We continue to take more and more risks as we travel. I'm not sure how many leads we crossed today but most were on rubbery ice while stepping over open sections of water. We got through one section hop scotching from one small block to the next. The second we were all safely across, the ice started moving and the chunks we had just been standing on, submerged.

Yesterday Darcy had commented, 'I got so nervous my Optic Nerve goggles steamed.' we all laughed because we were all nervous.

'Ski across with your feet wide apart and think of helium ballons,' I always suggest.

One of the ways in which we determine the strength and safety of the ice is by looking at the ice crystals 'flowers' on top. If the crystals are bigger than a couple of inches and they are mostly covering the ice, its safe. Smaller crystals, visible black ice, and a more sparse distribution requires further investigations.

I had the ultimate lucky break during one of my shifts today. Skiing on a 97 degree bearing toward an ice chunk in the distance, I miraculously found the only connecting point of two pans separated by an open water lead. It saved at least 45 minutes of swimming or detours. As I stepped onto the northern pan, I smiled (humbly as to not upset the ice gods) then laughed.

There are less big pressure ridges now than a week ago. In their place, open water leads have become our arch nemesis. We also continue to be surprised at the ice and weather on almost an hourly basis. Today, Darcy asked, 'was the ice like this in 2006? I just want to manage my expectations.'

Psyching ourselves up and not out is key. As hard as this trip is physically, the mental aspect is probably more difficult. We deal with fear regularly but that is definite and somewhat easy to control. More difficult is not knowing what is ahead and how it might affect our ability to reach the pole Uncertainty. We want to stay positive and avoid negativity but all within the context of realism. Too much hope for improvement and we'll be let down. Too little and we'll want to give up. It's a delicate balance and the ultimate reason behind Darcy's question.

Image: The Ice 'flowers' that help us determine if a lead is safe to cross or not.

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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