20 06 99

Position: unknown

Diane's note: Laurie sounded tired but still positive.

Here we are again, still in our tents. We worked for 9 long, hard hours today and achieved 2.65 kms and it was absolutely horrendous! We faced huge slab walls, crevasses, but most of all water... lakes, streams, rushing torrents cutting deep channels. We were moving up and down the banks trying to find some snow bridges to cross, precariously working our way from one to another. Eventually we had to stop and we spent 3 hours on a reconnaissance trip around on our skis. It's just after midnight our time and we've just finished dinner.

We still have over 3 kms. to go. It doesn't sound much but we think it's going to take us all day, if it's even possible. It's an incredible challenge. The sleds are extremely heavy. We have to climb up these steep, icy slopes which require all our strength and even at that sometimes we can't do it alone. We have to have 1, 2 or even 3 people on one sled, to lever over these bridges and to negotiate over the rushing ponds.

It's an absolute maze. I've done an incredible amount of glacial travel and have never seen anything as rough, as almost impossible as this. We're going to give it one more shot. We're camped on a little patch of wet ice, tiny, little ponds all around the tent at the present time. It's snowing once again and visibility is very poor.

Tomorrow is it! We either make it or we get a helicopter to get us out of here!

We're still incredibly positive, always talking about the best possible way. We work together incredibly well as a team and that's part of the reason for our success so far. Hopefully by tomorrow I'll be able to tell you we've been able to complete the trip.

End of transmission

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