Today I have not fallen asleep and I have given it a good 8 hours, plus an extra 15 minutes (Even though they don't pay extra hours here!). In total, 8h15 to only cover 15 Km.

At Union Glacier base to whom I speak every day for safety reasons, they tell me that taking into account the area I'm crossing at present time, this amount of Kilometres is very good; but they seem to me very few for the enormous effort I'm putting into it. Both yesterday and today have been tremendously complicated because of the surface area where I am to advance. Sastruguis, sastruguis, and more sastruguis. It has even been difficult to find a flat spot to set camp. This wears me down a lot and I expect this to change soon or I will end physically crushed before I know it. Find attached a photograph of my shadow projected in one the thousand Sastruguis I have been overcoming during the whole day.

I have always liked that Japanese proverb that goes: "A 1.000 mile journey is always started with a simple step". But today I was thinking that if I find the guy who came out with that one, I'll tie the sledge to his neck and throw it in the sea. I am not sure if I will do a 1.000 miles journey, but there is no simple step, not a single one!!

Let's go to the positive side of things: today I have completed the first of the 10 cycles of 4 Journeys of effective progress hat I set myself as target, in order to section this crazy project as a whole. With this first group of days, I already have the 10% done, and tomorrow I will begin with the next small group, which means I'm already working for the 20%. Now my mission is to complete this 4 days of effective journey, without thinking any further, otherwise I would get scared. And at the end of each of these cycles I'll allow myself a treat. Let's see if I can get all ten treats!!

Tomorrow I will also get over the first 100 Km. and according to what I have been reading and talking, it seems that everybody agrees that these are the worst moments of the passage... Hopefully it will be true and tomorrow becomes a bit more accessible.