Highs and Lows – 20th December 2018

Day Six: 67 miles travelled, 648 miles remaining

There’s more and more snow on this expedition, with 40cm in last 24 hours alone. The unexpected snow makes it so hard to drag a heavy sled, never mind skiing as well. With every step I take I sink into the snow, and so does the sled. It has been like this for days now and it’s truly hard work.

It was another day of whiteout conditions all day long, and my neck continued to ache from having to crane down to check my compass constantly. I felt like I was in a huge white bowl with nothing to look at; I could have been skiing into the great abyss and wouldn’t have had a clue until it was too late. I miss the sun and wish it would return. If only because charging the batteries on my devices with solar panels has been taking much longer than usual.

I experienced highs and lows all day long, but I kept in mind that I had no control over these conditions, I only had control over my attitude whilst skiing in them. So I carried on with my penguin waddle for over 11hrs, making decent progress.

I heard tonight from the Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions (ALE) team that nearer the Pole they’ve been experiencing 53knot winds. I thanked my lucky stars I was not skiing in that (…yet). I have a daily safety and check-in call with them… it’s always nice to hear their voices, to know there’s someone out there. Find out more about the amazing ALE team here: https://antarctic-logistics.com/about-ale/our-company

Unfortunately, the forecast for another week is nothing but snow. Whatever happened to Antarctica being the driest continent in the world? After that, I’ll need just a little bit of wind to scatter the fallen snow away and all with be well!

I received some great questions from St. John’s School in Derbyshire yesterday, which I’ve answered below. Thanks guys!

Do you feel the cold even when you are wrapped up in all your special clothing? – Ellis

Hi Ellis! I truly don’t, I know it’s hard to believe but my body is working so hard to pull the sled that I’m always warmed up. Sometimes even too hot! The golden rule of travelling in the cold is to always “start cool”, which means not being tempted to wear loads of warm layers because it feels cold when you start – instead it’s best to start with maybe two layers max. You feel cold for all of five minutes once you start moving, and then you’re nice and warm.

The danger in starting with loads of layers on is you’ll overheat and sweat. The sweat will then freeze, which is when you can become dangerously cold as the frozen sweat is trapped and will be cooling your body down fast. My whole face is also covered with a balaclava and breathing mask (called a Cold Avenger) so I don’t feel the cold there either.

What are you eating and how do you cook it? – William

Hi William! I’m eating a lot of food on this trip – you can imagine how many calories I burn dragging a sled all day long! For breakfast I have a high fat granola, mixed with water and coconut milk powder. My snacks whilst skiing are always the same – lots of Moon Cheese (dehydrated cheese so it’s lightweight), Atkins chocolate and protein bars and Ample ketogenic shake (a high fat meal replacement powder). Then, for dinner it’s always a dehydrated meal that I rehydrate with boiling water. My favourite is the Pad Thai one and I have about 20 of them on this trip!

I cook everything using hot water – I have a stove and pan and melt lots of ice. I then use that water to make my evening dinner and morning breakfast. And a coffee in the morning!

Thanks for the questions – keep them coming!

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