Success! Trekkers make it to South Pole

updated 11:56 a.m. ET Jan. 10, 2010

Editor's note: Eric Larsen is attempting to be the first person to trek to the South Pole, North Pole and Mount Everest in one year. After nearly 50 days on Antarctica, Larsen just completed the South Pole leg. Msnbc.com will be posting select entries from his posts while on the next two legs later this year.

Jan. 7th (Day 50): I'm Back!
"I'm back. It's me," was usually what Dongsheng said anytime he left the tent and then returned. It developed into a fairly funny joke throughout the trip because with Bill and I still in the tent it didn't take Einstein's IQ to figure out who it was unzipping the tent door.

I say this only as an introduction to the fact that, "I'm back." Back with regular updates. Sorry for the delay in getting information out, but there have been a few factors. One, I'm really tired. Two, it's been a crazy couple of days.

We were at the pole for less than 24 hours when an ALE Bassler DC-3 landed and whisked us away. In a little over three hours we traveled over most of our route that we had been snailing our way across for almost two months. It was humbling to say the least.

Coming back to ALE's Patriot Hills camp was a great relief. There was a big feast and we gorged ourselves. Happy and replete with good food and good friends, we slept long into the next day.

Despite our relaxed demeanors, eating with knives and forks, changing our underwear, it was a little bittersweet to be finished. Our journey to the pole was so physically, mentally and emotionally intense that to be instantly removed from that situation shocks the system. I am still reeling trying to figure it out all out.

We were only in Patriot Hills camp for a two days when the Illyshun landed and in another unusually abrupt step, flew us back to Punta Arenas.

While I am looking forward to going home, it was surprisingly hard to leave. I hung back marveling at each subtle wonder as I walked by — the pattern of each snow drift, the blueness of the ice and sky, the line cut by the Patriot Hills, my friends still in camp ... I inhaled deeply and held my breathe making sure one last piece of Antarctica would remain deep inside.  Remember always this smell I thought. Cold and remote. Pristine.

Arleigh Jorgenson, my old dog mushing boss used to say, "moving slow and enjoying moving slow," after returning from a long time on the trail. I have taken his remark to heart as much as possible.

Eric Larsen This Russian aircraft took the trekkers back to Patriot Hills.

Lingering after meals, enjoying using a glass, sleeping in a bed. My body needs this extra time to recover after such a long exertion.

Sleep and sitting are priorities for the next day or so. Life in Punta unfortunately doesn't seem to be on level with my snow weary body. I have been having a hard time crossing the road. Cars move faster than skiers. The number of close calls have been unnervingly numerous.

I want to take the next week to thank all the people who helped with our journey and talk more about the next steps in the Save the Poles expedition. Now more than ever, there is more work that needs to be done in protecting our climate.

Yes, I still believe that it's cool to be cold, but it's also nice to be warm once in a while too.

Jan. 1: Happy New Year
The bitter wind of yesterday evening died mysteriously sometime during the night. Still overcast however, the calm day immediately brightened our spirits (those same spirits had been drained to almost zero the day before). It was a better New Year's day than we had anticipated.

Newsvine Discuss Head over to newsvine.com to exchange thoughts with Eric Larsen and his team.

We skied sandwiched between flat, featureless snow and a low hanging cloud layer. In the distance, we aimed toward a small sliver of blue.

With no real drifts to mark our progress, we seemed to be traveling in limbo — not getting any closer or farther away from anything.

Normally, this would be frustrating, but it was actually quite serene.

"It felt like a zen garden," Bill said. "Everything was calm, relatively warm and no bright sun."

Dongsheng was occupied with more practical matters: finding energy. "I ate a double lunch," he announced and then added, "today is the first time that I feel like I can actually make it."

The new year, our proximity to the pole... It was a day for reflection as well as looking forward. Our calmness is the result of almost 50 days of very hard work.

We are farther away from you than ever before. What lies in the gap between you and us? Chairs, tables and just about every other creature comfort that's for sure. Traditionally, physical separation leads to philosophical differences. Yet, here we are an American, Chinese and Irish Canadian traveling, eating, working, living together. When we meet each other on a similar field, dissimilarities disappear. We are a team working toward a common goal.

For now, we take comfort in this one simple thought: another step away brings us closer to home.

Copyright 2009 by Save The Poles

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