ARTISTS TALKING

# 1 [2 March 2007]

Hi, this is my first entry and my first blog, I hope it's of interest.

For a long time I had a vague dream that one day I'd walk through the High Arctic.  There are a number of reasons why, some I know and some I can't quite explain.

Back in 2004, I was sat on a train commuting from Manchester to Blackburn and I stumbled across a curious advert in the Manchester Metro.  The advert called for volunteers to train for an Arctic expedition to the Geo Magnetic North Pole, and was based on Shackelton's call for volunteers back in the day,.,.it part read:

Men and women wanted for hazardous journey, no small wages, 
self-funding, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success" 

All I read (in the other part of the advert) NO PREVIOUS POLAR EXPERIENCE NEEDED!  Then when I thought,,, this'll do me.

I couldn't try out at the time, but two years later the opportunity to try out for another expedition came up and I went for it not really knowing what I was letting myself in for and not really caring; just following that dream to walk through the Arctic.

So back in Sept 06 I tried out and got accepted into a training squad.  Since that initial weekend I've undertaken training weekends in Dartmoor and Wales working on navigation and camp craft etc and also spent a week in Norway (Jan 07) learning how to cross country ski and undertaken first aid training.

It feels nice to belong to a team and it felt really good when I was offered the opportunity to train.  Sometimes all you need is someone to say, 'You can do this', and a whole new world can open up for you.

So I'm putting all my previous training to test with three-weeks training in Finnmark.  Finnmark is north of the Arctic Circle and is situated in the Aurora Borealis zone (Northern Lights).  It's a county in the northeast of Norway and has Finland to its south and Russia to its east.  Other facts: It has midnight sun from the middle of May until late July. And in the two months of the winter, from late November to late January, the county experiences polar nights where the sun is always below the horizon. As a consequence, there is continuous daylight from early May to early August.

For more info on Finnmark see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnmark

# 2 [3 March 2007]

My Whiz Away arrived today... I can barely contain my excitement ;) The Whiz Away is a genius contraption that lets women wee standing up, lying down etc   See pic ->

Think no bare bums in chilly conditions and no leaving the tent in the middle of the night - you can use it in your sleeping bag by attaching the whiz away to a drainage bag (so this also doubles as a hot water bottle) mmm warm wee :)

I'm also getting excited about my Brynje double layered thermal underwear order, which should be arriving soon.  Sad but true. It combines a double layer of Meraklon Super Thermo net and Merino wool to ensure you are super warm and that your sweat gets wicked away from your skin so if it freezes, it doesn't freeze on you.  Having the right gear is really important of course, so I'm right to get excited about my Brynje thermals (this is what I tell myself ;)  Plus, I've never received a parcel from Norway before!

When I started to get my kit together for this trip I was overwhelmed.  It seemed like everyone was talking double Dutch! I had to learn about layering systems and which materials worked well, which didn't... and then to make things even harder I was told that you had to experiment with kit yourself as everyone is different and bodies like and dislike different things.  This is true and makes sense, but it's hard to experiment when you're on a limited budget!

Anyway, I've ordered the thermal shirt, boxer shorts and longs with fly (for whiz away access of course!) See Brynje

# 3 [5 March 2007]

Last night I was up late working when I got a text telling me there was a lunar eclipse...

Now this was such as spooky coincidence, because at the time of the text I was working on a series of photographs that have a sci-fi slant to them and involve stars, galaxies, UFOs and other such interesting space matter!

The work explores 'the unknown' and is informed by a reminiscence project I've been doing with my grandparents, which I started last summer. 

The photographs shown here are all family snaps taken on beaches and have been altered to include light phenomena in the sky, including stars and UFOs... this is work in progress.

My next post will include more info on my Arctic adventures.

# 4 [8 March 2007]

Well I promised I'd share some of my prep with you, so just a quicky on my packing state.  I've pretty much got everything I need for my trip, much of it is borrowed, this stuff costs serious money e.g. the sleeping bag alone costs £350.  Luckily for me my Scottish friend has lent me a couple of grands worth of kit, nice one Davey!

Here's a basic list of personal gear I need to take with me.  It doesn't include things like food, fuel and team kit, like tents, stoves, satellite phone, ropes, ice axes, shovels, repair kits, first aid kit etc which we'll have to take too... see list below:

ITEM

Warm hat - fleece x 2

Windproof hat

Neck Gaiter x 2

Face mask

Balaclava

Goggles

Sun glasses

Base layer top x 2

Mid layer fleece top x 2

Down Jacket

Windproof Jacket

Inner gloves

Mid gloves/ mitts

Windproof gloves/ mitts

Base layer bottoms

Mid layer Bottoms x 2

Down salopettes

Waterproof trousers

Base layer socks

Thick socks x 2

Thin socks x 2

VBL - socks/sleeping bag

Insulated boots

Camp booties

Sleeping bag

Bivvy liner

Sleeping mat x 2

Watch

Multitool/ knife

Torch

Thermos flask x 2

Water container x 2

Backpack 60-70 litre

Dry sacs

Mug

Spoon and fork x 2

Pulk & harness

Skis & ski poles

Climbing sling (120cm)

Karabiners

Wash kit (I didn't take this :)

Toothbrush and paste

Wet wipes

Personal medication/first aid kit

Blister kit and Medicated foot powder

Multi-vitamins

Moisturiser

Sunscreen and lip balm

Gaffer tape

Paracord

Velcro straps

GPS

Map and case

Camera - digital

Memory cards

Pen and pad

Ipod

So, I'm nearly set to go... there's just a couple of last things... gotta buy a new rucksack to put everything in and finish my MA dissertation.  Easy :)

# 5 [2 May 2007]

I'm back!  My that was quick, aren't blogs great :)

In an ideal world I would've been able to continue this blog during the training in Finnmark; however I didn't have a satellite phone for personal use (or the money to buy my own for this part of the research).  Instead I wrote a diary and this is what I think I'll share with you over the coming blog entries. I wrote most of my diary last thing at night from the warmth of my sleeping bag and some are upbeat, but many are tired-beat, just warning you!  I'm also kind of glad I didn't write a live blog because I found it hard enough doing the training and I think the blog would've been an added pressure at this stage.

I also took lots photos and I'll share them with you throughout my postings.  I loved taking photos out there.  I couldn't believe how some of the images looked.  I liked looking back over my photos from time to time again during the trip, especially when I was feeling a bit quiet.  I also liked showing them to people in the group.

I used my new camera, a Canon 30D with a Lowepro sling bag, so I could just slide the bag around from my back to front when I wanted to take a pic.  The 30D rocks and I slept with spare camera batteries to keep them warm, the cold deadens batteries and dead batteries would've been very depressing.

The three-weeks in Finnmark were both physically and mentally demanding.  I experienced some amazing things, highs and lows AND found out a lot about myself.  But I'm still the same person I was before I left, and the world keeps on spinning even though you leave it all behind.

# 6 [4 November 2007]

In my previous post I said I was going to share my diary extracts with you... and I tried this, but it didn't work for me. I didn't set out to share my diary, so it felt like it was too personal to publish.  But what I've done instead is write an account of the trip. I hope you enjoy it :)

Getting There

I met my team the night before we flew to Oslo and we packed up our pulks with team kit and bubble wrapped them so they would be protected in transport.  (Pulks are the sledges you pull using your harness).  I had a feeling I'd forgotten something, but you just have to trust your packing and as you've seen above (or below depending on which way your reading this blog!) I was fairly meticulous with my packing and this is an aspect of planning I really enjoy.

We got through the airport check in without having to pay for extra weight/baggage, this was mainly down to Janey lifing the pulks when the airline woman was weighing them. Very devious, but clever! It should also be noted that there is an art to pushing three pulks piled on top of each other on an airport trolley... and this art comes naturally to some, and not to others.  Lets just say most people moved out of our way :)

We flew from Heathrow to Oslo and then Oslo to Tromso.  When we finally arrived at Tromso Camping it was dark, icy as hell and you could see the stars, mountains and northern lights through the sharp, crystal clear evening sky.

Most people wanted to get an early night, but my soon to be ‘pulk partner' Mike and other team mate Rowan decided we should celebrate the beginning of our adventure with a juicy steak and beer.  And so it was, my first night within the Arctic Circle.

# 7 [18 November 2007]

Still getting there

The next day we got up and went to the shops in Tromso to buy fuel (for cooking) and our nose bag material.

The stuff in your nose bags is what keeps you going between breakfast and dinner.  Basically you fill lots of sealable bags with chocolate, nuts, dried fruit, cheese and salami (separate bag for cheese and salami though, salami flavoured chocolate is not nice, trust me I know).  I went to the dentist before I went on the training for a check up and I was fine.  When I came back, I had holes in my teeth :(

Once we'd got ourselves in order and had another re-shuffle with our packing we were set to go.  We hired a coach to take us to our drop off in Finnmark.  On the coach we plaited each others hair, (because we wouldn't be able to wash it for three weeks) and I think I felt excited but also a bit nervous.

On the coach it soon became apparent who had the daddy nose bag, this was Alex and during our pulk pulling breaks Alex was everybody's best friend :)

# 8 [18 November 2007]

Getting going

When we arrived at our destination in Finnmark it was late afternoon.  We unloaded our pulks from the coach and had to pack in the fuel and expedition food.  There were ten trainees and two leaders, Mat and Dave.  Five pulks for the trainees to share (one between two) and the leaders each had their own.

I choose Mike to be my pulk buddy, who was a good choice because Mike has the strength of ten thousand men!

We split up various team kit and Mike and I got the big team tent.   In our pulk we had roughly the following:

2 x kit bags (which had all our personal gear in - see previous list)Team tent4 x cans of fuel3-weeks worth of expedition food (couple of large bin bags full)

We were both shocked at how heavy the pulk felt at first and we were convinced we had the heaviest one, that was until we lifted everyone else's!

# 9 [18 November 2007]

The first camp

We set off and didn't go on for too long before we pitched up to camp.  This first leg was a struggle as most of us had no experience pulling pulks and had previously only done one-week's worth of cross country skiing.

Setting up camp was also difficult.  The snow was thick and up to our thighs, it was dark and we were still finding the best ways of working as a team.  We had two tents.  One large tent that we slept eight in, (but it could accommodate more) and then we had a satellite tent, in which we slept four.  The satellite tent became the ‘sick' tent for a while in the training, but then eventually became the ‘I want to sleep as far away from all the snoring men as possible' tent later on and we took it in turns to sleep in it.

As soon as bedtime comes, it became a scrap to find your space and not be the last one fannying around.   In the beginning bedtime was a serious affair, but it soon turned into a farce, with Dave the instructor always tutting at how we'd aligned ourselves in the tent and Janey's bed time story requests.  Mike gave the best story...  It was about Borris, a cross dressing crab who married a ballerina :)

My first night in the tent wasn't the best.  I was really uncomfortable and felt a bit claustrophobic.  The sleeping bags we use have huge hoods to keep you warm, but then I had a bivvy bag around the outside and over the top and a vapour barrior liner on the inside which stops your sweat from dampening the bag throughout the night.  The fact that I could hardly move around in my bag, coupled with the lumps of ice underneath my sleeping mat meant I was feeling really relaxed when the en-mass snoring started!

I eventually got some sleep, but it wasn't much.  This was just par for the course really.  Some nights you just didn't get much sleep, which added to your general knackeredness.  As the expedition went on though, you became more tired because of the huge amounts of physical work you were doing, so eventually you did sleep better... and snoring, what snoring? Eventually, you could sleep just like that!

# 10 [18 November 2007]

The Routine

Each day everybody had a job to do and we rotated every day.  What follows are the job roles and brief description of what goes into them.  (Bear in mind this is for a team of twelve).