Decision made for me!

So yesterday morning I sat at the breakfast table typing my blog and feeling on top of the world (though I'm actually at the bottom of the world). My family and friends inundated me with texts to come home and I was wondering what to do.

A bowl of fruit, three coffees and a fried egg sandwich sent me immediately running to my room to be sick. The day turned out to be a repeat of Sunday. I was so ill I couldn't move, think or speak and tossed and turned in bed all day, finally getting the hotel to call a doctor at 3pm. When he heard what I'd eaten he rolled his eyes in disbelief and said simply that my stomach wasn't ready for that kind of food. I didn't dare tell him I'd had a steak the night before (but it was a small one). With hindsight I think I was a bit mad / irresponsible but I was hungry!

Two injections later, plus three hours on a saline drip, and by 9pm I was beginning to feel better. What the hell have I done to my stomach? I blame the Expedition food. When I did Everest Iceland provided the food and we never had any problems.

Anyway this morning I woke up feeling fine but weak. A green tea and natural yogurt for breakfast and again I feel right as rain. I've booked my flight home and leave the hotel at 4am in the morning to fly to Santiago and then wait nine hours for a connecting flight to Paris.

Bugger the penguins!

The team are strong and fit, the weather is looking better and if they are able to ski they should make it. They need to get up to eight to nine miles per day to do it, and I think they will. I'm really sorry I won't be there to enjoy what will be a great feeling of euphoria at the Pole or the big dinner at the Shackleton Bar back in Punta. In anticipation of their success I've been round to the Shackleton Bar and ordered the Champagne!

They are a great bunch of people and I've made friends with them all. I'm looking forward to seeing them again and we will be having a dinner in London together on their return.

It's a Small World

One interesting thing that emerged from my trips to Union Glacier and back is that the Russian Illyushin used for the Antarctic flights is the same one that was involved in the Russian / Afghan war. What's more, it is still operated by the same crew - all tough-looking, stocky Russians who look as if they have seen many hard times.

Sasha, our Russian team member, got chatting to one of them on the way out and mentioned a story that is famous in Russia: the Airstan incident of 1995. He was amazed to hear it was the same plane and the same crew. They were intercepted by a Taliban fighter, forced to land at Kandahar and held prisoner for a whole year before they managed to overpower their guards, repossess their plane and fly back to freedom.

An amazing tale that you can read in more detail in the Wikipedia article below. I wonder who owns the film rights to the story?

4 in the tent but it sleeps 5...

Running on empty

I really must stop pretending I'm only 34 years old. Well - maybe not just yet anyway.

It all started so well for me. During the first few days, in spite of gale force head winds, sastrugi in the snow that prevented us ski-ing (forcing us to walk) and temperatures of minus 45C, I kept fit, well and suffered no ill effects from altitude or frost burn. I was dog tired at the end end of each day after always reaching my limit, but recovered in a few minutes when the tent went up.

Others in the group were not so lucky. We had one case of mild hypothermia, two cases of vomiting in the evening, two frozen hands - with all the pain that the returning blood supply brings - one case of frostbite on the cheek and nose (it will heal!), a couple of the team had little moment of crisis about their performance andHempy got a ginormous cold sore on his lip - but that serves him right for bringing us here. By Day 5 all were well, injuries had healed, the team was stronger and the weather was much better.

I was always struggling for the last hour of the day. Speed wise I could always keep up but found that last hour tough. We built up from three to seven hours each day but only ever managed one mile per hour whatever the weather, which made me worry about getting there on time. The weather was horrendous for the first few days with serious winds and horizontal blowing snow but the biggest problem was the food. We were carrying "expedition food". A foil pouch with dried powder in to which you add hot water. Chilli con Carne, Spag Bol, Sweet & Sour Chicken and, for breakfast, porridge. It was utterly revolting and after three days everyone had lost their appetite. Just the smell of the food made you gag. We all had "munchie bags" of sweets, dried fruit and a supply of biscuits but there is no way calories in could equal calories out for any of us.

On Sunday the weather was beautiful and the wind had dropped. The sastrugi had flattened out and I was able to ski again making progress a little easier. All was well with the world but after the fourth hour I began to feel sick. I was pulling no weight by this time as the others had taken my load. During the sixth hour I was physically sick but immediately felt better and was able to continue. Then I was sick again and again and could go no further. I had no food in my stomach and was finally sick with blood after all the retching. We put the tents up and I crawled into my sleeping bag. I was cold, shivering and being sick every ten minutes.

By 9pm I thought I was going to die (later Hempy told me he thought I was!) My sickness continued until after midnight when I finally fell asleep. Hempy called the base at Union Glacier on his sat phone and they sent the ski plane to come and pick me up at 11am on Monday. By this time I was feeling much better but very weak and dehydrated. There was no way I could continue especially with the team now pushing for eight hours every day.

I flew to Union Glacier (3 hours) with a saline drip in my arm which soon got me re-hydrated and two cups of tea later I felt fine. The Union Glacier doctor said it was simply exhaustion. I'd reached my limit and needed rest and more food. I have no body fat reserves. 

I was facing the prospect of a long stay at Union Glacier camp which wasn't very appealing but the Illyuhsin Russian transporter jet had just landed with a load of fuel drums so within 30 minutes of my arrival I was on board for the four and a half hour flight back to Punta Arenas. I arrived at the hotel at 10:30 pm in time for a steak.

This morning I'm sitting at the breakfast table rested, fit and well,  and wondering what to do. I could possibly get the plane back to Union Glacier as it must go again in the next few days and then get dropped off with the group for the last few days of the trek. Or just go home!

I'm going to ring the family in a few minutes so I guess they will make the decision for me!

All the gear, no idea

Out here it really is all about the kit – you must have the right tools to do the job. And we’re very lucky that our generous sponsors have given us some amazing clobber – everything from brilliant base layers to mega warm heavy duty jackets to lovely warm socks.

I have customized my kit just a little bit though by wearing an extra layer on my feet – a state of the art Iceland carrier bag. Of course it must be Iceland, a Sainsbury’s or Tesco bag is no good as they’re just too thin!

The only problem really is face covering – any millimetre of exposed skin will get frost burn and we’ve all experienced it a little in some form. And any gap in the goggles makes it impossible to see, which is proving tricky!

The remaining kit is of ‘vintage’ standard as it all seems to have come straight from Hempy’s warehouse. His collection of prehistoric skis are the usual low-budget Hempy fare, although most of us have already given up on them, as we find walking much easier.

Our evenings are mainly spent fighting for territory in the tent. The sleeping bags are as warm as toast but anything you put down near them automatically seems to go missing! I have to say, my OCD could easily be cured out here – especially after witnessing the hygiene and cleanliness of these men I’m with!

The food in particular is inedible – 8,000 calories burned per day but very little can be forced in.

As usual, we’ll be leaving the tent at 10am exactly. Packing up in bulky clothing is difficult to say the least, and our mitts make doing up zips almost impossible. You’d much rather struggle along though than take the gloves off for a few seconds – those circumstances aren’t worth thinking about!