Dispatches: A quick update... - Friday, 14th May 2004
Oh the guilt! The shame! I often say that part of my motivation is to encourage other young people away from the tv and computer games and into the great outdoors. And how am I whiling away my last few hours (hopefully) in this incredible wilderness? Why, playing solitaire on my iPAQ, of course...
Actually, that's not all I'm doing - the pilots have asked that I keep a detailed weather log for them, with all sorts of important sounding headings - 'horizon distinction' and 'contrast resolution' are my favourites. It's a glorious day at the moment, which bodes well for a pick up.
I've found the best bit of flat(ish) 'multi-year' ice I've seen in ages, I've marked out the four corners of a runway and I've flattened the lumpy bits with my snow shovel. It's just long enough, although if the pilots aren't happy with it, they'll land nearby and I'll have to leg it over.
If all goes well, they should land at 1700-1800 UTC (Greenwich Mean Time in old money). So, as I write this, I have another 6-7 hours to wait.
Hopefully my next update will be from terra firma - I haven't set foot on land for 71 days now! I'll keep you posted...






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