ARTISTS TALKING

# 11 [18 November 2007]

Organiser

The organisers job is to tell everyone what to do.  But in a good way. They say what time we're leaving camp and then time all breaks throughout the day.  We generally left each camp before 9am, after being up since 7am and 6am if you were on breakfast duty.  As the breakfast duty was on average taking 2.5-3 hours, everybody who wasnt on duty would get the rest of the camp in order by sorting themselves out, taking down the tents and filling in the toilet area before we left.  On an actual expedition which had a smaller group, the cooking and start up time would be reduced.

Once we set off pulling our pulks, we would go for an hour and then stop for a comfort break of 5 mins to adjust clothing (you may be too hot or too cold).  After that and for the rest of the day until we pitched up again for the night we pulled for 1hr and 15 mins then had a 10 min break and then swapped the pulk with your partner, carried the rucksack for the next 1hr and 15mins, then swapping back and so forth.

# 12 [18 November 2007]

Navigators x 2

We navigated using GPS's, and the navigators stayed at the front of the pulk line.  They would brief the group on where we were going by giving a description of the route, estimating the distance and time of arrival and how we would know if we'd gone wrong.  The navigators also had to brief the route finders.

# 13 [18 November 2007]

Route finders x 2

The route finders would fix a point on the landscape as directed by the navigators and take the group on the best route towards that point.  They would have to consider the terrain, distance, time, route dangers and group capabilities when making their decisions.

# 14 [18 November 2007]

Mum

This person keeps an eye on everybody throughout the day, looking out in case anyone goes really quiet or starts acting stranger than normal ;) both of which could be signs of hypothermia.

# 15 [18 November 2007]

Cooks x 2

Cooking duty was a mish for 12 people.  When you were on duty you had to make the dinner meal and then also breakfast the next day.  You would then hand over to the next pair after you'd finished breakfast.  We had freeze dried expedition food, which you just add boiling water to.   It's mostly very nice, although you wouldn't think it would be.  Main dinner meals were approx 500 calories and puddings and breakfast cereal were 300. We were probably expending around 4000 calories a day, so we needed our energy.  I actually put weight on (you're supposed to lose it), and I'm sticking to the story that it was all muscle!

The main thing you have to do when you're on cooking duty is light the stove and melt snow to make water. 

At breakfast the cooks got up at 6, cleared a corner in the main tent and set up the stove.  On the stove you had one ring for boiling the water and the other (less powerful) for melting snow.  It was a fine art working with the stove and getting the fastest melting and boiling technique.  And I enjoy simple tasks like this.

We would do a round of brews for everyone.  Tea or watery hot chocolate and then add water to everyone's muesli type expedition breakfast.  Then it was another round of brews and then time to fill everyone's flasks (two each) with boiling hot water.  One flask to drink throughout the day and one to save for the dinner melting process, as you need water to start this off. 

All in all breakfast normally took us between 2.5 to 3 hours as a job, but it was a large group to feed.  For dinner much of the same process, brews before and after, a main meal and also a pudding and then filling the flasks.  So dinner took slightly longer. 

Everyone looked forward to their brews and dinner and I remember seeing the sadness in Matt's eyes when Janey and I handed him his dinner that hadn't been hydrated properly.  It haunts me :) and I still feel bad :) That's how important it is.

Mike and I had endless discussions about food, all types of food and what we were craving from one minute to the next.  Who would've thought you can crave chips and gravy in the Arctic? :)

# 16 [18 November 2007]

Communications

Every night at 20.00 we would call the UK on the satellite phone and give our coordinates and a brief update to our expedition organiser back home.  A cruel game thus began.  As we wanted to conserve minutes on the satellite phone we tried to be as brief as possible and the game of ‘who can say the least to Julian and be the quickest off the phone' began :)

# 17 [18 November 2007]

Other stuff

We also did a number of other things during the training like practicing ice axe arrests (we slid down the bottom slope of a mountain and had to catch ourselves by digging our ice axes into the snow/ice.  Fun ;)  We created pulley systems... not as fun, but we did it anyway.

We also learnt about avalanche risk, digging snowholes, arctic survival, polar bear behaviour and improvised a number of emergency situations.  These normally involved the instructors or someone in the group coming down with hypothermia and/or breaking limbs.  We then had to spring into action as a team to administer first aid and keep them and the team safe.

# 18 [18 November 2007]

Other action shots include ->

# 19 [18 November 2007]

Highs and Lows

Some of the best times were spent laughing with and at people.  Laughing with, during silly games in the tent and laughing at, Mike as he repeatedly head planted all the way down the side of a mountain! :)  I really enjoyed routefinding, building a snow hole, taking photgraphs and just experiencing the beauty of the wild environment.  I became strong friends with Mike and we shared many a great conversation.

Some of the worst times were the self doubt and distance I felt between myself and most of the team at the beginning.  What would've been the fun in doing something that was really easy and not a challenge in any way?  I feel I've learnt a lot from the experience and come away as a stronger person for it.

It was sad but nice to pack up the tent on the last morning and have our group photo taken.  And the final drag of the pulk down the side of the road where our coach was going to meet us was just surreal.  Still, we did it and I have the photos to prove it.

# 20 [19 November 2007]

Other random pics ->