Miss Hollinger is still in Antarctica, even though she and the team were due to fly to Chile last Tuesday and begin their journey home. High winds and low visibility have prevented the plane from being able to land safely on the blue ice runway so they are waiting for a weather window with the right conditions for flying.

Although she is not home yet, Miss H has been able to enjoy some home comforts; real food (not dehydrated!) and the company of others being the main highlights. They have also had the chance to relax by playing Balderdash and volleyball, watching Die Hard 4, and attending lectures on past, less successful expeditions to the Poles.

Being confined to the tent has meant that Miss H has had time to reflect on the team's time in Antarctica, consider their ecological footprint and think about the things she will miss when she's back in the UK . (Check out her blog to read some interesting facts.)

During a break in the awful weather, the team found time to compete in the Antarctic Olympics! Such activities as welly wanging, a blindfolded sledge hauling race and tug-of-war tested their physical and mental strength. The 48-hour sledge haul did not compare to the challenges they faced in the Olympics (hmm…?!).

Fingers crossed that Miss H will be back in time for Christmas, and we're all looking forward to hearing her stories in the New Year. In the meantime, spare a thought for her, sitting in a freezing cold tent while you are warm and cosy at home.

Minimum temperature in Antarctica = -17.8
Minimum temperature in Sheffield = 4.7

On the Tuesday after two days of gruelling hiking Miss Hollinger got the reward of having a phone conversation with Miss Smith's Y7 science class. Surprisingly the phone reception was crystal clear and had no delay which considering the distance it was quite remarkable. The chance of answering people's questions directly gave Miss Hollinger the opportunity to give students a real insight into her expedition.

The train of sledges which has carried all of her equipment including her waste! )

Miss Hollinger and her team had to hike up a mountain pass while hauling their train of sledges weighing around 4500kg in total. They are so heavy that it has taken up to 6 people to carry one sledge up the mountain, at some points there stride length has been a minuscule 10cm as they struggled on up. When they got to the top they were shattered, so they had to put up the tents. This isn't easy when the temperature is minus 20 and your hands are barely functional but after a battle with some tent poles they finally put them up with great sense of achievement all round...Robert and Seb Y11

Miss Hollinger is now nearing the end of her expedition in Antarctica and the past week has been one of the hardest and most hectic yet. On Tuesday, she was lucky enough to talk to a class of Year 7s at Tapton before the final push back to Patriot Hills, where the group is based. This last part of the expedition started with a 48 hour haul, pulling 7 sledges, including the poo sledge. These had a combined weight of 4,500kg, which they had to pull to a height of 1,562m (that's higher than Ben Nevis ). They reached the top of the canyon at 11pm on Wednesday night, but didn't get any sleep until 2.30am, partly due to the fact that the freezing temperatures of -20°c restricted the use of their hands, and froze their hair (see photo)!

On Thursday, the group had a break from the normal routine when they got to toboggan some of the distance downhill. There was slight panic when Miss H thought she had lost her camera with all the expedition photos on, but by retracing her steps she managed to find it – “phew”! The monotony and isolation of the blank landscapes in Antarctica seem to be having an effect on Miss H – on Friday she calculated how many steps she had taken that day in order to pass the time (she took 61,600 steps/slides to be precise!)

At midnight, Saturday, the group got up after two hours of shuteye for the final leg of the expedition, finally arriving at Patriot Hills at 5am on Sunday morning. They had covered 32km in 17 hours, including a short rest for sleep.

After a gruelling few weeks in one of the most spectacular parts of the world, Miss H is now almost on her way home for a long shower and a hot meal.... Alice and Chris Y13

Miss Hollinger has now been in Antarctica for 19 days and through an initial period of frustration where no evidence of cryoconite holes were found, she struck gold on the 18 th day.

Miss Hollinger found some cryoconite holes which are vertical cylindrical holes in the glacier, holes which melt the ice just 300m outside their tents … Felicity 7TP

At last Miss Hollinger and the fellow teachers have discovered some cryoconite holes and started measuring and sampling them. They soon found out that the wind had blown away some snow and uncovered some blue ice, on the ice there were lots of cryoconite holes and only about 300m away from camp. On the 27 th she had some very strange weather, it was only -2.9c: a warm day for Antarctica ! It took them about 3.5 hours to climb half way up Connell Canyon before setting up camp. The coldest day was shortly after arriving and the temperature was -20 and winds up to 68.2mph! They have to be careful not to drop litter or to spoil the natural environment, there even taking there poo with them!

In Antarctica there are 24 hours of daylight (easy to lose track of the time).... Marco 7TP

The average temperature in Antarctica has been -15 degrees. However temperatures are lowered by wind-chill. The lowest temperature yet has been -60 degrees.

Despite the cold it can be very sunny in Antarctica . The whole team have to be very careful about applying sun cream regularly. There is no ozone layer over the Antarctic so there is a high risk of sunburn from the strong UV rays.

Experiments stopped for 2 days as high winds set in. After being cooped up in their tents for a long time they devised a novelty way to burn off energy, kite surfing down the glacier. A member of the expedition experimented washing clothes. Getting things dry in Antarctica is tricky. Anything wet you put outside freezes in seconds.

Miss Hollinger found few cryoconite holes on the Henderson Glacier so on Friday 23 rd November, the team decided to move on. Taking down the main tent proved a challenge as some of the tent poles were frozen into the ground. They are heading towards the Connell Canyon over difficult terrain and are not sure when they will arrive.

Hauling the sledges carrying tents, food supplies, clothing, equipment and rubbish while on skis is no easy feat. After crossing the dangerous crevasses and slippery blue ice they were rewarded with a fantastic view.

We wish Miss Hollinger luck as yet again the weather turned for the worse and she continues on her trek to the next camp.

She is very pleased to receive all you questions. Please note that e-mails and questions should now be sent via stevebull@bullexpeditions.com . As they are using a satellite phone connection (which is very slow speed) it would be appreciated if attachments were not sent. This will help to conserve battery life. Answers will be posted regularly on www.hollinger.edublogs.org/ with the daily updates. Please keep the questions coming. 

Rebecca

This weekend of remembrance, Miss Hollinger had another thing to remember. Last Saturday, the
10th of November, Miss Hollinger and the Antarctica team flew out to the Patriot Hills, Antarctica . The team had been put on standby after the delays they had due to poor weather. They were given 45 minutes to be ready for the bus which was to take them to the airport and they were up in the air and on their way by 11am. The 4.5 hour flight wasn't a normal, comfy flight and they all found it very unusual to be squashed along the sides of the plane in very hard seats and opposite a huge pile of tied-up luggage which was the essential survival gear. When they all arrived, the first thing they did (after they had a hot meal), was to dig in their tents. The view from where they are situated at the moment is amazing and Miss Hollinger said she and the others feel really privileged to be there. She'd like to thank people for all the encouraging emails she received and they really amused her when she was waiting for the Antarctica plane. There is said to be a rise in the winds so if Miss Hollinger wants to keep warm, she'd better hold on to her tent! She still wants to hear from you and your questions, so write to dannyboy@bullexpeditions.com or comment on her diary blog at www.hollinger.edublogs.org .

Minimum temperature in Antarctica = -20 degrees Celsius

Minimum temperature in Sheffield = 1.3

High point of the week

Finally leaving England ! Knowing that she can't be more prepared and that she's finally of on what is set to be an amazing experience, is a wonderful feeling for Miss Hollinger. Obviously, it has been emotional saying goodbye to family and friends but she can't wait to get started.

Low point of the week

Miss Hollinger is not a great flyer, so the 30 hour trip from Gatwick to Madrid , then from Madrid to Santiago , Chile , then on again to Punta Arenas , at the southern tip of Chile , hasn't been easy. Also, Puntas Arenas doesn't sound the nicest place to be: she describes it as “bleak and windswept with no building more than three storeys – it reminded me of Milton Keynes in a way”, but the thought that she'll soon be in Antarctica is definitely a cheering one. - Ellen Y12

HOLLINGER IN ANTARCTICA - WEEK 1

Well, the wait is over, the fundraising is complete, the training is exhausted....and Tapton has its own globetrotter! Miss Hollinger, from the Geography department has just set off on the trip of a lifetime. She headed off to Antarctica on Saturday to begin a 2 month expedition, living life in a tent at -35C, all in the name of science! She was selected along with 3 other teachers from up and down the country to take part in the Fuchs Foundation Antarctic Expedition 2007. The aim of which is to encourage more young people to take an interest in science and geography. It will no doubt be a gruelling physical challenge but she has put in hours of training over the past 18 months and is now really geared up for the challenge that lies ahead. Updates of Miss Hollinger's progress can be found on her blog as she will be updating most days www.hollinger.edublogs.org. Updates will also be added frequently to the Fuchs Foundation Website www.fuchfoundation.org. She will most likely miss home at one point or another and therefore would appreciate any words of support and encouragement throughout the time she is there, her email address during her time away  is dannyboy@bullexpeditions.com