There are two basic times in Antarctica: tent time and everything else. Tent time means warm food, relaxation, casual conversation and sleep. The other time, you ask? Well, it's tent time now so we will kindly refrain from discussing it further.

We've been slowly ticking off those million and a half steps to the pole. I'm not sure what the exact count is, but we're almost at 80%. Do that number of anything and you will feel tired. The miles are taking their toll.

This morning we had to take a quick break while Dongsheng adjusted his boot insoles. He had forgone his nightly foot message in lieu of extra sleep. Now, that one small thing was affecting his skiing efficiency. 'It hurt but I could still ski,' he said. 'It was a good reminder to take care of my body.'

Bill noticed the cold. It has a different personality as we near the plateau. 'It feels colder even though there is less wind,' he observed. 'It takes us longer to warm up after breaks, too.'

We are traveling through some of the most beautiful snowscapes I have ever seen. Large wind sculpted drifts are scattered haphazardly for as far as we can see. In between, smaller sastrugi look like small waves or ripples on the ocean. Others are bigger and round, like rollers. I can't stop taking pictures as each drift is a new 'most amazing.'

The uneven terrain presents other problems. Bill commented, 'skiing in sastrugi humbling.' With your sled pulling you backwards on inclines and small drifts catching ski tips, balancing and moving forward is tricky at best.

Today was sunny and clear with the excepion of a few low clouds to our east and two small whisps to the north. The color of the sky was incredible, but I hesitate to call it just blue. While we can see the line that separates sky from ice, white bleeds upward into blue. But before it reaches the peak of the vaulted ceiling above, we see a thousand different shades.

Image: Dong sporting his new 'stash' complete with ice.

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

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