(MAHWAH, NJ) ‑ January 21, 2014 ‑ As Ben Saunders and Tarka L'Herpiniere step into the final stage of their 1800 mile journey on foot from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, they are honored to have received a personal message from HRH Prince Harry. The message was received as the duo commemorated the anniversary of Captain Scott, the inspiration behind the Scott Expedition, and his Polar Party reaching the South Pole just over a century ago.
In his blog from Antarctica Ben said, "We've received a message from His Royal Highness Prince Harry. It made our day here in Antarctica, I hope he won't mind me quoting it below and I'm deeply honored that he's among the people following our journey."
"One hundred and two years ago today Captain Scott reached the South Pole. As his expedition tragically demonstrated, such a trek sits at the very limit of human endeavor. You're well on your way to completing what Scott attempted; I wish you both the very best of luck for the rest of your journey. You guys will be an inspiration to the next generation as Scott has been to this," remarked HRH Prince Harry.
Ben and Tarka set out from Scott's Terra Nova Hut on October 25, 2013 on an 1,800 mile journey to the South Pole and back. It's a journey that sits at the very limits of human capability, which will take approximately 110 days, hauling up to 441lbs. of weight in their sleds and covering on average 16 miles per day.
So far they have covered a staggering 1,350 miles on foot from the coast to the South Pole and part of the way back in 88 days, experiencing temperatures down to ‑51F wind‑chill.
The journey has pushed both Ben and Tarka to their very limits. They are now operating on simply the 6,000 calories they consume daily with no fat left on their bodies to supplement their daily intake. They now begin their final 430 mile stretch back across the Ross Ice Shelf to their journey's end at the coast ‑ a welcome change from the challenges faced descending the Beardmore Glacier.
"We're both hungrier than ever, which I wasn't expecting after the amount we refueled following our resupply, but I suspect our bodies have so little fat or superfluous muscle they can turn into fuel that we're almost totally reliant on what we eat to keep us going now. Tarka commented today that dragging a sledge full of food around and yet being hungry all day is a pretty effective form of torture," Ben said.
Join Ben and Tarka on this unique and ground‑breaking challenge as they step into their final stage. Ben's blogging daily at www.scottexpedition.com.
Footage sent back from the Antarctica can be found at http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUAuh5Ht8DS09P95HGmglj8hqGPtGcrB.
Ben and Tarka are due to reach the coast early February 2014.
Falcon Scott (grandson of Captain Robert Falcon Scott) and Robert Swan OBE (first to walk to both the North and South Pole and Founder of 2014) are expedition patrons.
Intel and Land Rover are co‑presenting partners of the Scott Expedition.
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