2-68

 

68.

A few weeks later I flew to the Antarctic, landed at a research station called Novolazarevskaya, atiny village of huts and Portakabins. The few hardy¹ souls living there were fabulous² hosts. Theyhoused me, fed me—their soups were amazing. I couldn’t get enough.

Maybe because it was thirty-five degrees below zero?

More piping-hot chicken noodle, Harry³?

Yes, please.

The team and I spent a week or two carb-loading, gearing up. And, of course, quaffing⁴ vodka.

At last, one bleary morning…off we went. We climbed into a plane, flew up to the ice shelf,stopped to refuel. The plane landed on a field of solid, flat white, as in a dream. There was nothingto be seen in any direction but a handful of giant fuel barrels. We taxied over to them and I got outwhile the pilots filled up. The silence was holy—not a bird, not a car, not a tree—but it was onlyone part of the larger, all-encompassing nothingness. No smells, no wind, no sharp corners ordistinct features to distract from the endless and insanely beautiful vista⁵. I walked off to be bymyself for a few moments. I’d never been anywhere half so peaceful. Overcome with joy, I did aheadstand. Months and months of anxiety passed away…for a few minutes.

We got back onto the plane, flew to the starting point of the trek⁶. As we began walking, at last,I remembered: Oh, yeah, my toe’s broken.

Just recently, in fact. A boys’ weekend in Norfolk. We drank and smoked and partied tilldawn, and then, while trying to reassemble one of the rooms we’d rearranged, I dropped a heavychair with brass⁷ wheels onto my foot.

Silly injury. But debilitating⁸. I could barely walk. No matter, I was determined⁹ not to let theteam down.

Somehow I kept pace with my fellow walkers, nine hours each day, pulling a sledge¹⁰ thatweighed about two hundred pounds. It was hard for everyone to gain traction¹¹ on the snow, but forme the particular challenge was the slick, undulating patches carved out by the wind. Sastrugi, thatwas the Norwegian word for these patches. Trekking¹² across sastrugi with a broken toe? Maybethis could be an event at the International Warrior¹³ Games, I thought. But any time I felt tempted¹⁴ tocomplain—about my toe, my fatigue¹⁵, anything—I had only to glance at my fellow walkers. I wasdirectly behind a Scottish soldier named Duncan, who had no legs. Behind me, an Americansoldier named Ivan was blind. So not one whinge would be heard from me, I vowed¹⁶.

Also, an experienced polar guide had advised me before I left Britain to use this trek to “cleanthe hard drive.” That was his phrase. Use the repetitive motion, he said, use the biting cold, usethat nothingness, that landscape’s unique blankness, to narrow your focus until your mind fallsinto a trance. It will become a meditation¹⁷.

I followed his advice to the letter. I told myself to stay present. Be the snow, be the cold, beeach step, and it worked. I fell into the loveliest trance, and even when my thoughts were dark Iwas able to stare at them, watch them float away. Sometimes it would happen that I’d watch mythoughts connect to other thoughts and all at once the whole chain of thoughts would make somesense. For instance, I considered all of the previous challenging walks of my life—the North Pole,the Army exercises, following Mummy’s coffin¹⁸ to the grave—and while the memories werepainful, they also provided continuity, structure, a kind of narrative¹⁹ spine²⁰ that I’d never suspected.

Life was one long walk. It made sense. It was wonderful. All was interdependent andinterconnected…

Then came the dizzies.

The South Pole, counterintuitively, is high above sea level, roughly three thousand meters, andso altitude sickness is a real danger. One walker had already been taken off our trek; now Iunderstood why. The feeling started slowly and I brushed it off. Then it knocked me flat. Headspins, followed by crushing migraine, pressure building in both lobes²¹ of my brain. I didn’t want tostop but it wasn’t up to me. My body said, Thanks, this is where we get off. The knees went. Theupper torso followed.

I hit the snow like a pile of rocks.

Medics pitched a tent, laid me flat, gave me some sort of anti- migraine injection. In mybuttocks, I think. Steroids, I heard them say. When I came to, I felt semi-revived. I caught up withthe group, searched for a way back into the trance.

Be the cold, be the snow…

As we neared the Pole we were all in sync, all elated. We could see it there, just over there,through our ice-crusted eyelashes. We began running to it.

Stop!

The guides told us it was time to make camp.

Camp? What the—? But the finish line’s just there.

You’re not allowed to camp at the Pole! So we’ll all have to camp here tonight, then strike outfor the Pole in the morning.

Camped in the shadow of the Pole, none of us could sleep, we were too excited. And thus wehad a party. There was some drinking, horseplay. The underside of the world rang with ourgiggles.

Finally, at first light, December 13, 2013, we took off, stormed the Pole. On or near the exactspot was a huge circle of flags representing the twelve signatories of the Antarctic treaty. We stoodbefore the flags, exhausted²³, relieved, disoriented. Why’s there a Union Jack²⁴ on the coffin? Thenwe hugged. Some press accounts say one of the soldiers took off his leg and we used it as atankard to guzzle²⁵ champagne²⁶, which sounds right, but I can’t remember. I’ve drunk booze out ofmultiple prosthetic legs in my life and I can’t swear that was one of the times.

Beyond the flags stood a huge building, one of the ugliest I’d ever seen. A windowless box,built by the Americans as a research center. The architect who designed this monstrosity, Ithought, must’ve been filled with hate for his fellow humans, for the planet, for the Pole. It brokemy heart to see a thing so unsightly dominate a land so otherwise pristine²⁷. Nevertheless, alongwith everyone else, I hurried inside the ugly building to warm up, have a pee, drink some cocoa.

There was a huge café and we were all starving. Sorry, we were told, café’s closed. Would youlike a glass of water?

Water? Oh. OK.

Each of us was handed a glass.

Then a souvenir. A test tube.

With a tiny cork²⁸ in the top.

On the side was a printed label: Cleanest Air in the World.

 

1 hardy   

adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的

参考例句：

• The kind of plant is a hardy annual.这种植物是耐寒的一年生植物。
• He is a hardy person.他是一个能吃苦耐劳的人。

2 fabulous   

adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的

参考例句：

• We had a fabulous time at the party.我们在晚会上玩得很痛快。
• This is a fabulous sum of money.这是一笔巨款。

3 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

4 quaffing   

v.痛饮( quaff的现在分词 )；畅饮；大口大口将…喝干；一饮而尽

参考例句：

• He is quaffing his beer by the pint. 他论品脱地大喝啤酒。 来自互联网
• Its easy-quaffing quality makes it an aperitif wine. 此酒极易入口，所以一刻作为开胃酒单独饮用。 来自互联网

5 vista   

n.远景，深景，展望，回想

参考例句：

• From my bedroom window I looked out on a crowded vista of hills and rooftops.我从卧室窗口望去，远处尽是连绵的山峦和屋顶。
• These uprisings come from desperation and a vista of a future without hope.发生这些暴动是因为人们被逼上了绝路，未来看不到一点儿希望。

6 trek   

vi.作长途艰辛的旅行；n.长途艰苦的旅行

参考例句：

• We often go pony-trek in the summer.夏季我们经常骑马旅行。
• It took us the whole day to trek across the rocky terrain.我们花了一整天的时间艰难地穿过那片遍布岩石的地带。

7 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

8 debilitating   

a.使衰弱的

参考例句：

• The debilitating disease made him too weak to work. 这个令他衰弱的病，使他弱到没有办法工作。
• You may soon leave one debilitating condition or relationship forever. 你即将永远地和这段霉运说拜拜了。

9 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

10 sledge   

n.雪橇，大锤；v.用雪橇搬运，坐雪橇往

参考例句：

• The sledge gained momentum as it ran down the hill.雪橇从山上下冲时的动力越来越大。
• The sledge slid across the snow as lightly as a boat on the water.雪橇在雪原上轻巧地滑行，就象船在水上行驶一样。

11 traction   

n.牵引；附着摩擦力

参考例句：

• I'll show you how the traction is applied.我会让你看如何做这种牵引。
• She's injured her back and is in traction for a month.她背部受伤，正在作一个月的牵引治疗。

12 trekking   

v.艰苦跋涉，徒步旅行( trek的现在分词 )；（尤指在山中）远足，徒步旅行，游山玩水

参考例句：

• She can't come pony trekking after all because she's in a delicate condition. 她结果还是不能坐小马车旅行，因为她已怀孕。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We spent the summer trekking in the foothills of the Himalayas. 我们整个夏天都在喜马拉雅山的山麓艰难跋涉。 来自互联网

13 warrior   

n.勇士，武士，斗士

参考例句：

• The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
• A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。

14 tempted   

v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词）

参考例句：

• I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。
• I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。

15 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

16 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

17 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

18 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

19 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

20 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。

21 lobes   

n.耳垂( lobe的名词复数 )；（器官的）叶；肺叶；脑叶

参考例句：

• The rotor has recesses in its three faces between the lobes. 转子在其凸角之间的三个面上有凹槽。 来自辞典例句
• The chalazal parts of the endosperm containing free nuclei forms several lobes. 包含游离核的合点端胚乳部分形成几个裂片。 来自辞典例句

22 anti-   

pref.[前缀]表示反抗，排斥

参考例句：

• The car has many safety features,including anti - skid braking.这车配有许多特别安全装置，包括防滑制动器。
• The anti-aircraft units opened fire and hit two of the enemy planes.防空部队开炮，击中了两架敌机。

23 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

24 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

25 guzzle   

v.狂饮，暴食

参考例句：

• Melissa had guzzled gin and tonics like they were lemonade.梅利莎像喝柠檬汽水一样大口地喝着加奎宁水的杜松子酒。
• Pigs guzzle their food.猪总是狼吞虎咽地吃东西。

26 champagne   

n.香槟酒；微黄色

参考例句：

• There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
• They sat there swilling champagne.他们坐在那里大喝香槟酒。

27 pristine   

adj.原来的，古时的，原始的，纯净的，无垢的

参考例句：

• He wiped his fingers on his pristine handkerchief.他用他那块洁净的手帕擦手指。
• He wasn't about to blemish that pristine record.他本不想去玷污那清白的过去。

28 cork   

n.软木，软木塞

参考例句：

• We heard the pop of a cork.我们听见瓶塞砰的一声打开。
• Cork is a very buoyant material.软木是极易浮起的材料。