Sun 19 Nov '06 - 17.40 - Punta Arenas - Ready & Waiting

Gear checked (again), weighed by ALE & now loaded on the plane for departure hopefully tomorrow Mon am. My rucksack which I'll have on my back most of the time weighted in at 18kgs, which is good & then I'll have 25-30kgs on the small sled for the move to Vinson base camp. From there we carry to camp 1 etc. We have food for 18 days with us just for Vinson, and this is in case we get stuck on the mountain or at base camp. For the Pole leg there will be 8 people & we'll be using full size sleds which will take all of our gear, so we won't have to carry rucksacks on our backs, which is good.

Full group briefing today & slide show of what we can expect and it sort of made the hair on the back of my neck tingle just a little when you see it in detail. The logistics & costs involved in putting these expeditions on are incredible & the attention to detail is vital with no risks taken.

There is a group of 3 women heading off on the full trek to the Pole - 800miles / 50 days - plus one UK guy, John Wilton Davis, doing a solo to the Pole unsupported. The rest of us, about 20 are heading for Vinson. Prospects for getting out tomorrow look good at this stage & from 7.00 am we'll be on standby with just 40 mins notice that we're off.

Not much else to report. If we're off tomorrow I'll try & post an update to let you know. If not I'll have all day to do it so you'll hear anyway. From here on everything is a new experience & we're all looking forward to it with great anticipation.