There are only three others left; the journalists who will join us at Troll in mid-November, just before we leave Troll for the start of the traverse.

Image: Members of the traverse team meeting to discuss what needs to be done in Cape Town before we fly south to Troll in two days.

After a wonderful breakfast at the hotel, we had our first group meeting in Cape Town. The feeling among everybody here is one of excitement and anticipation. Everything looks to be in order: all of the expedition cargo is either here or at Troll; WE are all either here or at Troll!; all of our personal clothing and equipment arrived with us here without incident; the weather forecast for a Wednesday flight to Troll looks perfect; and everybody is healthy and in high spirits.

As part of our group meeting this morning, everybody reported on how each of the tasks they were responsible for were progressing, and on what else needed to be done before our flight to Troll. Then we each identified what we could do to help and then split into teams to get the work done. These tasks included purchasing 150 meters of 6 mm diameter static-load rope to be used with our radar systems, and making sure we have the equipment required to pressurize air tanks used by our Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).

- Glen