Danish South Pole Expedition Journal
Originally published as a newsletter throughout the expedition, the complete collection of expedition updates from Gregers and Kristian's adventures to the South Pole are published here so you can relive the journey, one step at a time.
12 December 2000: Like Swiss Clockwork
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On Antarctic Expeditions there is one thing you can be sure of: The Argos transmitters go like a Swiss clockwork. Experienced Antarctic travellers have never heard of the orange boxes - the size of a small lunch-box - ever breaking down. So long as the battery is charged they send date, time, position, temperature and 16 prearranged codes, so that the travellers can send the surrounding world the essential news.
For five days Kristian and Gregers have been unable to get the supplementary SMS messages through by the means of their Magellan GSC 100, so the details of their situation are scarce, accordingly exclusively based on their brief signals from the Argos transmitters, which are turned on in the evening and turned off the next morning. This night's signals tell briefly that yesterday the going was "heavy" and the weather "fine", and that after a day's march of ab. 21,5 km they had reached the position 84.144S, hereby covering a total of 460,5 km since the start on Nov. the 19th. As the crow flies there are about 1111 km from the starting point at Hercules inlet, leaving a further 650,5 km to walk before the reach the South Pole. Including divers "turns" on the route they will reach a total of 1200 km before reaching the Pole. Kristian and Gregers are at the moment in a very stable period, mistakably comparable to the aforesaid clockwork, for during the latest 11 days the have walked constantly between 21,5 and 24,6 km a day. This stability promises well for the rest of the tour, corresponding to an additional 26-28 day's walk. |
18 December 2000: No Mail for Eight Days
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The communication to and from the Danish South Pole Expedition through the Magellan GSC 100 transmitter has been cut off for eight days. In one of the latest messages from Kristian and Gregers they warned that they had problems with their Magellan, so it is no surprise that no messages from them have been received since Dec 9. That, however, means that the possibilities of forming a detailed picture of their situation have been considerably reduced. Because what is left are the very brief primary messages delivered per satellite by the reliable Argos transmitters.
In return they tell that Kristian and Gregers over the latest days have further quickened their pace as they during the weekend walked almost 25 km a day. Thereby they have reached a total of almost 556 km from the starting point, as the crow flies, thus being halfway to the South Pole within the next few days. The exact distance covered, including all the "turns" on the tour, appears from the plotter on the website. On Saturday the Argos transmitters reported fine weather and good skiing conditions, whereas the going was heavy on Sunday. And still they kept up the steam, thus walking constantly for 15 days since the day of rest on Dec. 2. The Argos transmitters do not give any reliable information on how cold it is in this area of the Antarctic, because the transmitters are on in the evening and at night when the transmitters are probably in the tent. The latest message reads like this: |
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Argos 00179 85.003S 80.958W 2 353/0122Z-353/0118 (3) 0.51076E+1 51 51 03
Argos 24200 85.000S 80.911W 2 353/0120Z-353/0118 (5) 0.27139E+1 255 255 03
In short, the Argos no. 00179 reports that the going has been heavy (51), whereas the Argos 24200 tells that the weather has been fine (255).
Argos 24200 85.000S 80.911W 2 353/0120Z-353/0118 (5) 0.27139E+1 255 255 03
In short, the Argos no. 00179 reports that the going has been heavy (51), whereas the Argos 24200 tells that the weather has been fine (255).
20 December 2000: A Little Dejection, Minor Injuries, and Sour Socks
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A needed day of rest for the Danish South Pole Expedition was exploited on Monday to solve the problems with the SMS messages through the Magellan GSC 100. Thereby Kristian and Gregers eventually broke the nine days' silence, among other things owing to the fact the satellite stands very low and thus hampers communication.
Because of these problems Kristian and Gregers have asked that the communication from Denmark to the Antarctica may be limited to a maximum of four mails a week per licensed person. Prior to the day of rest they had walked 15 days on end, and the long tough haul - at an average of 23 km per day uphill - has taken a heavy toll particularly out of Gregers, while Kristian suffers from indigestion. It appears clearly from the frank message that even if things are proceeding at a good pace, maximum exertions are costly: "Gregers' neck hurts since the first week, but is recovering. At the same time he has problems with a strong inflammation on his left instep. He feels he has not the physique and sheer strength for such a tour, but after all things are looking up. Kristian's feet are OK. Fuel OK. Food OK. But we miss our sweethearts!" |
"We have become thinner, and the skin of our fingers has got bleeding rifts and wounds because of wear and cold, but we have no frost injuries and no cold toes. But when the day is done we are wet through with sweat, so we are very cold until we get warm again inside the tent. Well inside there is on the other hand a smell of sour socks and underpants. Our hair is greasy, our beards long, our nails black. But we are comfortable and relax by being far away from our every day routine. We are experiencing a fine tour in a fine and impressive landscape."
Kristian and Gregers have had much fine weather the last 15 days, but also seen whiteout because of snowdrifts. After the day of rest the fine weather was over for the time being. On Tuesday Dec. 19 they walked 23,6 km despite bad weather and heavy going. After that it was time again to stop and pitch the tent. The last week the daily rhythm has been like this: Up at 5 a.m. and walking at intervals of an hour and a half at the time with 15 minutes' break between each interval. Between 5 and 6 p.m. they pitch the tent, and around 9.30 p.m. they go to sleep to gather strength for next day.
Kristian and Gregers have had much fine weather the last 15 days, but also seen whiteout because of snowdrifts. After the day of rest the fine weather was over for the time being. On Tuesday Dec. 19 they walked 23,6 km despite bad weather and heavy going. After that it was time again to stop and pitch the tent. The last week the daily rhythm has been like this: Up at 5 a.m. and walking at intervals of an hour and a half at the time with 15 minutes' break between each interval. Between 5 and 6 p.m. they pitch the tent, and around 9.30 p.m. they go to sleep to gather strength for next day.
23 December 2000: Curry Chicken and Biscuit Cake for Christmas
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As most Danes are worried about the fact that winter so far has produced no snow at all over Denmark, the Danish South Pole Expedition 2000 need not worry about whether it will be a white Christmas or not.
On Christmas Eve, 36 days after start, Kristian and Gregers will be able to pitch the tent and light the cooker, both to heat the tent to fewer degrees below zero than outside, and to prepare the Christmas dinner. Since packing the gear in Denmark in October the two South Pole travellers have known the menu, which, mind you, is not the traditional Danish meal of roast duck or pork, red cabbage and sugarfried potatoes and a rice-and-cream desert with chopped almonds and sweet cherry sauce but curry chicken, chips and biscuit cake! Chicken was chosen because it is extra large. The dry meal weighs 150 gr. per head as against the normal supper of 125 gr. before adding water and heating. So as to size they are dealing with a festive meal. The dish is served with slightly crushed chips, and for desert they are to have biscuit cake. During the last week the South Pole travellers have prepared the festive season by drawing Christmas decorations on the inner tent. Besides they have with them a couple of red and white pixies of wool from the main sponsor Cap Gemini. The pixies weigh and fill up next to nothing. So they will go with them all the way to the South Pole and back again. The Christmas music they get from the MP3 player they have brought with them. |
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If Kristian and Gregers have bright weather on Christmas Eve, they have no reason, however, to take a look at the starry sky to create the proper Christmas atmosphere, because it is summer in the Antarctica, and the sun is up all the time. On Tuesday, Dec. 19, they sent the latest mail so far by satellite. They took the opportunity to send all sponsors, family, friends, and sweethearts, plus the supporters of the expedition warm greetings and wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
27 December 2000: Christmas Celebrations and the Conquest of the 86th Latitude
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On the night before Christmas Eve Kristian and Gregers reached the 86th latitude, hereby leaving less than 450 km to the South Pole. The joy of having got so far was radiant in the mail they dispatched on the night of December 23rd.
"We have had sun and a little wind, and we are in high spirits. Once again we have rearranged som luggage from Gregers' pulk to Kristian's, thus hoping to accelerate. We have now crossed the 86th latitude - juhuuu!" Amid the enthusiasm they got a minor equipment problem to deal with: the sole of one of Kristian's boots split. However in their luggage they have several types of contact glue, an awl, needles and several types of strong thread. The sole was probably repaired during the evening, because on the day of Christmas Eve they were only impeded by a somewhat stronger rise of the terrain than the day before. But again they had sunshine and no wind. The day's distance was 22,5 km. And then culinary art was created on the gear in the tent. The Christmas dinner was extended beyond the "prescribed" menu, leaving room for no less than two preliminary courses: soup and noodle soup. The main course was curry chicken with chips, and before the biscuit cake desert they just managed to prepare and eat a helping of porridge. |
"Yes, we are full now", was the front report from our special correspondents in the Antarctic. When they wrote their report, they were both lying in their warm sleeping bags. The air in the tent was only a few degrees below zero after all the cooking. And with a pair of small loudspeakers connected with the MP3 player Christmas music sounded from the little tent in the Antarctic wilderness.
On Christmas day there were no invitations for Christmas lunches, but still more hard work to get up speed to reach The Geographical South Pole. If they keep up their pace they will be able to reach their goal in 16-18 days.
On Christmas day there were no invitations for Christmas lunches, but still more hard work to get up speed to reach The Geographical South Pole. If they keep up their pace they will be able to reach their goal in 16-18 days.
31 December 2000: Celebrating New Year's Day by Resting
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There will be plenty of time for The Danish South Pole Expedition to prepare the celebration of New Years Eve. Kristian and Gregers are resting all day, Dec. 31st, because of Saturday's hardships with a steep uphill terrain and very cold winds.
Resting day will among other things be spent on taking care of the frostbites they suffered on their cheeks due to the low temperatures of minus 25 degrees centigrade and the wind, producing a wind chill factor of minus 60 degrees. "We have frostbites on our cheeks. We are hungry all the time, and by now we have lost a lot of weight," they wrote in a mail, which were sent Saturday evening. During New Year's Day they will rest in their warm spleeping bags spending a minimum of calories and adding more by eating some extra courses and finishing the New Years supper with a chocolate covered marzipan bar as the clock sounds the turn of the year. From the position 87.449S 81.600W Kristian and Gregers send their greetings: "We wish our families, friends, sweethearts, supporters and especially our sponsors a Happy New Year." |
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31 December 2000: Forced to Detour Around an Area with Deep Crevasses
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The shortest way to the South Pole is not the easiest. On Friday a stretch of 45 km with deep crevasses and sastrugi forced Kristian and Gregers to choose a deviating course to avoid obvious problems with the passage of the dangerous clefts in the ice.
"After all it has been a good but cold day changing between cloudy weather, sun, and wind. We can feel that we have reached an altitude of 2248 metres. We keep left today and tomorrow to avoid the area of crevasses." Friday's course only took them 22,5 km nearer to the goal. As the crow flies they had by then covered almost 806 km from Hercules Inlet, thus leaving 305 km, corresponding to 13 days' walk at the present pace. "The greatest challenge on the trip has been the difference between our paces during the walk. Still we have a good contact and mutual understanding of the problem. That is the way it must be when two people with so different physical capacities are walking together," as it is stated unanimously by the two. Nevertheless Kristian cannot help beeing frustrated by the fact that he walks markedly faster. For example he must wait during breaks every one and a half hours, which makes him very cold, and afterwards he has difficulty in getting warm again, it appears from Fridays' mail. |
But onward they get - and they are very cheerful - 41 days after the start of the expedition. Gregers has got rid of the inflammation in one of his insteps. Kristian's digestion is normal again. But there are apparently no limits to the physical injuries you can incur under such extreme conditions, says Kristian:
"I thought I had got a new companion today. Gregers had become so swollen round the eyes because of sun and wind that he was almost unrecognizable, as I told him. Gregers' rejoinder was, "You are really pretty good-looking yourself, I must say" - whatever he meant by that. We are certainly having a good time," Kristian concludes.
"I thought I had got a new companion today. Gregers had become so swollen round the eyes because of sun and wind that he was almost unrecognizable, as I told him. Gregers' rejoinder was, "You are really pretty good-looking yourself, I must say" - whatever he meant by that. We are certainly having a good time," Kristian concludes.
3 January 2001: Critical Loss of Down Jacket and Equipment
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By an self-inflicted mishap on the first day of the New Year, Gregers lost his down jacket in the strong Antarctic gale. Together with the down jacket his thermos flask disappeared + his sunglasses, a day's lunch ration, and one of the expedition's two GPS devices, which are used to read the exact position of the expedition.
Hereby the Danish South Pole Expedition got a bad start of the the new year. Kristian and Gregers, without beating about the bush, describe the mishap as foolish, and for a short time harsh words were exchanged in the Antarctic wilderness, when the loss of the equipment was a fact. "On such an expedition there are narrow margins to the tolerated number of mistakes; this is not one of them. We are now working at finding alternative solutions," it says in a grave mail from Kristian and Gregers. The down jacket is specially used when the two members of the expedition are taking breaks. To avoid chilling in the endless Antarctic wind they at once put on their jacket on top of their three-layer Gore-tex jackets to keep warm, just as the down jackets are almost indispensable when they pitch their tent in the late afternoon. The solution next to hand may be that Gregers as a substitute uses one of the fleece jackets or down waistcoats also brought along - or both of them. |
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The loss of the thermos flask may prove graver because it forces Kristian and Gregers to take one or more longer breaks during the day to boil water for hot drinks. They cannot keep varm from the contents of Kristian's thermos flask. Longer breaks invariably mean shorter day's marches at a time when they do not walk so far per day as planned. They had hoped to be able to walk towards 30 km a day as the pulks got lighter, but in actual fact their pace has varied so much under the very extreme conditions that they have not covered more than 22-23 km a day.
The loss of the down jacket occurs at a time when it has got considerably colder than in the first relatively mild month of their walk towards the South Pole. Thus the first of January saw 24 degrees celcius below zero and strong wind of towards 20 m per second. The terrain does not make the walking any easier because of the crevasses in this area, but especially many snowdrifts across the course towards the South Pole.
The loss of the down jacket occurs at a time when it has got considerably colder than in the first relatively mild month of their walk towards the South Pole. Thus the first of January saw 24 degrees celcius below zero and strong wind of towards 20 m per second. The terrain does not make the walking any easier because of the crevasses in this area, but especially many snowdrifts across the course towards the South Pole.
7 January 2001: Supreme Danish Achievement in Antarctica
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The Danish South Pole Expedition will be this year's fastest expedition in the Antarctica, and neither mishap nor difficult terrain has been able to slow down the pace of Kristian Joos and Gregers Gjersøe, who are now less than a week from the goal. When Kristian and Gregers pitched their tent on Saturday night there were only 140 km left to the South Pole. Since the start on November 19th the Danish South Pole Expedition has all the time been the fastest of six expeditions who with different starting points are on their way to the South Pole. Only the two expeditions who use ski sails to draw them have covered longer distances on windy days. On days without a possibility to use the sails theese two expeditions are considerably slower than the Danish South Pole Expedition. That applies to a norwegian-american expedition with among others the famous pole traveler Liv Arnesen, who walked 15,2 km on Saturday without using the sails, and the Dutch one who walked 17,8 km without hoisting sails. A Swedish married couple who started at the same time as Kristian and Gregers are 351 km behind the Danes, and on Saturday the Swedes walked only 4 km. |
Every day after resting on the day of New Years Eve Kristian and Gregers have walked an average of almost 24 km and thereby demonstrated incredible stability under very difficult weather- and terrain conditions. That is very impressive at a time, when 49 days' walk has taxed their physical reserves heavily. Already two weeks ago the Danish South Pole travellers stated that they had lost much weight. With a calorie consumption every day corresponding to a marathon race they have since lost more weight.
On Saturday the weather and the going were good, and thereby they have started on the last and less difficult part, as regards terrain. If they continue as they have done up to now they will have reached the goal perhaps already on Thursday, January 11.
Thus the trip of about 1200 km will have been covered within the fixed time schedule.
On Saturday the weather and the going were good, and thereby they have started on the last and less difficult part, as regards terrain. If they continue as they have done up to now they will have reached the goal perhaps already on Thursday, January 11.
Thus the trip of about 1200 km will have been covered within the fixed time schedule.
11 January 2001: A Good Day with Temperatures at -31 Degrees Celsius
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"It has been a good, but cold day with 31 degrees below. On Thursday evening we hoist the Danish flag "Dannebrog" on our ski staves. We expect to reach the South Pole on Friday January 12th - late in the afternoon. Fuel and food sufficient. We are looking forward."
On Thursday Kristian and Gregers were only one and a half day from the goal, when the above mail was received via satellite. The going is still reported as heavy, but the weather good. That means relatively weak wind and sun. The sufficient quantities of food and fuel mean that they have enough to await the plane that is expected to pick Kristian and Gregers up during the next 10 days. Because of the restrictions applying to South Pole expeditions the travelers are to be self-sufficient as regards fuel and food, so as not to be a burden to the personnel of the American Scott-Amundsen base at the geographical South Pole. |
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12 January 2001: Antarctic Weather Doesn't Always Cooperate
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Danish South Pole Expedition was only 24,5 km from the South Pole on Friday morning, January the 12th. But as many times before the Antarctic weather has decided to play a major part during the grand finale of the first Danish expedition ever to ski til the South Pole. The messages via satellite says bad weather and tough going, and the fact that the weather has turned bad for the first time in weeks might slow Kristian and Gregers down so much they might not reach their goal tonight. Nevertheless, in the Danish South Pole Expeditions headquarters in Aalborg, Denmark, pessimism is not an option, so champagne is already in the cooler, waiting for the first signal to come from the position 90.000S.
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13 January 2001: Danish South Pole Expedition Has Reached Their Goal
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The first Danish expedition ever to ski to the South Pole reached their goal early in the morning on January the 13th. Kristian Joos (37) and Gregers Gjersoe (43) thereby managed to walk the distance of 1200 km from Hercules Inlet to the pole in 55 days.
"We cannot come any further to the South. The Danish flag "Dannebrog" has been hoisted. We have reached the South Pole," it says in a mail from Kristian and Gregers. |
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17 January 2001: Asking for Fine Weather in Three Locations
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The expedition members is to ask for good weather for flying in three locations at once, before it is possible for ANI to fly Kristian and Gregers out from the South Pole as soon as possible. The Cessna plane waiting in the camp at Patriot Hills in the western Antarctica must not only have good weather to take off. There must also be good flying weather at the Thiel Maountains cache a little more than halfway on the 1100 km long stretch to the South Pole, where, of course, the weather must allow the plane to land, too.
The latest two days have seen bad flying weather in two locations and one, respectively, so the Cessna plane was still waiting until Tuesday at Patriot hills. Anne Kershaw, the manager of ANI, reports that the company has made extraordinary preparations to Fly kristian and Gregers out as soon as possible. The original agreement was to the effect that they were to await a common flight with another expedition, but the latter is only expected at the Pole in four days. Says Anne Kershaw, "But we are ready to help them get home soon." |
20 January 2001: The World's Least Hospitable Place?
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For a week now the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station has been the setting for a surprising, exiting and not least pleasant end of the Danish South Pole Expedition. While Kristian and Gregers are still awaiting to be flown out from the South Pole, the people in the Amundsen-Scott research station have proved to be most hospitable in that spot of the world which from its climate is characterised as being the most inhospitable.
When Kristian and Gregers were first invited into the station, they were allowed - after a medical check up - to communicate with the world outside by way of the doctor's email. After that they had a most needed shower and were given clean clothes, which probably made them feel in the seventh heaven, but the hospitality did not end here. Instead of having to stay out-of-doors in their tent until take off, the two South Pole travellers have been allowed to stay at the station and perform odd jobs, such as putting price labels on variuos garments in the station shop. Besides there is free admission to the station canteen, where they can eat anything they like. And in between they are offered beer and have a chat here and there at the station. On Thursday the met the Norwegian South Pole Traveller Liv Arnesen, who some years ago walked on skis to the pole, and who again is travelling this year, together with the American Ann Bancroft. |
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These two iron women are crossing the Antarctica from coast to coast by means of ski sails, and stopped at the station to give a visiting lecture. The next day the set sail again and drove at the pace of the wind from the South Pole over the ice and snow. - See link to the Arnesen-Bancroft expedition on the website.
Expected take off from the South Pole for Kristian and Gregers? Weather and ANI permitting, then perhaps in a few days, after the arrival of some other expedition, and ANI is arranging a combined transport from the South Pole to Patriot Hills, and from there to Punta Arenas in Chile. Only after that can Kristian and Gregers start on an almost two-day-long flight via Santiago and Frankfurt to Copenhagen.
Expected take off from the South Pole for Kristian and Gregers? Weather and ANI permitting, then perhaps in a few days, after the arrival of some other expedition, and ANI is arranging a combined transport from the South Pole to Patriot Hills, and from there to Punta Arenas in Chile. Only after that can Kristian and Gregers start on an almost two-day-long flight via Santiago and Frankfurt to Copenhagen.
21 January 2001: The Return Journey Has Started
Danish South Pole Expedition has begun their return journey from the South Pole, says the Adventure Network International, ANI. Late Saturday evening ANI succeeded in sending a plane from Patriot Hills in the western Antarctica to the South Pole, and at 6.30 AM on Saturday the plane returned to Patriot Hills with Kristian and Gregers.
From here they will have to await another plane to take them to Punta Arenas in Chile before they can start on the last leg of their return to Denmark.
From here they will have to await another plane to take them to Punta Arenas in Chile before they can start on the last leg of their return to Denmark.
