As she skis across Antarctica, Felicity Aston is taking on dangers including crevasses, storms, injuries and frostbite. Her biggest challenge, though, has been adapting to solitude.
For more than three weeks, she has been skiing toward the South Pole, pulling two sledges with supplies. Aston is attempting to become the first person to cross Antarctica alone under her own power and has covered about one-third of the more than 1,000 miles.
The British adventurer, 34, expects to reach the South Pole this week, then pick up supplies and head out for the other side of the continent. She says the emotional toll has been much greater than she expected.
“When that plane disappeared and left me on the wrong side of Antarctica all by myself with two little sledges, it really hit me that I’m completely responsible for myself,” she told The Associated Press in an interview by satellite phone. “It’s just you. You have to sort out your problems, and that makes you feel very vulnerable.”
