"Right from the outset I had been careful to limit my anticipation to the most pressing goal. On the Ross Ice Shelf I had thought only of the Leverett, on the plateau I had thought only of the Pole, leaving the Pole I had thought only of Thiels. At no point had I allowed myself to think of the whole; it was too big and too intimidating to think about all at once. Now, even though I was physically close to the end of my journey, I found that the ‘end’ was still too daunting to dwell on. My ability to process a goal had nothing to do with the number of miles or the number of days involved – instead it had everything to do with the importance I attached to the achievement of that goal. The end was so important that I couldn’t process it yet. I had to focus on each step rather than the end result – and there were still plenty of steps to take."
