Heathrow to Madrid, Madrid to Santiago, Santiago to Punta Arenas, onto four hour standby (waiting for a weather window). Into Patriot Hills in Antarctica onboard a Russian Illusion bomber and finally up onto the Union Glacier in the Ellsworth Mountains, by Twin Otter ski plane. It’s all so easy!
Yes, we will grumble about the week or so that we are likely to wait in Punta due to poor weather and yes, the Illusion bomber doesn’t have seats, but all in all, considering that we are going to the bottom of the world it’s not a bad journey.
I realised this while reading about Sir Vivian Fuchs’ crossing of Antarctica in 1957/58 (The Crossing of Antarctica, Sir V Fuchs & Sir E Hillary, 1958, Cassell & Company).
In order to be ready to start the expedition during October 1957, Sir Vivian Fuchs’ advance party left from Millwall Docks on the Canadian sealer Theron, on the 14th November 1955!