that he is adjusting to the altitude, but is also remembering why winter camping is "a young man's game". He is otherwise doing well and remains in good spirits. Our tent mate, Chuck, who is older than either of us, is also holding his own, although he too wonders how he did this for six months when he was doing joint winter training exercises in Siberia...

Our current position is 89 degrees, 27 minutes, 57 seconds, so we are just 32 nautical miles from the pole...