It has been one very long, and grueling, Antarctic season for James Castrission and Justin Jones, aka Cas and Jonesy. The lads have been out on the ice for three straight months in their attempt to ski unsupported from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole and back – something that has never been done before. But today they are in the home stretch, and if everything goes as planned, they should arrive back at the start sometime tonight.
As of this writing, the boys have just 14km (8.6 miles) to go until they reach Hercules, where they’ll find Aleksander Gamme waiting for them. Aleksander is making the same journey, although he was going solo, and as he neared the finish line, the Norwegian elected to hold up and wait for his Australian counterparts to join him. The three men will then ski the final kilometer to the Inlet together, effectively becoming the first to accomplish this epic journey at the same time.
This morning, before they set out, the two Aussies tweeted out “We are just now stepping off for hopefully the final time! Bring on the finish line!” I’m sure they are are more than ready to be done, as they have had to endure horrible weather, nagging injuries, illness, and more. But now they’re about to accomplish something that will make all of those memories fade and make them feel a whole lot better.
Stay tuned for the news of their arrival.
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