Supporting Epilepsy Action Blog

Reflections

I can only found an ounce of solace in knowing how many other Polar Expeditions to the Arctic fail, some for incomprehensibly small reasons.  Ben Saunders’ fuel leak over his food on Day 3, Christina Franco’s solo female attempt thwarted by broken fuel pumps on Day 2 last year, the sea ice pushing her south and east this year after 30 days on the ice and encountering a vast open water lead that was impassable, even in an immersion suit.  Fellow Italian Michele Pontrandolfo has aborted his solo attempt at the Geographic North after the ice flows pushing him south, made him cross the 85th degree FIVE times, having been consistently pushed back over it as he slept.  He’s aiming for a pickup around 19th April.  Solo Australian Tom Smitheringale made it to 87 degrees north after 48 days, when he fell through the ice and after managing to erect his tent and light a stove, activated his emergency beacon for a pickup.  Canadian Forces thankfully were training in the area and effected a rescue within 6 hours, getting him to Alert on Ellesmere island where he’s recovering from frostbite. 

It’s not all bad news though, and heartening to know other teams are making good ground – at the time of writing Eric Larsen’s team (Anthony Jinman & Darcy St Lawrence) has just passed the 89th degree; Richard Weber’s team of 4 made it to the Geographic North on 17th April after just under 42 days on the ice; unassisted Brits Amelia Russell & Dan Darley are making good progress and Sarah McNair-Landry’s team (Linda Beilharz & Rob Rigato) were reported nearly at 88 degrees North on April 14th.  I wish them all the best and congratulations for their accomplishments.

A number of people have raised the query as to why we organised an Expedition solely reliant on 1 guide, without backup.  The simple short answer is cost – originally we were a team of 12, which makes 3 tents of 4 people.  To have another guide would have meant one less “paying” team member to share costs, plus the extra costs of paying for another person’s flights, accommodation, expedition equipment etc, and of course their own fee for doing it.  It's very rare that a team would have more than 1 guide in any case, especially when unsupported and unassisted.

As an Unsupported Expedition any contingency for having someone pulled out means you lose the unsupported (and unassisted) tag anyway – of course with Steve Kidwell pulled out, we’d lost that anyway.  Everything is easier with the benefit of hindsight.  The Arctic is a very sterile environment, so provided your personal admin is good – sterilising hands before eating for example – the chances of getting ill while on the ice is very small.  We’d discussed the possibility in planning of having backup and taken it as a calculated risk - as Richard himself put it, in 15 years of Arctic Expeditions, this was the first time he’d been ill on the ice.  Given the lack of exposure to bugs while out there – and of course the trials your body goes through – it’s quite common for Explorers to pick up bugs on the flight home, rather than during the trip.

There a multitude of reasons as to why our Expedition could have failed.  I think it might have been easier had we been presented with impassable water leads, miles of 30 foot ice rubble or successive Arctic storms, but those that have been there assure me it doesn’t matter how, not making the goal is equally frustrating however it comes.  One of our team has suffered 3 out of 4 failures – 1 on Baffin Island due to Arctic storms, 1 on Greenland due to a team mate going down, and now this.  Her success was when I met her on our Expedition across Baffin Island in 2008.

On the positive, we had an incredible week in the Arctic and albeit short, experienced one of the finest and most hostile wildernesses on the planet.  Just being able to travel to a remote community like Resolute and experience an existence where year-round sub-zero temperatures are the norm leaves an impression on you it’s hard to forget.  To see Polar Bears in the wild, feel ice sheets crushing together as you’re standing on them and walk across sea ice with miles of white wilderness in every direction are also experiences I’ll remember fondly for years to come.  As so many people have said to me in the last week, just being in that environment and putting miles under our feet for a week is in itself an accomplishment.  Not hitting the goal will always be a regret, but as the serenity starts to settle in, I’m incredibly thankful to have so many positive people around to remind me to focus on what we did achieve, rather than what we didn’t.

Many find it hard to believe, but after a few days I find myself quickly acclimatising to the cold and enjoying living in it.  There are a few things that I’d never get used to – going to the loo is number 1 (and number 2)!  Crawling out of a sleeping bag in the morning to light the stoves – think getting out of bed in January when your heating hasn’t started, with someone showering you with a flurry of ice flakes over your head and down the back of your neck when you sit up and unzip the fly sheet to get at the stove, and you start to get an idea!  Getting into a sleeping bag – which invariably becomes damp as your body perspires overnight, and then the damp turns to ice as it’s packed into your pulk all day – is also never pleasant, but quickly warms up.  But aside from these few things, the sheer experience of walking and camping in the Arctic is an experience I’d recommend to anyone to try at least once.  Waking up in a frozen tent with ice glistening all around you is worth it alone!

And to answer the question I get time and time again…. How do you go to the loo in the Arctic?

Quickly.  And with a loaded 12 bore pump action shotgun.

Thursday 15th April 2010 – 20:30 – field near Gosham, Surrey, UK

I’m lying in my tent about 15 miles east of Farnham on the North Downs, 17 miles of the North Downs Way behind me.  After 4 flights in 24 hours (all on time and back to back, almost as if Canada wanted to get rid of us!) we landed in the UK yesterday morning and after getting home and half-unpacking, decided I couldn’t bring myself to sit around the house and immediately packed up my rucksack with tent, sleeping bag and enough food for a few days, and got the train to Farnham from Clapham Junction.  Before leaving however I did have a scan of emails and was heartened to see so many positive messages and comments from friends, family and supporters.  Sarah – my secretary who was covering my desk and sending out the updates I emailed over – put in the subject line of the last update “Very sad news from Canada” – it appears a few people instinctively thought I’d come to grief and were more relieved than disappointed!  Apologies to any who got a scare.

After the frustration and disappointment of the last week my mind just isn’t in London and I’m really not in the frame of mind to get back to work.  Burning off some frustration with a heavy pack on my back and putting miles under my feet, with a few nights in a tent is far more appealing, and will make me far better company in a few days!  After putting my head down all day and marching a quick pace, grabbing 5 minutes for “trail snacks” and water every hour (still in Expedition frame of mind) I paused mid afternoon at the beautifully located St Martha’s Church, on top of St Matha’s Hill which in clear weather gives fantastic panoramic views of the Downs and valleys between them.  It’s so easy to forget what a beautiful part of the world exists just south of the M25.  The more we travel, the more we appreciate coming home.

Email from Stephen

South Camp, Resolute, Cornwallis Island, Nunavut, Canada
Sunday 11th April 2010 - 21:00 Local Time
 
Dear Sponsors & Supporters
 
As many of you may have already seen on the various Expedition updates, it was with a great deal of frustration, anger and despair that we had to call off our attempt to walk unsupported to the Magnetic North Pole on Saturday.
 
Only a week into the Expedition, and 60 miles from our start point, our Expedition leader, Richard Bull, collapsed in the last hour of walking.  He had developed a cold not long after leaving Resolute, which had been contained until it turned into a chest infection later in the week.  Desperate to push through in the hope it would clear, with the medical supplies we had with us and pulling a lighter load, he seemed to be doing ok.  I was navigating at the front all of Friday, and when the decision was made to start looking for a suitable camp site - we were walking through ice rubble at the time - we were 1.5 miles from our next marker so I suggested going one more hour to hit that, which was agreed.  Ten minutes later Nick called us back as Richard was having trouble - we suspected frost nip on his fingers as he was complaining of being bitterly cold.  A tent was quickly erected with burners on (standard procedure) and we got him wrapped up inside.  Rob and Nucky assessed him and called the Expedition doctor in the UK on the sat phone, and later that evening it was determined on medical advice, that he had to be extracted at the earliest possible opportunity.
 
We explored as a team all the practical options for us proceeding without Richard, but needless to say without an Arctic experienced guide it would have been recklessly irresponsible for any of us to carry on, despite our confidence and eagerness to continue.
 
A 7 skidoo rescue arrived at 5pm Saturday evening, we arrived back in Resolute by 11pm, and Richard is resting well, now back in a warm and dry environment.  We hope to be on flights back to Ottawa via Iqaluit on Tuesday, and onwards to the UK Wednesday/Thursday, dependent on moving our flights at short notice.
 
Failure was always an option, but perhaps it would have been more serene had it been at the hands of 60 miles of 30 foot ice rubble, successive arctic storms pinning us down or numerous open water leads making physically walking impossible.  To be on the ice with all the equipment, energy, weather and will to carry on was simply gutting, especially after only a week.
 
Absolutely gutting - I can't put it any other way.
 
To you my sponsors, my supporters, friends and family, I'm sorry after all you've helped and encouraged me to achieve it has ended in failure.  Right now I can't find many positives.  The scale of the environment up here is extraordinary - the endless expanse of sea ice; the feeling of being on ice feeling it physically moving under you and the rumbling boom of ice flows crashing into each other; the desolate islands and ice rubble higher than me we were navigating around - it's all simply incredible.  We saw Polar Bears at a distance and plenty of Bear tracks to keep us alert.  Our pulks (sledges) were heavy at around 15 stone but we were managing well and as we were always going to start slow and finish strong, to push through 13 miles in one day in the first week was a good strong start.  It was a blow to lose Steve Kidwell to frost bite in the first week, which also cost us 24 hours of delay waiting for his extraction, but despite that we were still almost at Polaris by the end of week one, which was good going.  I wish Steve Kidwell the very best for a speedy recovery.
 
When I'm back in the UK with a better internet connection and ability to upload some photos, I'll send out a better update.
 
Right now the Team and I remain unsupported, unfinished, gutted and sorry, in Resolute.
 
Steve

Saturday 10th April 2010 [written back in UK]

We had nearly a full day stationary on the ice before the skidoo extraction made it up to us at 17:00.  They’d stopped on the way to shoot a Polar Bear which had added a few hours on, and the skinned, gutted remnants were piled on the back of a komatik (trailer) when they arrived.  Like all Inuit communities Resolute has an annual quota – 24 this year – drawn by ballot, and if you don’t kill a Polar Bear within a week you lose the permit and it passes to the next person, hence the 19 year old female recipient for this week seized the opportunity of skidoos going this far North, and got her kill.  We had spent the day looking after Richard, taking final photos with sponsors flags, using fuel as a signal fire from 2pm when the skidoos were anticipated and firing bear bangers into the air as an added signal.  The devil makes work for idle thumbs, and any rumours that anyone got naked in the snow can’t be confirmed!  A good friend of mine – Angelo – gave me a small present to be opened “if morale gets low”.  It wasn’t going to get much lower so I unwrapped a book of jokes which lifted the mood in our tent!

The skidoo extraction can only be described as torture – late in the evening travelling at 20-40mph, without being able to move on the back of a skidoo trying to grip on through thick thermal gloves (at least 2 pairs) is a serious test of endurance in itself.  The few in the enclosed komatik – like a dolls house on skis – get tossed around like beans in a can with no suspension and every bit of sastrugi and ice rubble knocking it everyway possible without warning.  Nick got whiplash from this and after a short stint inside to alleviate frost nip to my nose from being on the back of a skidoo, I was back outside.  The diesel fumes and constant rocking are akin to being on a small boat in rough seas, and motion sickness a real problem.  One skidoo turned over and a team member got thrown from his skidoo twice.  For five hours we endured this, getting off every 30-40 mins to literally run around to regain circulation in hands, legs and feet.  Randy and the staff at Resolute deserve praise for getting us hot food and drink instantly on our arrival back at South Camp in Resolute.  Thanks also to the Polar Challenge staff who were recently arrived, and sent one of their team up on skidoo with the Inuits to navigate to our position, and helped us on arrival, their team doctor assessing Richard and Nick.

Still feeling incredibly gutted we spend the next few days until we can get a flight out, sorting through all our kit and getting packed up ready for the flights home.  A walk up the hill behind South Camp is a welcome break and alleviates the frustration, and of course the warm dry atmosphere of South Camp is helping Richard to recover.  I find myself though just wanting to get out of Resolute as quickly as possibly, and decide as soon as I’m back in the UK a long walk and a few nights in a tent is in order.

Friday 9th April 2010 – 7 miles – N75.12.53 W96.52.04

Today our Expedition ended.  After a tough day pulling across snow so sticky it felt like our pulks weighed twice as much as yesterday, through ice rubble which caused us to meander the whole day looking for drifts and sastrugi more forgiving that what always seemed to be right in front of us, we got to 16.30 and the decision was made to start looking for a decent camp site – i.e. somewhere flat enough to accept three tents.  I was navigating and proposed aiming for our next marker 1.4 miles further north, which would be about another hour at our current progress, which was agreed.  10 minutes later a call came back from the end of the line that Richard was having trouble.  Frost nip on hands was suspected and a tent quickly erected with burner on to get him inside and warm.  After all tents were up a call was put into our team doctor (Mike Whiteside) back in UK over the sat phone, and after a diagnosis – as best as can be achieved over the phone – Mike orders us out.  Mike has good experience of the Arctic and we know would not make the decision likely, understanding the repercussions of ordering Richard off the ice.  Reading our minds and without being asked, he advised us specifically that we are not to proceed without Richard – he knows what we’re thinking.  It’s suspected that Richard has developed early stages of pneumonia, and must be extracted as soon as possible.

Expedition Over.  Go Home.  Gutted.  Gutted. Gutted.  Can’t imagine what it’ll be like going home after this, back to friends, family, sponsors.  Too much going through head to write down.  Too many conversations about options to keep going to write down but despite defiance and determination, I know there is only one realistic option, to take skidoo extraction back to Resolute, all the way we’ve spent the last week walking.  Gutted.

Now what?  Again?  Unlikely, can’t fathom it right now but need to stop thinking, getting clear space before thinking about it, definitely not while still here.  Hard to think about time and costs gone into this, let alone sponsors and what family and Laura have gone through.  Can’t bring myself to read sponsors comments.  Gutted.

Thursday 8th April 2010 – 7.6 miles – N75.06.57 W96.46.08

Steve Kidwell picked up by skidoo at midday – a bitter blow to the team and him, and a painful reminder of the risks of operating in this environment.  Tents down and we plod on.  We’ve had problems finding fresh snow free of salt for drinking and cooking.  This evening though not a problem, fortunate as was beginning to get worried about dehydration and diarrhoea.  Snow is so thin most places we walk we’ve only been on skis one morning, which was difficult to get traction due to weight of sledges, so quickly abandoned and back to just boots and walking.  Finding enough snow to cover the tent valence and prevent wind blowing in also a chore, and have to send Mark off with a bag to get snow for melting, as there’s not enough nearby.  Final evening routine now becoming second nature – sleeping bag out, last stove off, stuff in clothes bag to sleeping bag with electronics and batteries, zip up outer then inner fly sheets, unzip shotgun sleeve to halfway and check it’s the right way up with safety on, and I’m ready for bed.  Late start today means less miles, but the pace is again becoming more consistent.  I’m concerned the news re Kidwell will raise concerns for people back home.  Ben is carrying the spare Sat phone and it’s so tempting to make a call to reassure people, but that would be unfair on the rest of the team, irresponsible and a waste of battery power.  Setting the precedent would also no doubt raise problems down the line as well.  Not least of all, I’m not the one paying the phone bill!  Writing this sat up in sleeping bag after stoves off, losing feeling in fingers so can't write more, night all back home.

Wednesday 7th April 2010 – 6.5 miles – N75.00.28 W96.40.35

We’re in Resolute passage heading North towards Polaris, which we aim to miss to the West by a good margin to avoid coastal ice rubble.  Air temperature during day only minus 21.5 with mostly blue skis, but wind has picked up and wind chill presenting problems.  At 14:40 Nucky complains her earlobe is cold.  Frost nip affected which starts to swell when warmed by hand.  Richard orders everyone to check each others faces and hands, when Steve Kidwell complains he’s lost feeling in some fingers.  Gloves off – he has frostbite.  1 tent quickly erected with burners on and he’s put inside with Richard and Nucky.  Other tents put up and we go through evening routine with food and boiling water for all thermos flasks, done by 19:20, and we use time to dry sleeping bags.  Mark comes back from visiting Steve Kidwell – some of his fingers are badly blistered and he’ll need extracting.  I take nautical charts to Richard and we plot an exact position for skidoo pickup, which Richard calls in from Resolute for following day.  Early stop means less mileage accomplished, and tomorrow skidoos probably won’t arrive until midday.  Plus, having someone extracted technically means we lose the Unsupported tag.  All in all, shit day.  Without thinking I put sugar into my evening green tea, surprisingly good!  Early night, can’t afford to waste fuel keeping tent warm so we’re in sleeping bags early – I’ll listen to audio book on ipod this evening.

Last night the temperature gauge hit it’s lowest recordable temperature – minus 50C.  Even with the gauge inside my sleeping bag and only sensor outside, the cold seems to have broken it – despite taking battery out and resetting, the temperature is spiking all over the place, so I’ve had my second kit failure after the Solar Monkey!

Tuesday 6th April 2010 – 12.3 miles – N74.55.48 W96.28.22

Left temperature sensor outside tent last night with gauge in sleeping bag – minus 31.3C recorded as low, minus 21C in tent this morning.  It’s pretty warm and there’s only a few inches of snow where there should be a good meter, so we’re using ice screws and pegs to secure the tents rather than skis.  No shortage of first year ice to walk on thankfully and although we’ve had reports of open water leads we can navigate far away from them without affecting course for the time being.  I woke at 03:30 last night convinced bear was outside tent.  Whistle in mouth ready with shot gun in hand (and hands freezing) managed to unzip inner fly sheet and realised it was just the wind.  Of course a 1 tonne bear would be much nosier walking around, but I’m acutely aware how vulnerable we are in tents.  Again console myself just how rare Polar Bear attacks are, especially against large groups. 

White out conditions again today and Nucky & I took front, her on GPS and I backed up with magnetic Silva compass to conserve battery power, again using sastrugi and ice rubble as markers with 1-200 yds vis for most of day.  Picked up skidoo track heading north which we followed given the locals know the best routes around the ice rubble!  Today started to feel more like an Expedition and routines settling in, despite conditions starting to enjoy myself and looking forward to the coming weeks than just getting to end.  Camera battery already died in cold but impressed that Power Monkey gave it full power off one Solar Charge.  Fortunately I have two Solar Monkeys, as one has gone brittle and snapped in the cold.  The other will remain in my inner thermal for the duration.  Same happened to Mark’s, who is now furious and determined to sue when he gets home!

Ben, Mark and I discuss inviting 1 over from the 4 man tent for dinner on various evenings.  There are 3 tents, 2 with 3 in (including ours) and 1 4-man tent.  It makes a big difference to personal space having a full tent and the evenings are the only real time to have any time to relax and socialise, so to avoid any resentment building between them it seems a good idea.  We decide to invite them by alphabetical order of surname – Tracy Allum first on list – and write a personal invite on notepaper to be delivered the following morning.  “Cordially invited to dine, hot water & soup provided, bring your own food, mug and spoon.  Management reserve right to refuse entry.”

Monday 5th April 2010 – Bank Holiday! – 13 miles – N74.49.19 W95.55.51

Harder day but more productive.  1 fuel pump not working this morning but replacement works fine.  Hopefully just a seal I can fix quite easily.  Weather deteriorated to white-out and 1-200 yds vis, I navigated most of day using GPS and taking regular markers off sastrugi which requires a lot of concentration.  Saw Polar Bears at a distance which instinctively caused the line of us walking to close up.  Slightly alarming to think in this white out and with wind suit hood up, could be walking along side without knowing about it.  Tonight I have shotgun sleeve next to sleeping bag, unzipped with two slug shells in magazine.  Bear spray next to sleeping bag hood.  Most of team ok although Richard seems to have a cold.  Apparently also brought up some green phlegm which is slightly alarming, hopefully it’ll pass.  I’m remembering how hostile this environment is – 90% of our time dedicated to four principle elements of survival – water, food, shelter and warmth. Other than that it’s focusing on hygiene and walking north.  Once routines settle in though we can start to enjoy the environment.  It’s hard right now to stop thinking about getting to the end, the beginning was always going to be hardest.  Even this evening putting up tent and routine inside tent vastly improved.  I’m in charge of cooking with Ben assisting, won’t be long until he’s competent to do everything himself.  Mark spends more time outside tent getting snow for water, securing pulks and getting snow on valence to stop wind coming in, so aim to have hot drink ready when he’s inside tent.  Damp already in tent and sleeping bags, have to stop pans from boiling as soon as they’re ready as steam quickly builds up, and make sure opposite tent end properly vented.  Faulty fuel pump worked this evening without any repair – had carried in inner thermals all day so probably cold shrinking seal.  Will always keep one on body from now on.

Easter Sunday 4th April 2010 – 10.5 miles – N74.42.08 W95.22.51

A check of our nautical charts this morning tells us we’ve swung out further than we need to, to clear the south west coast of Cornwallis Island – a few miles maximum which is nothing in the grand scheme but not the best of first days!  It’s a timely reminder that GPS alone is not good enough and at least a daily check of the charts essential.  After a bit of weight redistribution – hampered by the fact that fuel pulks cannot carry food to risk cross-contamination – and we start to settle into a 2mph average during the day, and already by later afternoon the number of unplanned breaks (all day we walk with 5 mins break for food and drink every hour) are getting fewer, as the team adjust their clothing systems to get the right body temperature while walking at a constant pace.  It’s either a positive or negative spiral – if one team member has to stop in the middle of an hour walking, other team members get cold waiting, which can cause other unplanned stops later on.  In our 5 mins breaks there’s time to put on a Rab jacket to keep warm, which is kept at the front of the pulk with day food bag and water thermos.  As you can’t be sure whether it’s a few minutes or longer, some team more prone to getting cold walk in circles during these unplanned breaks.

Resolute is now out of sight, although the airport still visible on the hill.  Still, it’s a good feeling to be making progress.  We have turned North and now heading towards Polaris on Little Cornwallis Island, which is our marker for week 1.  I distribute some mini Easter eggs to the team I’d stashed in my tent bag to keep secret, they are well received!  Richard distributes apple sours, which don’t go down as well!

Saturday 3rd April 2010 – 20:40 – 7.76 miles - N74.35.32 W94.59.02
 
[no log entry yesterday – too busy!]

First day on the ice!  7.76 miles in warm weather – prob only -20C.  Set out of Resolute 11.15 after final packing, kit check and last emails home & to UK base.  It’s surreal we’ve finally – 18 months after signing up, all the planning, preparation, training weekends etc, and now a week after leaving the UK – set off on our Expedition!  Inevitably there is variation in the pace and a few stops and starts as people make adjustments to clothing and harnesses, pulling the full weight of c. 15 stone (210 pounds or 95kg) pulks.  Tomorrow there will be a bit of weight adjustment between team members to help even the pace.  Camp at 18.30, tents up, stoves on, all fed and watered by 20.30.  At the request of Ben & Mark, 1 stove left burning for warmth after dinner until we’re all ready for sleep.  First route out takes us SW to swing around the bottom of Cornwallis Island, hopefully tomorrow we’ll pass the point and start heading North.  Saw bear tracks today, also heard the rumbling of ice flows crashing into each other – sounded like a large lorry driving past your house.  Felt the ice shaking after each rumble.  Some saw the high ice rubble in the distance collapsing with plumes of snow and sea water spouting into the air.  Fortunately tomorrow we’ll be walking with our backs to it.

We lost Shaun after his follow up with the nurse.  This was a bitter blow to him and the team, to come this far, be in Resolute all packed ready to go, then to be told the day before that you can’t.  He was emotional but understanding of the risks.  His blood pressure had not come back down to a reasonable level despite the medication, and he was put on the next flight out yesterday.  In a way it made the decision easier – if his blood pressure was back to normal, we may have set off not knowing the cause, worried about it reoccurring.  Nucky went with him to the airport yesterday.  At least he didn’t have to suffer watching us walk out without him.  We have packed his sponsors flag with our kit so that will travel with us.

Yesterday we did a final test of the pump action shotguns and experimented with a few bear bangers – shells fired from the shotguns which explode the air – to determine their range.  We have four guns which will be carried by Richard, Rob, Steve Ryan and myself, so there is one in each tent and given that Richard will always be bringing up the rear, always one at the back of the line while we’re walking, where the most likely Polar Bear attack would come from.  Tent life slightly stressful even with only three of us, but confident when everyone gets into routine it’ll settle down.

Email from Stephen - Resolute, Cornwallis Island - 2nd April 2010 19:30 (GMT+6)

Dear Sponsors & Supporters
 
I'm in Resolute on Cornwallis Island - "Not the end of the world, but you can see it from here!".  It's a bizarre isolated community of 200 high in the Canadian Arctic.  Surprisingly for all of us, they have a limited internet connection so I have the luxury of sending you all a farewell message!
 
Our team arrived on 30th April but less one bag.  This has now arrived and we are set to walk out of Resolute tomorrow and begin our Expedition to walk unsupported to the Magnetic North Pole.  The last few days have been very busy unpacking, distributing, checking and repacking all our Expedition kit - testing fuel bottles, erecting tents, fixing bindings to skis, repacking all food rations into 3-day packs, last minute repairs and sewing batteries into our inner clothing to keep warm.  We've also spent last night - and will spend tonight - sleeping in tents on the ice outside of our accommodation, to pre-empt any issues with tents or sleeping bags.  It also gives us a proper chance to practice lighting our MSR fuel stoves and boiling water from snow.  Any burner problems can be fixed in the warm confines of our accommodation before we set off.
 
Morale is very high and we're all keen to set off.  Unfortunately however we are now down to 10 men.  As some of you may have noticed, we were originally 12 but had to lose one team member a few weeks before leaving the UK.  Now in Resolute, another team member - Shaun - became ill with stomach pains and was taken to the medical station here, and diagnosed with very high blood pressure.  It's a basic service here with a nurse only, and besides not being in a fit state to start the Expedition, it's important he has proper medical attention and diagnosis, and has therefore been flown out to Iqaluit and onto Ottawa today.  A bitter loss this late in the day, and we wish him all the very best - he was in my tent and will be sorely missed.
 
But tomorrow we start our slow walk North.  I can't wait to get out there and on with it. Please keep checking our Expedition website for updates as we send them to our UK base via sat phone.  Expect slow progress to start with though as our sledges are at the heaviest, we find our stride and navigate the coast line ice rubble.  As we turn the base of Cornwallis and start moving North, hopefully our daily average will pick up!
 
Tonight I'll be reading through the print out I have, of all your comments and good wishes.
 
Thank you all again.  The next time you hear from me, with a lot of effort and a bit of luck, will be early May when I'm back from a successful Expedition!

Steve

Thursday 1st April 2010 – 07:00

Just occurred to me, that was my last night in a bed for a while!  We’re sleeping on the ice outside the hotel now until we leave, to acclimatise and practice our tent drills.  We’ll spend today unpacking everything, checking all our kit then spend as much time as we can walking around outside to acclimatise, practice with tents in the cold and testing our clothing systems.

22.55 – Now in Rab sleeping bag in the tent on the ice for the first time, with Ben and Mark.  Have put up and taken down the tent more times than I can recall, practicing the drills while wearing full thermals and gloves which presents it’s own extra challenges.  Shaun hasn’t joined us this evening having taken ill during the day – not sure what the problem is but a trip to the nurse station here – there are no doctors in Resolute – diagnosed high blood pressure but cause unknown.  He’s taken some medication which has knocked him out, will review tomorrow.  It’ll be a tough call even if his blood pressure improves tomorrow – not knowing the cause would be a worry stepping out onto a 30 day Arctic Expedition.  It may even invalidate his insurance setting off with a known condition.  Ben, Mark & I are all in very good spirits though to be finally in a tent and can’t wait to get on with it!  The missing bag failed to show today – the only plane due in had technical problems and didn’t leave Iqaluit, we’re preying it arrives tomorrow.  We’re aiming to leave Resolute on Saturday.  Sleep now, tomorrow will be a defining day for a number of reasons.