Welcome to the Arctic Rob. Are you comfortable?

I am catching up so this is a couple of days out of date - last night we cooked and ate in the tent before sleeping in it!  Brrrr



I eventually arrived in Resolute Bay after almost 3 days travelling. This sort of delay is to be expected up here in Northern Canada where nothing is taken by chance. We took the flight to Ottawa and stayed there overnight and the following day (28th) had a flight to Iqaluit here we were to change to get in a plane to Resolute. At Iqaluit we were told that the flight to Resolute was also stopping at Arctic Bay to drop some passengers and some cargo. When in the air we were told that before Arctic Bay we were stopping at Hall Bay for 15 minutes to refuel. After 2 hours at Hall Bay (and 8 hours since Ottawa) we were told the plane was broken and that another was coming to pick us up and take us back to Iqaluit! Once there at 11.30 pm we were back in a hotel and to the airport the following morning. The flight on the 29th also stopped at Hall Bay and then Arctic Bay - but then went on to Resolute.




Resolute is the second most northern town / village. There are about 200 people who live here. It is in a beautiful location and when the weather is as good as the 29th was (sunny, no clouds, - 25 C) it is amazing. This is where we are training for the week. We have spent one night in a lodge, met our skis and took them for a 2 hour walk, put tents up inside and outside in the snow and covered a lot more theory and classroom based activity. My Baffin boots are about 1 metre long and 50 cm wide which makes skiing on skis 15 cm wide interesting. I spent a few minutes with my face in the snow. Although it could have been worse as later in the day a scientist from a research group fell through the ice 50 meteres from where we are camping! Putting up the tents wearing gloves, goggles, romper suit and with rubber dinghys on your feet is a lot harder than doing it in South Wales. We are sleeping in them tonight - its only - 35 C so not a problem (apparently).



The classroom stuff has bought this to life in a rather galling fashion. We had a session on frostbite and saw a lot of photos of amputation of the nose, fingers, toes and even worse (boys). Its a serious business out here! We then covered Polar Bears and missed out on a photo of a Inuit Guide who had the top of his head removed when a bear attacked through his tent. The reason we missed it is the laptop ran out of juice. But I ask you, how scared are they trying to make us! Tomorrow we are having some more time with the shot guns and it cant come quicker.



Race proper starts on Tuesday now (delayed because of errr, our delay). Temperature later this week are due to drop to - 40 C. But do you know what? I just want to get out there and get started. Jo, Lucy and I are working well together as a team and after 18 months of preperation and training we are finding ourselves to be pretty experienced. We seem to know our stuff - which in the end is a good thing - especially for my sponsors!



Until next time. Next one will be a frozen beard, perhaps."