British polar explorers Ben Saunders and Tarka L'Herpiniere have now bid the UK farewell and are heading South towards Antarctica on a world record-breaking challenge to accomplish the longest unsupported polar journey in history and first completion of Captain Scott's iconic Terra Nova expedition.
The two will set out from Scott's Hut at the edge of Antarctica in mid-late October on foot to take on the 1,800 mile (69 back-to-back marathon) trek across the Ross Ice Shelf, up the Beardmore Glacier and across the Antarctic plateau to the South Pole and back. They will be hauling sleds with a starting weight of 200kg each, containing kit and supplies necessary to survive and will be walking on average 9.5 hours daily, in temperatures down to -50C. The expedition is estimated to take 110 days to complete and has taken more than a decade to prepare.
In every sense a 21st-century expedition, followers can look forward to enjoying Ben and Tarkas journey online in unprecedented detail. Ben is known for pushing the boundaries of communications technology, and has blogged live from his expeditions since 2003. The Scott Expedition will be uploading daily text, images and video from their tent in one of the most inhospitable and inaccessible places on earth.
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www.scottexpedition.com