2009 Like Shackleton, our journey was also nearing its end. During theendless hours of each remaining day I continued to ponder thesignificance of arriving at the Pole. As each step took us closer, a firedeep within me began to take hold and glow, faintly at first but withincreasing intensity as we ticked off the minutes of latitude andeventually entered the eighty-ninth degree. Nothing could betterwhat had happened on 9 January, but my enthusiasm for reachingthe South Pole was definitely lifting. We would normally havecelebrated crossing the final degree but the whisky had long sincebeen finished and what happened instead, after two months on theAntarctic and with just five days of the journey left, was rathertelling and revealed in a small way just how finished and emotionallybrittle we had become.It had been a particularly cold day. The wind had been gustingfive to ten knots per hour driving the temperature down to -42°Cand we were all done in. After supper all I wanted to do was getinto my scratcher and sleep, but Henry was still boiling water andto have bodies lying prostate across the tent would not have beenhelpful.

We had to do things together in such a cramped space, soscratcher heaven would simply have to wait.'Move over could you, General,' Will asked, as he unfurled hissleeping bag. I was not in a good mood. Very tired and irritated thathe couldn't see the knock-on effect to Henry and I, I snapped back.'Hold on Will. Can't you see that we are not ready? You have ahabit of doing this and I've let it pass until now, but it really pissesme off.''Well it really pisses me off that you keep arriving late,'was hisquick reply. I could see that he was angry with what I had said, butI was in no mood for a slanging match so late in the day - I sensedthat we had both already said things we didn't really mean.

Anyway, I just didn't have the energy to argue, but I was takenaback with what he had said. Once in the warmth of his sleepingbag and wired into his ipod, Will turned on his side without sayinga word, leaving me to stew in my own juice.Wisely, Henry had saidnothing at all. Eventually Henry turned off the stove and the tentwas reduced to a heavy silence, save for the wind sweeping pastoutside. I couldn't sleep before I had worked out how to resolvethis petty disagreement. Clearly the air betweenWill and I had to becleared as soon as possible otherwise the rest of the journey, and inparticular the confines of the tent, would have been very awkward.So I resolved to be the first to apologise in the morning.What I hadsaid was fair I thought, but it was not delivered in a clever way.

Icould have made my point just as effectively by making light of theeffect of his actions but fatigue had got the better of me, and Isuspected, of Will as well. But the more I turned his comment overin my mind the more irked I became. I was confident he wouldapologise as well, but I decided to tell him just how out of order Ithought his remarks were. I slept fitfully that night and woke ingood time to make the daily morning call to Patriot Hills. The timehad now come to find out about Shaun Smith's plans. The plan hadalways been that we would film the journey ourselves, but that wewould meet Shaun a few miles out from the Pole, so that he coulddo some filming. I had barely given the rendezvous any thoughtuntil now, but the time had come for an update.Having passed on our position and the distance travelled, we wereupdated on Shaun's plans.

'Shaun is currently at the Pole with ShaunNorman and they intend to ski out to meet you so they can film yourfinal few miles. I will give you their satphone number and they wouldlike you to call them this time tomorrow morning. They are on thesame time zone as you. You are well inside the final degree now. Notfar to go.' As I was stowing away the battery and phone I noticed Willstirring to wake. I waited no more than a minute before speaking.