No Horizon Is So Far This page intentionally left blank No Horizon Is So Far Two Women and Their Historic Journey across Antarctica Liv Arnesen and Ann Bancroft with Cheryl Dahle University of Minnesota Press Minneapolis London Excerpt from Kitchen Table Wisdom by Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D., copyright 1996 by Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D. Reprinted by per- mission of Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. First published in 2003 by Da Capo Press First University of Minnesota Press edition, 2019 Copyright 2003 by Ann Bancroft, Liv Arnesen, and Cheryl Dahle Introduction copyright 2019 by Cheryl Dahle All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Published by the University of Minnesota Press 111 Third Avenue South, Suite 290 Minneapolis, MN 55401-2 520 http://www.upress.umn.edu ISBN 978-1-5179-0702-0 (pb) A Cataloging-in-Publication record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. Printed in the United States of America on acid- free paper The University of Minnesota is an equal-o pportunity educator and employer. 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To Mom and Dad: you always encouraged me to wander to the beat of my heart. To our team in Minnesota who helped make this dream a reality: you are more than colleagues; you are family. Thank you for your passion, energy, and friendship. To the children around the world who follow our journeys: you give me purpose and hope for our complex world. — Ann To my grandchildren, in hope they can find a dream and direction in the disturbed world we live in today. To the people of yourexpedition: your relentless efforts to raise funds, plan, and support the Antarctic journey were the winds in the sail of the dream that Ann and I shared. To the children, who made our journey worthwhile. — Liv To my mother, whose strength and resilience inspire me. — Cheryl This page intentionally left blank I learned to wander. I learned what every dreaming child needs to know—t hat no horizon is so far that you cannot get above it or beyond it. — Beryl Markham (1902– 1986) English aviator and first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean from London to North America This page intentionally left blank CONTENTS Introduction to the New Edition xi 1. Hell 1 2. Sister Souls 11 3. A Path Paved with Ice and Money 33 4. “Send Rescue” 55 5. Waiting 67 6. Underway, Overwhelmed 95 7. Push to the Pole 129 8. Titan Dome 161 9. Beyond Endurance 179 10. End of the Journey 191 11. A Narrow Escape 203 Route Maps 223 Epilogue 225 The Equipment List 241 Acknowledgments 247 About Bancroft Arnesen Explore 253