Check Point One!

Well, as Rob mentioned in an earlier blog, the reins have been passed to me! 

After the initial training week, emails from Rob have been infrequent and short. However, today I received much more news from him, so am passing it on:

  

'Its going well. We got to the checkpoint today after 5 days of slogging in temperatures of -45. Averaged about -30 most days and at night it is - 24! Lovely! 

Starting on Tuesday we have kept a good pattern of getting up at 6am, getting going at 9am (after taking down the tent, packing the pulks and also boiling 6 flasks of water for the day - and of course having breakfast (rehydrated sausage and eggs - mmm) and lots of hot drinks. We ski for two hours and then have a 5 min break to eat from our day bags which are biscuits, nuts, pepparami, sweets and chocolate - all tooth breakingly hard. We only stop for 5 mins as it gets so cold you are in danger of frost bite or nip. I have frost nipped my fingers alot! We do this until 6pm when we stop and it takes an hour to get the tent up and all gear packed away and everyone in the tent. 30 mins later and it might be above freezing until we turn the stoves off to sleep. At night your breath freezes in the sleeping bag, on the tent and everywhere so in the morning it is like being in a fridge with a little man throwing ice down your neck.

We have done 70 miles so far and averaged about 14 nautical miles per day.  Our pulks weigh 50kg so I am doing a good workout.  It is beautiful up here, nothing for miles.  We saw a polar bear yesterday and kept well away for obvious reasons.  We also saw bear and cub prints, which would make it even more

dangerous.  We have a 24 hour break at this camp (in a tent - same as normal) and then off again.'

Thats it for now - will post any more news as I hear it.