Hi everyone, this is Chris Heintz reporting in for Antarctica 2003. Well, this will most likely be our final update from Antarctica.

It's now 10 o'clock on January 10th, and the Alleutian 76 aircraft that will take us home has landed here at Patriot Hills. We're about to make the 1-mile walk from Adventure Networks' sign-in tent to the edge of the blue-ice runway where the plane now sits. In a few hours we'll take off and begin our 8,000 mile journey home.

Tonight, as we fly north to Chile, we'll experience the darkness of night for the first time in more than two weeks. And tomorrow, we'll attempt to fly from Chile to the United States, and if all goes as planned we'll be safely in our homes by Sunday evening.

That all said, there's a strong sense of ambivalence among our team members regarding our imminent departure. One one hand, we're anxious to get home to be with our friends, families and loved ones, to see the color green again, and to bathe for the first time in over 15 days. But on the other hand we all recognize that we're all standing in a pretty exceptional place, which we all want to get back to as soon as possible. Sorry, Mom.

As I reflect back on our trip, our team has, in my opinion, done some pretty amazing things. We've landed an airplane where no one has ever done so. We've established a new route, which we've named Double-03, up the highest mountain in Antarctica, and in doing so we've walked, skied and climbed where no human being has ever done so. And perhaps most importantly, we have formed the special bonds and friendships that can only be experienced when five people go off to explore the mountains together.

As I look around at my fellow team members, heading off toward the airplane, I have to say that I am in awe of all they have done and will do. There is Intesar Haider, who is now the first Bangladeshi to reach the highest point in Antarctica. There is Peggy Foster, who is well on her way to becoming the first Canadian woman to complete the seven summits, and who is now the first woman to complete a new route on the Vinson Massif. There is Bob Guthrie, who has also completed five of the seven summits, and is now the first man to parade around Vinson Base Camp in a Speedo bathing suit. Those of you who know him really should demand to see these photos, they're quite good.

And there's Robert Anderson, who has established three of the seven known routes on Vinson, two of which he did on solo efforts. And there's me. While I may be the youngest person to reach Vinson's summit via a new route, I certainly don't seek such accolades when I climb. I really think Jeff Spicoli, of Fast Times At Ridgemont High, put it best when he said, "A cool buzz, a tasty wave, that's all I need."

— Chris Heintz, expedition member and MountainZone.com correspondent