Saturday 30 April 2011
The End
The final bbq was a really good way to round off the trip. At around 8pm a van arrived with a few crates of beer which were gratefully received. After the first drink it was time to feed the dogs for the last time before we went back to the camp fire to cook hot dogs and share stories from the week. It was also a great chance to find a bit more about our guides who were very inspirational.
After all the alcohol had been finished we headed off to bed for the final night of camping. The final work was to be carried out the next morning when we broke camp for the last time and had to somehow get around 130 husky dogs into the truck for the trip home. It was quite sad to be saying goodbye to our dogs as we had developed a bond over the trip but we were looking forward to hot showers and some creature comforts on return to civilization.
After a couple of hours driving we arrived back in Tromso to a very smart hotel where we were to stay the night before we flew back to the the UK the following day. Around twelve bedraggled forms entered the hotel just after lunch, looking awful and smelling even worse. To add to this we carried a lot of our kit in black plastic bin bags for that extra touch of class. There were quite a few locals having lunch in the hotel restaurant which overlooked the foyer we were standing in and there were a fair few looks of disgust down at us given the state we were in.
Soon enough we were in our rooms for a hot shower which was bliss and a change into clean clothes. There was time for a quick look around Tromso before heading out to dinner at a well known bar and to reflect on the fantastic adventure we had just completed.
After all the alcohol had been finished we headed off to bed for the final night of camping. The final work was to be carried out the next morning when we broke camp for the last time and had to somehow get around 130 husky dogs into the truck for the trip home. It was quite sad to be saying goodbye to our dogs as we had developed a bond over the trip but we were looking forward to hot showers and some creature comforts on return to civilization.
After a couple of hours driving we arrived back in Tromso to a very smart hotel where we were to stay the night before we flew back to the the UK the following day. Around twelve bedraggled forms entered the hotel just after lunch, looking awful and smelling even worse. To add to this we carried a lot of our kit in black plastic bin bags for that extra touch of class. There were quite a few locals having lunch in the hotel restaurant which overlooked the foyer we were standing in and there were a fair few looks of disgust down at us given the state we were in.
Soon enough we were in our rooms for a hot shower which was bliss and a change into clean clothes. There was time for a quick look around Tromso before heading out to dinner at a well known bar and to reflect on the fantastic adventure we had just completed.
Saturday 23 April 2011
Day 5 - Bear Prints and challenging sledding
Today was our last day sledding as we had to combine days 5 and 6 due to the conditions being too dangerous to sled our final route early on in the morning.
We have been unable to unfortunately make the ice hotel as a final destination due to the lakes starting to thaw therefore making it too unsafe to travel in that direction.
This all meant for an early start which meant a 6am rise and very cold weather to start the day. We now have this camping lark down to a tee (well sort of - we nearly burnt the tent down this evening) and have our little systems all in place so that we were ready for the half nine off.
We first tackled a couple of ice lakes which were absolutely massive and took hours to cross. There was a strong biting wind all morning so we all had our serious cold weather gear on.
After completing the frozen lakes we stopped for lunch at a spot where the Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish borders all meet. There is a landmark signifying this point and you can walk round it visiting the separate three countries on your way. I have done three countries in a day before but never in one minute.
We saw bear prints today but no actual bears. Wildlife has been sparse and the highlight other than a very cold South African were four swans conducting a migratory fly past this morning.
After all this we were sledding uphill where we had to help the dogs a lot by pushing the sled whilst running behind. This is bloody hard work especially with all your gear on. The dogs really do appreciate the help and it is satisfying to work as a team like this. Once we had reached the top we travelled across an alpine pass before we got ready for the downhill through the forests to the end.
We were stopped before we started the descent to be briefed on what to do and make sure that we went down nice and slowly. There were some very tricky corners to negotiate with a steep fall if we got it wrong. I was travelling behind Jay and at a particularly difficult corner all the other sleds had stopped. I could not stop my dogs at all and they overtook Jay and her dog team on the outside where there was no room to do so. How I held onto the sled I will never know but we all made it down safely. There were lots of crashes today but poor Kenny seemed to fare the worst. He not only crashed but was then run over by another sled (and dogs) but he is a tough cookie and took it all with a smile.
We then hit the final picturesque run down to the end point of our five day adventure.
We are camping out for the final time tonight before we head back to civilisation and will be having a celebratory bbq which will be interesting given the freezing conditions.
It has been a fantastic adventure for the both of us and despite being well challenged we have enjoyed every minute of it. There will be lots of photos to follow.
Thank you to everyone for donating funds to SCBU. It really is appreciated.
Chris and jay x
We have been unable to unfortunately make the ice hotel as a final destination due to the lakes starting to thaw therefore making it too unsafe to travel in that direction.
This all meant for an early start which meant a 6am rise and very cold weather to start the day. We now have this camping lark down to a tee (well sort of - we nearly burnt the tent down this evening) and have our little systems all in place so that we were ready for the half nine off.
We first tackled a couple of ice lakes which were absolutely massive and took hours to cross. There was a strong biting wind all morning so we all had our serious cold weather gear on.
After completing the frozen lakes we stopped for lunch at a spot where the Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish borders all meet. There is a landmark signifying this point and you can walk round it visiting the separate three countries on your way. I have done three countries in a day before but never in one minute.
We saw bear prints today but no actual bears. Wildlife has been sparse and the highlight other than a very cold South African were four swans conducting a migratory fly past this morning.
After all this we were sledding uphill where we had to help the dogs a lot by pushing the sled whilst running behind. This is bloody hard work especially with all your gear on. The dogs really do appreciate the help and it is satisfying to work as a team like this. Once we had reached the top we travelled across an alpine pass before we got ready for the downhill through the forests to the end.
We were stopped before we started the descent to be briefed on what to do and make sure that we went down nice and slowly. There were some very tricky corners to negotiate with a steep fall if we got it wrong. I was travelling behind Jay and at a particularly difficult corner all the other sleds had stopped. I could not stop my dogs at all and they overtook Jay and her dog team on the outside where there was no room to do so. How I held onto the sled I will never know but we all made it down safely. There were lots of crashes today but poor Kenny seemed to fare the worst. He not only crashed but was then run over by another sled (and dogs) but he is a tough cookie and took it all with a smile.
We then hit the final picturesque run down to the end point of our five day adventure.
We are camping out for the final time tonight before we head back to civilisation and will be having a celebratory bbq which will be interesting given the freezing conditions.
It has been a fantastic adventure for the both of us and despite being well challenged we have enjoyed every minute of it. There will be lots of photos to follow.
Thank you to everyone for donating funds to SCBU. It really is appreciated.
Chris and jay x
Thursday 21 April 2011
Day 4 - Frozen Rivers and J saves the Day
Started the day at midnight hoping to see the Northern Lights. It was bitterly cold and forcing myself out of the sleeping bag and into the arctic chill was not easy. There were no Northern Lights but there was a definite faint glow in the sky. It was quickly back to bed to get into the cosy sleeping bag to warm up again.
After taking down camp and sorting the dogs we were on our way again for day 4. We would be starting up along the top of the mountains and heading down into the forests where we were told there would be some 'technical' sections.
The start of the descent was signified when when we hit particularly bad terrain just over the top of one of the mountains. The snow had been swept off the top of the mountain and we were sledding on dirt and rocks. This was not fun and very difficult to control the sled. Numerous people fell and lost control of their sleds. Jay saved the day by grabbing the dogs of a runaway sled despite the fact that it had crashed into her back! Jay was singled out for her bravery in the team meeting at the end of the day.
After this followed another treacherous section which involved sledding over a narrow ledge with an icy river to fall into if we got it wrong. Numerous people slipped off the ledge and were dragged along on their side narrowly avoiding the river. This included me and we got split from the rest of the group on different sides of the river after we had found an alternative crossing point. Tove one of the leaders thought that it was too treacherous and wanted to turn back so now we were three groups. One on each side of the river and one that was turning back. The groups each side of the river converged after another bridge and Tore the other guide went back to convince the remaining group to join us. Eventually we were all together again.
The second part of the day was less technical but very enjoyable. We made a swooping right turn downhill and suddenly we were travelling up a frozen river which was totally exhilarating and looked like we were gliding across glass. I was last in the line and hoping that the ice would hold as in some places it did not look very thick. This was especially so as the brakes on our sled basically are a spike going into the ground. Not exactly what you want on a frozen river.
The day was much longer today than we have previously experienced and arriving at camp this evening there were many tired and aching bodies. We spent over six hours covering around 45km on the sleds with another gruelling day ahead of us tomorrow.
As I write this we are camping on a frozen lake and have taken a picture of the view from our tent.
Love Chris and Jay x
After taking down camp and sorting the dogs we were on our way again for day 4. We would be starting up along the top of the mountains and heading down into the forests where we were told there would be some 'technical' sections.
The start of the descent was signified when when we hit particularly bad terrain just over the top of one of the mountains. The snow had been swept off the top of the mountain and we were sledding on dirt and rocks. This was not fun and very difficult to control the sled. Numerous people fell and lost control of their sleds. Jay saved the day by grabbing the dogs of a runaway sled despite the fact that it had crashed into her back! Jay was singled out for her bravery in the team meeting at the end of the day.
After this followed another treacherous section which involved sledding over a narrow ledge with an icy river to fall into if we got it wrong. Numerous people slipped off the ledge and were dragged along on their side narrowly avoiding the river. This included me and we got split from the rest of the group on different sides of the river after we had found an alternative crossing point. Tove one of the leaders thought that it was too treacherous and wanted to turn back so now we were three groups. One on each side of the river and one that was turning back. The groups each side of the river converged after another bridge and Tore the other guide went back to convince the remaining group to join us. Eventually we were all together again.
The second part of the day was less technical but very enjoyable. We made a swooping right turn downhill and suddenly we were travelling up a frozen river which was totally exhilarating and looked like we were gliding across glass. I was last in the line and hoping that the ice would hold as in some places it did not look very thick. This was especially so as the brakes on our sled basically are a spike going into the ground. Not exactly what you want on a frozen river.
The day was much longer today than we have previously experienced and arriving at camp this evening there were many tired and aching bodies. We spent over six hours covering around 45km on the sleds with another gruelling day ahead of us tomorrow.
As I write this we are camping on a frozen lake and have taken a picture of the view from our tent.
Love Chris and Jay x
Day 3 - Northern Lights and a Snow Table
We made it through another fairly cold night which started with an overcast morning.
After getting up at eight and sorting out ourselves and the dogs we were ready to set off at around noon.
We were still sledding today along the top of the mountain range with more stunning scenery. We continued to span the border between Norway and Sweden and were hoping to see bears along the mountain range but we were not lucky today.
The sledding went relatively smoothly and we are now much more experienced mushers and can sort most problems ourselves.
One thing that I neglected to mention is that Jay crashed her sled into a tree right at the beginning of the day yesterday. It was only a small tree but it really did tangle her dogs up.
We set up camp tonight at a place called Fish Camp after travelling over frozen glacial lakes. The weather this afternoon improved and we arrived with clear skies and warm temperatures.
Kenny (a fellow musher from Liverpool) came up with the idea to build a table out of the snow and we sat around it having dinner with one of the best views watching the sun set.
It is a totally clear night tonight so the chances of seeing the Northern Lights are good. I will be getting up at midnight for the best chance.
It is fiercely cold tonight so much so that our drinks were freezing whilst we were drinking them. Our gloves are frozen stiff and just trying to melt snow for drinking water takes a lot of time.
This is definitely a difficult challenge but we are really enjoying the experience.
Love C and J
Ps. I hope that these emails are coming through. I am sending them to my sister who is kindly updating facebook and the blog. I seem to get a bit of coverage at some point in the day to send.
After getting up at eight and sorting out ourselves and the dogs we were ready to set off at around noon.
We were still sledding today along the top of the mountain range with more stunning scenery. We continued to span the border between Norway and Sweden and were hoping to see bears along the mountain range but we were not lucky today.
The sledding went relatively smoothly and we are now much more experienced mushers and can sort most problems ourselves.
One thing that I neglected to mention is that Jay crashed her sled into a tree right at the beginning of the day yesterday. It was only a small tree but it really did tangle her dogs up.
We set up camp tonight at a place called Fish Camp after travelling over frozen glacial lakes. The weather this afternoon improved and we arrived with clear skies and warm temperatures.
Kenny (a fellow musher from Liverpool) came up with the idea to build a table out of the snow and we sat around it having dinner with one of the best views watching the sun set.
It is a totally clear night tonight so the chances of seeing the Northern Lights are good. I will be getting up at midnight for the best chance.
It is fiercely cold tonight so much so that our drinks were freezing whilst we were drinking them. Our gloves are frozen stiff and just trying to melt snow for drinking water takes a lot of time.
This is definitely a difficult challenge but we are really enjoying the experience.
Love C and J
Ps. I hope that these emails are coming through. I am sending them to my sister who is kindly updating facebook and the blog. I seem to get a bit of coverage at some point in the day to send.
Wednesday 20 April 2011
Day 2 - frozen bread and rescuing runaway dogs.
We made it through a very windy and cold first night. It is difficult to tell but our guides estimate that the temperature got down to minus 15. Talk about culture shock!
The sleeping bags held up and an improvised hot water bottle helped keep some very cold feet warm.
We got up at around seven to sunshine no wind and a view to die for. We were right near the top of the mountains and had awesome views of a number of different peaks.
After breakfast (sandwiches on frozen bread and coffee from the stove) it was time to feed the dogs and then chain them up to the sleds. This process takes a long time and it was around a couple of hours before we were ready to go. Just before this our guide, Mike, from Global Challenges fell down a snow hole that had opened up which was around 6 foot deep. Unfortunately Mike's knee was too badly injured to continue and he was taken down the mountain by skidoo whilst his kit and dogs were shared out.
After another couple of hours we were ready to go with one less guide. The weather was bright blue skies and sunshine and thin fleeces were the order of the day. After breaking the ridgeline of the mountains the views only got better and it was around 4 hours of sledding before we arrived at the next camp. We were much more competent today (no falls) with the going a lot quicker. We were now clued up enough to look after the other dogs and one of the highlights of the day was when me and Peter both had to rescue another set of dogs by diving after them when they raced past. All good fun!
Putting up camp in the sunshine was a lot easier (we almost made it look like we knew what we are doing) and dinner is now on the go (boil in the bag bbq chicken followed by a mars bar).
It looks like tonight will be another cold one due to the clear skies but now we know the sleeping bags work!!
Love C and J x
The sleeping bags held up and an improvised hot water bottle helped keep some very cold feet warm.
We got up at around seven to sunshine no wind and a view to die for. We were right near the top of the mountains and had awesome views of a number of different peaks.
After breakfast (sandwiches on frozen bread and coffee from the stove) it was time to feed the dogs and then chain them up to the sleds. This process takes a long time and it was around a couple of hours before we were ready to go. Just before this our guide, Mike, from Global Challenges fell down a snow hole that had opened up which was around 6 foot deep. Unfortunately Mike's knee was too badly injured to continue and he was taken down the mountain by skidoo whilst his kit and dogs were shared out.
After another couple of hours we were ready to go with one less guide. The weather was bright blue skies and sunshine and thin fleeces were the order of the day. After breaking the ridgeline of the mountains the views only got better and it was around 4 hours of sledding before we arrived at the next camp. We were much more competent today (no falls) with the going a lot quicker. We were now clued up enough to look after the other dogs and one of the highlights of the day was when me and Peter both had to rescue another set of dogs by diving after them when they raced past. All good fun!
Putting up camp in the sunshine was a lot easier (we almost made it look like we knew what we are doing) and dinner is now on the go (boil in the bag bbq chicken followed by a mars bar).
It looks like tonight will be another cold one due to the clear skies but now we know the sleeping bags work!!
Love C and J x
Tuesday 19 April 2011
Day 1 - And its a cold one....
After all the waiting the start of the husky sledding expedition finally came around.
There is a lot to do before you set out and it took ages for the sleds to be packed and the dogs to be correctly linked up before we could set off.
We started with a quite technical section going up into the mountains and it was exhilarating to be off! The dogs have awesome power and it is surprising that they can pull so much.
The weather can only be described as a blizzard and it was challenging and physical work keeping control of the sled. We both fell off at the same place into deep snow so there have been lots of lessons learnt already.
Putting up our two man tent in a snow storm was not easy and seemed to take forever. We were standing two meters away from each other and could barely hear our shouts to one another. We finally got the tent up and we are hoping that the wind dies down.
As I write this we are lying in our tent (that is still up) and having tea and coffee after a boil in the bag dinner. The wind is howling and it is very cold. I have no idea how cold but everything is frozen.
It will be a cold one tonight so let's hope our sleeping bags are to the job!
Love from a very chilly jay and chris. X
There is a lot to do before you set out and it took ages for the sleds to be packed and the dogs to be correctly linked up before we could set off.
We started with a quite technical section going up into the mountains and it was exhilarating to be off! The dogs have awesome power and it is surprising that they can pull so much.
The weather can only be described as a blizzard and it was challenging and physical work keeping control of the sled. We both fell off at the same place into deep snow so there have been lots of lessons learnt already.
Putting up our two man tent in a snow storm was not easy and seemed to take forever. We were standing two meters away from each other and could barely hear our shouts to one another. We finally got the tent up and we are hoping that the wind dies down.
As I write this we are lying in our tent (that is still up) and having tea and coffee after a boil in the bag dinner. The wind is howling and it is very cold. I have no idea how cold but everything is frozen.
It will be a cold one tonight so let's hope our sleeping bags are to the job!
Love from a very chilly jay and chris. X
Sunday 17 April 2011
Saturday 16 April 2011
Getting ready for the off...
As I write this we are all packed and pretty much ready to go. I think we have everything on the kit list and we are both now nervously excited. Flight at 7:20am tomorrow out of Heathrow. Can't wait.
Donations update...
Donations on the Just Giving site are at 135% as £6,752 has been donated. Add the gift aid to this for roughly £1,000 and also the offline donations from the Winter and Ice Event for £1,000 and we have a grand total of around £8,752. Amazing stuff!
Thanks for all the support.
Thanks for all the support.
Sunday 3 April 2011
Testing out the kit layer by layer...
 |
| Thermals |
 |
| Second layer |
 |
| Fleece and gloves |
 |
| Down Jacket |
 |
| Waterproof jacket, gloves, balaclava and goggles. Bring it on. |
Tuesday 29 March 2011
Fundraising Event - Winter and Ice at Davenies School
On Friday 25th March, Davenies School in Beaconsfield hosted and sponsored a Poetry Performance Night called, ‘Winter and Ice’. This was a culmination of a terms worth of work where thirty two boys from the very popular Nanook of the North club acted out a series of poems with a very special twist. These ranged from the old masters like Shakespeare to some contemporary poems by Benjamin Zephaniah.
Following the show, was a post-performance cocktail hour where an array of culinary delights and drinks went on sale. The sushi, ‘Aurora Swish’ cocktail and blue champagne proved to be a big hit with the parents and the boys were treated to slush puppies, ice-cream, frappuchino’s and smoothies. Two huskies, Indie and Dexter joined us for the night and were understandably, the main stars of the show. The night was a phenomenal success, 140 tickets were sold with £1,053.00 pounds being raised for Wexham Special Care Baby Unit. This will take the total amount on our Just Giving site to £6860.00.
A consultant from SCBU joined us and was deeply touched by everyone’s sincere generosity. We were contacted by Pippa, the Unit Manager at SCBU and they have decided to purchase a Phototherapy Unit which helps premature babies with Jaundice and a Vapotherm Unit which helps with breathing. These will be dedicated to the memory of Ashley and Jessica and will help many other babies in the future.
An article on the event will be available on Thursday 31st March in the Beaconsfield Advertiser.
Saturday 19 March 2011
Great Run This Morning
Glorious sunshine great for a run. Managed 7.2 miles in just under an hour which was pretty good going for me. Especially as I tackled Marlow Hill at the beginning - killer!
If you're interested in the route follow the jump...
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=206187645082467054333.00049ed516b578829e273&t=h&z=14
If you're interested in the route follow the jump...
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=206187645082467054333.00049ed516b578829e273&t=h&z=14
Training Going Well
How do you train for what we are going to do?
I'm not sure that this is the way...
My view is that we just have to get as fit as possible from a cardio point of view. The challenge will be physically tough so the fitter we are the better equipped we will be to cope.
I have been doing a fair bit of running as we will have to run behind the sled at times mixed with other cardio such as swimming and cycling.
My running is coming along well and I took the opportunity last week to head out for an early morning run after a hard frost. The temperature was around -5 so perfect to test out some of my new base layer gear which kept me nice and toasty. It was an absolutely gorgeous morning and I stopped to take a couple of pictures by the river in Marlow. I don't have any of those fancy gloves that work with a touch screen phone (yet) so had to take my gloves of for a picture. Big mistake. My hands did not warm up for the rest of the run so I hope you like the pictures and that they were worth the cold.
I'm not sure that this is the way...
My view is that we just have to get as fit as possible from a cardio point of view. The challenge will be physically tough so the fitter we are the better equipped we will be to cope.
I have been doing a fair bit of running as we will have to run behind the sled at times mixed with other cardio such as swimming and cycling.
My running is coming along well and I took the opportunity last week to head out for an early morning run after a hard frost. The temperature was around -5 so perfect to test out some of my new base layer gear which kept me nice and toasty. It was an absolutely gorgeous morning and I stopped to take a couple of pictures by the river in Marlow. I don't have any of those fancy gloves that work with a touch screen phone (yet) so had to take my gloves of for a picture. Big mistake. My hands did not warm up for the rest of the run so I hope you like the pictures and that they were worth the cold.
Thank You! Donations well over £5k!!!
A big thank you for all the support so far. We have gone past our initial target of £5,000 and have been overwhelmed at all your generosity!
We have been in touch with the SCBU who are extremely pleased at our progress.
Thanks again...
http://www.justgiving.com/Jacqueline-Newell
We have been in touch with the SCBU who are extremely pleased at our progress.
Thanks again...
http://www.justgiving.com/Jacqueline-Newell
Tuesday 8 February 2011
Sunday 6 February 2011
Training Day - Cannock Chase Forest
On Saturday we travelled up to Cannock Chase forest to be briefed on the upcoming Arctic trip. We met with some of our fellow mushers and the expedition guides that will accompany us in April.
After a presentation on what to expect during the trip we then were introduced to a couple of Huskies to practice setting up the harnesses and finally we were shown what kit we would be expected to take. Rather than detail out everything covered, I thought I would summarise some of the more interesting points covered:
General
It will be a tough challenge both mentally and physically but at the same time extremely rewarding. We are both now quite nervous about the trip but also very excited.
The Cold
It is going to get very cold! The lowest temperatures they have previously experienced is -36 C. We got many tips on what type of clothes to buy and how to dress to keep warm.
Camping will be Tough
By far the toughest part of the trip will be the camping. We will be in the middle of nowhere camping on snow and ice and the tents can get so cold in the night that the condensation from your breath turns to snow! Tips to keep warm include arctic sleeping bags with inner silk liners for extra warmth. We are recommended to sleep in thermals with balaclavas.
Going to the Toilet
Dig a whole and then be quick. You have to burn your toilet paper when you're done. Fabulous.
The Dogs
We will have our own pack of either five or six Husky's depending on the weight of our sled and will be responsible for feeding, harnessing and generally looking after them for the trip. The dogs are extremely powerful and can pull the sled at 20 km/h at pace or cruise at a more leisurely 10 km/h. We practised putting the harness on and the dogs just want to go and run.
Kit
Our kit list has now grown with more essentials including arctic sleeping bags, silk liners, thermos flasks, thermal clothes, balaclavas - I could go on...
After a presentation on what to expect during the trip we then were introduced to a couple of Huskies to practice setting up the harnesses and finally we were shown what kit we would be expected to take. Rather than detail out everything covered, I thought I would summarise some of the more interesting points covered:
General
It will be a tough challenge both mentally and physically but at the same time extremely rewarding. We are both now quite nervous about the trip but also very excited.
The Cold
It is going to get very cold! The lowest temperatures they have previously experienced is -36 C. We got many tips on what type of clothes to buy and how to dress to keep warm.
Camping will be Tough
By far the toughest part of the trip will be the camping. We will be in the middle of nowhere camping on snow and ice and the tents can get so cold in the night that the condensation from your breath turns to snow! Tips to keep warm include arctic sleeping bags with inner silk liners for extra warmth. We are recommended to sleep in thermals with balaclavas.
Going to the Toilet
Dig a whole and then be quick. You have to burn your toilet paper when you're done. Fabulous.
The Dogs
We will have our own pack of either five or six Husky's depending on the weight of our sled and will be responsible for feeding, harnessing and generally looking after them for the trip. The dogs are extremely powerful and can pull the sled at 20 km/h at pace or cruise at a more leisurely 10 km/h. We practised putting the harness on and the dogs just want to go and run.
Kit
Our kit list has now grown with more essentials including arctic sleeping bags, silk liners, thermos flasks, thermal clothes, balaclavas - I could go on...
Wednesday 19 January 2011
2011 Adventure Challenge
Well 2011 is finally here and it is time to update you on the next challenge I have ahead of me. This will be the third such challenge after swimming the English Channel as a relay team and last year’s extreme triathlon.
The 2011 challenge will be quite different as I will be travelling to Norway on the 17th of April to start a 7 day husky sledding adventure which will cover 250km and end up at the ice hotel in Sweden. This challenge was the brainchild of my wife Jay who I am pleased to say will be accompanying me.
We can encounter temperatures as low as -30°C and will each be responsible for our own pack of six husky dogs that we will have to care for throughout the trip. Accommodation will consist of a tent as we will be camping out in the Arctic wilderness. This will most definitely be a no frills adventure.
The purpose of the trip will be to raise money for the Wexham Hospital Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) which is a charity that is extremely close to both myself and my wife's heart. In August 2010 our twin daughters Ashley and Jessica were born extremely prematurely and sadly passed away only days after birth. The SCBU unit cared for our daughters from birth and the level of care and supported offered was first class.
It was the first time that I had ever encountered such a place within a hospital and to be honest I was unaware that places with this level of care even existed. The standard of care that our daughters received was exceptional as was the professionalism and compassion of the staff. The cost of the care and the associated equipment is eye wateringly expensive. Vital machinery, including incubators and ventilator equipment costs tens of thousands of pounds and the unit is limited by the amount of babies it can help by the number of machines and level of equipment it has on site.
It was the first time that I had ever encountered such a place within a hospital and to be honest I was unaware that places with this level of care even existed. The standard of care that our daughters received was exceptional as was the professionalism and compassion of the staff. The cost of the care and the associated equipment is eye wateringly expensive. Vital machinery, including incubators and ventilator equipment costs tens of thousands of pounds and the unit is limited by the amount of babies it can help by the number of machines and level of equipment it has on site.
Shortly after our experience we both decided that in order for our sad experience to have at least one positive outcome we would raise money for SCBU with the aim that the money raised would be put forward for new equipment in the hope that more vital machinery could be purchased and therefore more people helped.
The SCBU is not a place for the faint hearted but I fail to see how anybody who has ever walked into such a unit could not be emotionally touched by the great work that takes place there. You never know when you, fmaily or friends may need their vital services and skills and the money we raise will be utilised for more much needed equipment.
The entire cost of our trip has been self-funded meaning that every penny raised will go directly to the SCBU charity. All donations (no matter how small) will be received extremely gratefully. The link is below to our Just Giving page…
Thanks for taking the time to read the above, I will be updating this page with regular updates on our training for the challenge and will try to send it round every few weeks If you want to check in with what we have been up to.
Thanks again for reading and your support
Chris and Jay
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