Polar Explorer Eric Larsen
Day 8: Vacation
overcast, -18 C -38C windchill, cold
24 November 2009 | Antarctica
The rest of the world is starting to slowly dissolve away and all that is left, for us, is snow, sky, wind and our daily routine. Day 8. It feels good to be here.

We were lucky to be able to sleep in as today was a rest day - at least half of it was. We skied for four hours in the afternoon but first, we lounged in our sleeping bags, ate part of our lunches and fixed a few pieces of gear. It felt like a big vacation - minus the beaches and bikinis.

The skiing has been fantastic! The snow is so level that I am tempted to call it flat. We have experienced little, if any, sastrugi to impede our southward progress.

To our right, a short spine of mountains poked up out of the snow and appeared through the clouds. We were able to mark our travel in relation to their relative angle of our route. Unfortunately, after four hours, we seem to have the same perspective when we started. We continue to amend our definition of space and distance.

I smiled a bit looking back at Bill and Dong. We look like some strange polar version of astronauts. Most days, we are completely insulated from the environment. But here, we are not trying to work against Antarctica, rather we are learning to understand it.

Image: Dong, Bill and Eric at the end of the day.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.savethepoles.com

For information about guided Antarctic expeditions, please visit http://www.antarctic-logistics.com/

For information about Bill Hanlon's foundation, please visit www.basichealthinternational.org

For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com

For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net
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