9th Feb (Day 28?)

Woke up at 10 this morning – sounds late but we only made it to bed at 3 after filming the food finally arrive, along with the diesel to power the rig, all on a convoy of rolligons.

Had a shower and bumped into Bobbie – our increasingly elusive key character for the B Story. He was showing his replacement around!!!!! Fucker, I knew something was up he’s been giving us the run around, not showing up for filming (despite giving his word) etc and now he’s leaving with very little warning. All of which kind of fucks our B Story. Think he may well have been sacked since the lack of herc runway has meant the rig has stalled for a week whilst waiting on diesel – and a week’s a long time and a lot of money in a $50 million operation. Now wonder he’s been avoiding us, kind fucks us over though.

No milk for breakfast – which is weird since supplies just showed up – but (thank god) orange juice, at last – so we’re not gonna die of scurvy or worse have to eat each other (but we are going tohave to eat dry cereals, it seems. Not sure which is worse.).

Our friend, Bill the chief gave us some of his secret stash of half and half for our cereals with the strict instructions to eat them in our room so no one else’d know!!!!!

Half way through breaky, got a call that a plane was waiting for us on the runway to do a special tour of the camp so that we could get our aerial shots – but that it would only wait half an hour. Hot footed it out there still chewing my cereal. Fuck it was the smallest plane I’ve ever seen, let alone been in. I’ve seen larger airfix models. In fact I’m not sure this wasn’t some kind of microlight. Actually it was a Cessna.

Wow – what a buzz – and what a day for flying. The pilot told us we’d never get better conditions on the slope. The sun was low in the sky, its typical, golden glow slanting across the flat, barren tundra. You could see from horizon to horizon, each little ripple in the ice desert caught in the shadows of the ever-setting sun. The pilot propped open the cockpit window – and banked round the camp 3 times and twice round the runway. A view like that really hammers home the remoteness of the location. Nothing, but ice for as far as the eye could see in every direction.

Desperate to get the shots, despite a wind chill factor of -100 plus (due to the 100mph wind against the plane) my hands got so painful and throbbing I could barely sit still. We had to wear full face gear and goggles etc….. but it was amazing. Such a rush. And so beautiful.

I love this place, will be so sad to leave – but there’s images I’ve seen here that will remain with me forever.