14 December, 1996

At 3 o'clock on Friday, 14, December 1911, five men lead by Roald Amundsen were the first humans to reach the South Pole. Today, eighty-five years later, I had my turn.

Amundsen's journey started on October 20, 1911 with four sledges and fifty-two dogs. They reached the pole, frostbitten, with eleven dogs, having periodically slaughter them to ward off starvation.

I arrived in a C-130 military cargo plane especially designed to land on ice. The flight took two and one half-hours. I carried two sandwiches and several candy bars in my pack. My four layers of clothing were especially designed for this environment. Life in Antarctica has certainly changed in eight-five years. Even though my experience was a "pleasure journey", I still felt proud to know that for a short time there was no person on earth further south than I.

Another Pole shot!