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(Corel) |
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(Photo © Wave Vidmar) |
When it comes to home comforts, is there room for small luxuries?
I won't really be taking any home comforts. Going on an expedition of this magnitude means compromise and sacrifice. I'd like to be able to take a shower every day, or even every week, but won't be able to.
I will bring some music on Compact Flash cards, a razor (but no shaving cream), very good hot chocolate mix (which is more or less essential), a high-definition video camcorder, and I'll likely be the first solo-unsupported expedition to bring more than one change of underwear!
What's the plan for your typical day?
A typical day: Wake up at a reasonable time, look around in my sleeping bag for my bottle of hot chocolate, eat breakfast (either made the night before or that morning), take any notes and perhaps check my e-mail via the sat phone, upload my GPS coordinates, get out of my warm sleeping bag, get dressed into the same clothes I'll be wearing for around 60 days, do some simple stretches, prepare to exit the tent, pack up the sled, stretch some more, put on the skis and dragging harness... then start marching, for anything between eight to 12 hours a day.
As I come to pressure ridges (large blocks of ice pushed up by colliding glaciers, or "pans"), I'll need to seek out an easy route through them or climb over them, all the while dragging my sled behind. When I reach a large expanse of open water (called a "lead"), I'll either look for a quick way around, or don my drysuit for a dip in the Arctic Ocean. The suit won't actually insulate me, but will keep me dry as I swim, probably twice a day on average.
I'll take breaks for water and hot liquid foods every hour or so. Keeping hydrated is essential to warding off frostbite and hypothermia. After I've done enough mileage for the day I'll make camp. Because I'll have stopped moving at that point, I'll need to put on a down jacket and pants to stave off the bitter cold. My tent is going to be stored partially assembled on the uppermost portion of the sled, so setting up should be relatively quick. The next priority is food, so I'll set up the stove and go collect fresh snow or old ice to melt into water. After dinner and the cooking is done, I'll bring my sleeping gear into the tent.
Getting into my sleeping bag won't be like hopping into bed, as the bag will be between minus 30 and minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit. So to warm it up, I'll need to "run" inside my sleeping bag for about 15 minutes. For company in the bag, I'll have my iPAQ, GPS, satellite phone, water bottles, hot foods for the next day, and a pee bottle. Yes, a pee bottle, because it'll be too cold to risk any exposed flesh outside, what with frostbite and hypothermia an immediate concern. (Beginning temps will be around minus 40 to minus 60 degrees, and the average during the expedition will be minus 30.) During the day I'll also be using the bottle, though I'll try wait as much as possible until I'm in the tent at night—it's just much safer that way!
At the end of each day, once I'm warmed and snug in my bag, I'll connect to the outside world and dispatch my daily updates and coordinates. After all that, I'll try get to sleep and prepare to do it all again the next day. Another day at the office...
Where are you going?
What do you want to do?
