Hours of journey: 10h' - Accumulative: 336h15
Km./Day: 27,1 - Accumulative: 785,3Km. Remaining to the South Pole: 370,9Km.
Days of progress: 38 (34 Solo) - Inactive Days: 15 (0 Solo) - Total Days: 53
Position: S 86º 47,226' - W 081º 52,980'

At risk of being taken already as a complete lunatic, I'm going to tell you todays journey exactly how I've lived and felt it. It may sound a bit odd but I can assure you that it went that way, although I have to admit I added some extra spice to the narrative...

I've woken up at 6 o'clock like every day, and as I'm hungry, and waking up means food, now I don't waste not even a second. Cold, as usual. And like most mornings I could listen the wind hitting the tent. Just before melting snow I have my daily wee in the bottle, and when I threw it in the avancer hole, I looked outside to check the weather out.

Temperature was of -27ºC, strong winds, not extreme, and very poor visibility at all. A dreadful scenario to start the day off.

I realised that maybe today was going to be the day to rest, as the weather was so miserable that I would not have any regrets about loosing one day of progress. I started my breakfast deciding what to do, and suddenly, coming from nowhere, a "force" has got me going into the daily routine to start the journey. I was calmed, bit serious but neutral, as I've found myself with two situations running at the same time; one wanted to stay and rest, and the other one was ready to go.

After a while, I've found myself taking down the tent and packing the sledge. When everything was ready, had to recover from the cold, as I was half frozen.

All of a sudden, I was moving at a good enough pace. The ‘force was' pushing me forward into a soft uphill slope that I could not see but sense, and I warmed up progressively and feeling to a certain extent, fine. I haven't been able to see any further than my skis for the entire day. It was almost impossible to distinguish the snow relief until it reached my feet. I was only taking care of the course and the ground trying not to lose my balance and not to feel dizzy after more than 9 hours only focusing on what I had right in front of me at one point five meters ahead. A part from that, I wasn't doing anything, as the ‘force was' busy in making me advance. I thought I could rely on it, as it surely was a positive ‘force', like the Jedi, and not like the Sith´s one, as in such white and bright place like this, it is impossible that a ‘dark side of the force' exists, right?

The day has flown by. I've got to the 10 hours mark, a lot less tired than yesterday and the previous day. Started to put up the tent and took all the necessary material again.

Result: Like everyday, I'm inside the sleeping bag writing the journey's chronicle. And thanks to the ´force´ I find myself with 27Km. ahead and 100 metres up higher than what would have been if the most comfortable part of my mind would have taken control.

Maybe the Race Tracker team will have to check if I have really moved or not, as maybe, what's really happened is that I have stayed in the tent and I have slept so much that I ended up dreaming that today, despite the awful weather conditions, I was advancing like a champion!!

The mind is a very powerful tool, and we have to constantly stimulate and check, as it can also be very treacherous. If she can, she always goes for the easier path, safe and conservative, but often is more productive, interesting and useful, to search, to find that ‘force' and get carried away by it.

... and this only happens in Antarctica?

Good night... and may the force be with you...!

I DEDICATE THE DAY TO:

Nelson Cardona. Our friendship was born at Mount Everest base camp, was solid at the summit and will last forever.

Nelson is a clear example of someone who has always search, found and let himself guide by the ´force´...

From a complicated and humble background, he became with time, an important and well respected climber in Colombia. Back in 2007, when training for an expedition to Mount Everest, had a fatal accident with severe injuries, specially becoming disabled for sport , and having one leg paralysed from knee down.

The ‘force' took him to resign himself in front of the circumstances, and a year and half later, he, voluntarily had his right leg amputated (below the knee), so he could aspire to become, again, a sportsman and a climber.

We took part on the same expedition in 2010 to Mount Everest, and the 15th of May I was hugging Nelson at the summit.

99% of minds would have tried to focus their lives in a different direction given Nelson´s situation after so many operations and reparations post accident. But he trusted his ‘force' and is now a climber and a sportsman again, as he always wanted to be in life.

Piqui: I love you so much, and I will always be grateful to you as you gave me a small dose of your ´force´ whilst climbing together the mother of all mountains.