I continue to be surprised by the varying ice. The minute you have it all figured out, it changes. Today, we were in what I call 'canyonlands' (older pans with lots of drifted in ice chunks) for about two hours, then it changed to bigger flat pans, then some big blocks and newer walls of pressured ice, then a few frozen leads and small four to 10 foot wide cracks.

I watched Darcy in lead hop up and down several times as he navigated through the cracks and small leads. I was amazed to see narrow threads of thin ice juxtaposed with thicker multi year ice.

Yesterday, AJ accidentally fried my ipod charger. With no real distractions now thoughts come and go as they please. Some take hold. Others don't. Thin ice covered with spindrift didn't have much staying power for some reason Besides, Darcy was out of ear shot and didn't need me telling him what he already knows.

Next time I looked up, I saw Darcy fumble, fall, and slowly get up. Ice was blocking most of my view, but I could tell he was struggling to get upright. Finally, he stood up and crossed his ski poles above his heaad (a sign we use to stop or for danger).

Out in front head down pushing forward, he didn't see the thin ice. It was mostly covered with freshly blown snow and at a quick glance looked safe. It wasn't. To make matters worse, it was very windy so we knew we had to get him moving fast.

In third position and missing most of the acton, AJ asked if Darcy had managed to collect an algae sample for the University of Plymouth. It was well timed humor.

We raced to a sheltered spot and proceeded to pry frozen boots and socks off, rub snow on Darcy's went pants and change his mittens. It was all handled quickly and effectively; however, you can't help but think about how quickly things can devolve.

'I was looking forward to a relaxing night in the Big Kev (our Sierra Designs tent)' Darcy added. 'Now I'm spending my whole night drying my boot liners and pants.'

A friendly reminder from the Arctic to the Save the Poles team: you're still on an ocean be careful!

Also, for those of you following recent ice research: Greenland ice loss accelerating http://bit.ly/b43kXa

Image: Darcy wringing out his boot liners.

The Save the Poles expedition is sponsored by Bing with major support from the University of Plymouth, Terramar, Seventh Generation, Goal0, Atlas, Sierra Designs and Optic Nerve.

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

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com

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

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