This is Chris Heintz reporting for Antarctica 2003. We woke up Christmas morning amidst the mountains of Torre del Paine national park. After receiving some positive weather news from Adventure Network, we decided to head back to Punta Arenas in the hope that our flight would depart the next day. We loaded up our Honda Civic and sped back to Punta Arenas, spending most of Christmas day in the car.

Along the way, we saw a small roadside restaurant, where many of the area's locals had gathered for an outdoor Christmas lamb roasting. Even the town's mayor, who loved to compare himself to Rudy Giuliani, was in attendance. After several drinks and a proper Christmas meal, we got back in the car and eventually arrived safely in Punta Arenas.

Yesterday, the 26th of December, began with a phone call from Adventure Network telling us the weather had worsened in Patriot Hills, but that we still hoped to fly out that day. So we spent most of the 26th hanging around our hotel room, watching MTV and waiting for the phone to ring. It felt surprisingly similar to some high school dating situations we had all experienced. We were just like kids without a prom date.

By the day's end we had received seven phone calls in all from Adventure Network, each asking us to stand by for another hour or two. Unfortunately, good news never came. So it is now the morning of the 27th, and we remain hopeful that we will fly out today.

Despite all the waiting, the team is in excellent spirits. Most of our 500 pounds of food, clothing and equipment have been loaded into the plane and are ready to go. We hope that our next dispatch will be from the ice of Antarctica.

— Chris Heintz, expedition member and MountainZone.com correspondent