As she skis across Antarctica, Felicity Aston is taking on dangers including crevasses, storms, injuries and frostbite. Her biggest challenge, though, has been adapting to solitude in the seemingly endless expanses of white.

For more than three weeks, she has been skiing toward the South Pole pulling two sledges packed with supplies. Aston is attempting to become the first woman to cross Antarctica alone, and has covered about one-third of the journey of more than 1,700 kilometers.

The British adventurer expects to reach the South Pole this week, then pick up more supplies and head out again for the other side of the frozen continent. She says the emotional toll has been much greater than she expected.