Solidifying ideas

Useful meeting today with a great guy who knows his stuff and is eager to share his expertise. As always I was happy for any excuse to pore over a map and find it all dizzyingly exciting. Our expert friend shows us where

Patriot Hills

is where we will first touch down in Antarctica. We are all quite ignorant - I thought he may have to point out to us where the South Pole is!.
 
We had a lot of talk about what is the earliest we can get in, and the latest we can get out. We are pushing the very limits of the expedition season.
Earliest entry: beginning of Nov. Last exit Jan 27. Under 90 days. Ben's plan suggests we need 104 days... hmmm...
Another worry is that most planes are already full (and the cost of them was just funny). We need to get moving!

We also discussed sledge options. Ben has always been keen to backpack out, feeling it would be faster, if harder. Andy opposes this, having spent 5 months beneath one on his trek to Asia. I am just playing the 2-year old, asking "Why?" to every accepted piece of wisdom. I want Ben to break down his knowledge and to build it up from scratch with fresh eyes. There are always new and better and different ways to do things and I don't want us to do anything just because "we always do it that way".