You won't find this roadtrip in any Rand McNally Atlas.
There aren't any 7-11s along the road to stop for a
Big Gulp and bag of Fritos. It's the South Pole Traverse.
The group left McMurdo a couple of days after I got here in
late October and should be arriving in a few days at Pole.
This year they're hauling fuel and materials to both South
Pole and to the remote AGAP camps. Ultimately in years to
come, they want to be able to deliver up to 200,000 gallons
of fuel each year to the Pole but that will be years from
now. Currently, only LC-130's can carry fuel to the Pole
and they use up a lot of fuel in the process to get it
there. There's been some international angst against the
road, but let's get real here. It's not really "a road".
If it weren't maintained, it would be gone in only a few
years, it's existence gone forever. Plus, it's not like
tourists will be moseying along it. How could they? There
aren't any 7-11s along the way!
click on map to enlarge
5 comments:
Probably the most prominant of those opposed to the road, was the late Sir Edmund Hillary, an Antarctic pioneer.
...who himself drove to the Pole in a vehicle...hmmm.
Hey Tom, Just curious if you know of any place to track the progress of the Traverse if not on the continent?
I'm sorry Anonymous...I don't know about a location to track the progress. I looked around the web and it's a mystery to me too.
Having had to deal with private groups that got into trouble in the past, I would think having a safe route for them to travel is something to consider. Kind of like skiing to the runway on the Williams Field road.
Been There
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