Six in the morning seems to be coming earlier and earlier for some reason. However, I am surprised to find myself awake before the alarm goes off. For anyone that knows me (especially Bill and Dongsheng my two South Pole clients/team members), I am many things but a morning person is not one of them. While we are a bit more tired these days, getting up is easier as there is less frost in the tent due to 24 hours of sunlight.

First shift skiing was good - no real problems - lots of winding through drifts. During second shift Darcy got into some bigger pans and it felt like we were making miles. Third shift seemed to be a mix of thin ice leads, cracks and drifts. Fourth shift - overall pretty good. Fouth, a cold start after soup break, AJ had a few difficult spots but overall a steady plod. Fifth, more winding back and forth through drifts and pressure. Sixth, and last shift of the day, winds die and temperature drops. We count the minutes down to tent time.

Of course, there was much more that happened than just that and more than enough slips, falls and other struggles. Now more than ever we are simply enduring. Each shift is work. But somehow, it's also not that bad. There is lots to look at, plenty of quiet time and as much ice and snow as we could ever want. Today, I found myself taking pictures of snow drifts and ice blocks. None of the images will do the real thing justice unfortunately - yet I keep trying. I want desperately to share this place with you.

Taking off my Sierra Designs parka then an extra terramar base layer, I had to laugh. How many times have I done that exact same action with exactly the same movements? Every day for 48 days.

Remember, bing is helping students become aware of their environment through an Earth Day Photo Contest. If you know of teachers and students that are interested in photography and want to take part in a great cause, have them enter at www.earthdayphotocontest.com.

Also check ouy the www.350.org Petition: People's Petition to Cap Carbon Dioxide Pollution at 350 Parts Per Million

Image: Using the madshus to give my sled the big heave-ho over some slabbed pressure ice..

The Save the Poles expedition is sponsored by Bing with major support from the University of Plymouth, Terramar, Seventh Generation, Goal0, Atlas, Sierra Designs and Optic Nerve.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com

For information about guided Antarctic expeditions, please visit http://www.antarctic-logistics.com/

For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com

For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net

The Save the Poles expedition is sponsored by bing and Terramar with major support from Goal0, MSR, Scream Agency, Sierra Designs, Stanley, Optic Nerve and Clif Bar.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com. For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com. For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net. For lecture inquires, please contact smakmaria@yahoo.com.

I have finally allowed myself to think about the end of the expedition although mostly from a logistical perspective - coordinating our pick up, flights back to Canada, etc. Being done, relaxing in a chair, seeing Maria, camping with my nephew Tyler ... These are still very far away, and if there's one thing I've learned about polar travel, it's that anything can happen (and usually does). Four more days of travel means four more days of drifts, leads, thin ice, pressure ridges, cold wind and more.

Still, the fact that we are are here is not lost on me. I find myself looking around and trying to remember every moment and feeling.

'What's it like being back?' people often ask. I'm not going to lie, after two months on the ice living inches away from two other stinky guys (we haven't showered since March second) eating freeze dried meals and Cliff bars (yes they're good, but variety is nice too), it's really nice. However, the weirdest thing is simply not being the ice. I have the rest of my life to sit at tables or watch movies. This moment is fleeting. It can never be captured, but for now I am holding on tight.

It was colder and windier today. The sun was out to which made things a bit more pleasant. Still, we cooled quickly during breaks. We are actually having conversations during breaks now and we have to now strictly enforce the 10 minute break rule. Our last shift of the day was the best ice. Flat for nearly a half hour of skiing. Then some more drifts, and another long flat section - a nice way to end the day.

We got seriously bogged down for over an hour veering and crossing small leads. Several times we had to set up a relay to get the sleds across unstable brash ice. Later, one bigger chunk of ice broke free and rolled as Darcy and I were scouting a lead jumping point. You have never seen two people scramble backwards so quickly.

Most impressive today was watching the ice pressure. It feels like the Arctic Ocean is alive and the chug, chug, chug sound of grinding ice is its pulse. We all stared for a long time hesitant to look or ski away trying to remember this incredible moment.

Image: Darcy skiing along some pressured blocks.

The Save the Poles expedition is sponsored by bing with major support from the University of Plymouth, terramar, Seventh Generation, Goal0, Atlas, Sierra Designs and Optic Nerve.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com

For information about guided Antarctic expeditions, please visit http://www.antarctic-logistics.com/

For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com

For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net

The Save the Poles expedition is sponsored by bing and Terramar with major support from Goal0, MSR, Scream Agency, Sierra Designs, Stanley, Optic Nerve and Clif Bar.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com. For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com. For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net. For lecture inquires, please contact smakmaria@yahoo.com.

A new remote audio post has been added to the blog...

The Save the Poles expedition is sponsored by bing and Terramar with major support from Goal0, MSR, Scream Agency, Sierra Designs, Stanley, Optic Nerve and Clif Bar.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com. For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com. For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net. For lecture inquires, please contact smakmaria@yahoo.com.

'I'm glad I'm not first going over that lead,' commented Darcy as he watched AJ step out onto a very unstable piece of ice. I watched AJ, too - carefully place his ski on the opposite side of a small open gap. With nothing to freeze against the ice nearest to the water bowed dramatically under his weight. I groaned out loud. 'Yikes' I thought as I knew the weight of AJ's sled would damage the integrity of the ice. But not totally, I would most likely be able to cross safely.

Looking back at Darcy I smiled and said, I'm glad I'm not the last.' We all laughed long and hard as each of us have all been in the same situation - first and last. With our progress inching closer to the pole, the stress is noticeably lifting. We laugh more and have actual conversations at breaks.

Today was full of wonderment and awe. It was difficult with a wide variety of weather from whiteout to blizzard to sun to cold to warm. The ice was bad as our mileage indicates; however, we stopped frequently to take pictures and watch with amazement. While there were many incredible sights today, there were three wonders that caught my attention most.

Wonder number one: Sleeping last night I thought I heard ice pressuring in the distance. Getting out of the tent first thing this morning, we were surprised to see a five foot wide lead of open water only 15 feet from the SD Big Kev. Had we pitched the tent slightly north, we would have been quite wet. By the time we left the tent after breakfast, the gap had closed to only two feet.

Wonder number two: we skied through a section of big thick triangularish slabs surrounded by water. The ice was moving and the pans were being shoved, cracked and twisted in all different directions. They bobbed haphazardly in the water. The light was rich and yellow. We all took several pictures.

Wonder number three: I don't have a list of the most incredible things I've ever seen, but if I did this would be on it. We walking were on a thin ice lead when suddenly we felt the ice shift violently to our left. We moved only two inches or so, but the whole lead we were standing on (nearly a half mile long) shifted at once. Simultaneously, we heard the loud 'CHUG' of ice sliding over ice. This happened five or six times. Incredible.

If you're on Facebook or Twitter, visit the Polar Explorer Eric Larsen page or @ELExplore to share the wonders from your week. Thanks!

Image: The second wonder of today.

The Save the Poles expedition is sponsored by bing with major support from the University of Plymouth, terramar, Seventh Generation, Goal0, Atlas, Sierra Designs and Optic Nerve.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com

For information about guided Antarctic expeditions, please visit http://www.antarctic-logistics.com/

For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com

For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net

The Save the Poles expedition is sponsored by bing and Terramar with major support from Goal0, MSR, Scream Agency, Sierra Designs, Stanley, Optic Nerve and Clif Bar.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com. For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com. For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net. For lecture inquires, please contact smakmaria@yahoo.com.

A new remote audio post has been added to the blog...

The Save the Poles expedition is sponsored by bing and Terramar with major support from Goal0, MSR, Scream Agency, Sierra Designs, Stanley, Optic Nerve and Clif Bar.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com. For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com. For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net. For lecture inquires, please contact smakmaria@yahoo.com.