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I mailed in everything (hopefully) to be PQ'd. I should be hearing something soon about exact dates, plane tickets etc. I purchased my mandatory sunglasses (Ouch$). I get reimbursed for about half from my employer. The place I purchased the sunglasses from specialize in extreme and mountaineering eyewear. http://www.heavyglare.com

I still have a lot to get and do. Working on creating/using check lists is an important step at this point.

I am already getting booked for a business trip to Las Vegas in late February just after I get back from the Ice. In some ways this adventure to the ice will be brief. In other ways it will be long. I suspect depending on the day it will be one of the two, not the grey in between.

The following list is used without permission from: http://huey.colorado.edu/77DegreesSouth/maps.html

Quick facts about Antarctica

Size: 5.5 million square miles (14M sq. km). Fifth largest continent in the world. As large as the US and Mexico combined.

Government: Antarctica has been administered by the Antarctic Treaty since 1961. No country has any definitive sovereignty over any part of it, in spite of claims.

Highest Point: Vinson Massif 16,062' (4897m)

Precipitation: Antarctica receives less than 5 cm of precipitation a year, which is similar to the amount the driest part of the Sahara Desert receives.

Temperature: Record low of -128°F (-89.6° C).

Health Risks: Hypothermia, frostbite, snow-blindness, dehydration, sunburn.

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