Anyone who has read of past expeditions may have heard of a substance known as "Pemmican" a food substance devised by the Cree Indians (dried buffalo meat mashed up with nuts, berries and fat) which was very high in energy although perhaps not particularly palatable.
However, Heston Blumenthal has kindly been working on making it slightly more tasty and on Monday 7th December he’s going to join us training on the beach – pulling tyres, wrestling, etc. - and after he’s tired cold and hungry he’s going to cook us some modern-day pemmican and hoosh (soup made from pemmican) to see our reactions and to chat more about the expedition. All this will be done on camera as Filming for Heston Blumenthal’s Edwardian Food series. (Optomen productions).
Great to have him providing us with such support......now just need to convince him to come along as expedition chef.........
Thursday, 26 November 2009
Wednesday, 25 November 2009
Sir Ranulph Fiennes sends us his best wishes
"Jim [McNeill] informs me of just how hard you are working to get this expedition off the ground which is something, as you might imagine, I can really appreciate. The fact that I am your Patron makes me very proud so do keep up this tremendous effort. I know you will reap all the rewards in the end.
Very Best of Luck Ran"
Very Best of Luck Ran"
Monday, 23 November 2009
Not making progress
Unfortunately havent managed any training for the last 5 days and its starting to stress me out as i have a very long way to go before i'm where i need to be. I had planned a tough tyre pull this weekend but due to Charlie and I potentially completing on our house next week the weekend was spent doing trips to the dump to get rid of furniture i've collected over the last 7 years of leaving in my little cottage - i guess its still excercise but not sure there's much need for sofa removal and wardrobe dismantling where i'm going!
It's a tricky time as i want to commit 100% both to our new home and also to the expedition but i just dont have enought hours in the day to do both! I've also realised quite how much work i need to get done before i leave in january and i'm starting to wonder why i put myself under this pressure!!
I'm also concerned that no new sponsors have materialised for some time.......lots of interest but people seem to be difficult to pin down to a commmittment although endorsements from people like Micheal Palin certainly help (see previous post). If we could get the PR /press event confirmed on the 5th (cant tell you about it yet) then i think that would really help.........
It's a tricky time as i want to commit 100% both to our new home and also to the expedition but i just dont have enought hours in the day to do both! I've also realised quite how much work i need to get done before i leave in january and i'm starting to wonder why i put myself under this pressure!!
I'm also concerned that no new sponsors have materialised for some time.......lots of interest but people seem to be difficult to pin down to a commmittment although endorsements from people like Micheal Palin certainly help (see previous post). If we could get the PR /press event confirmed on the 5th (cant tell you about it yet) then i think that would really help.........
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Michael Palin endorses expedition
Michael Palin today sent us all a Good Luck message and provided us with this Quote ...“Learning to travel the hard way is not only the best way, but it’s also the most memorable. I greatly admire all of you for having a go – believe me you won’t forget the experience.”Good luck,Michael Palin
Sunday, 15 November 2009
13th November 2009
4 mile tyre pull this morning in the pouring rain! didn't feel as tough as last time but the hills in reigate are not ideal! Also really need to get hold of my harness as soon as possible as attaching the ropes to my rucksack is probably not the best in terms of weight distribution and my shoulders take a bit of a beating!
Thursday, 12 November 2009
12 November 2009
I now have my GPS so am planning on familiarising myself with it whilst tyre pulling! may plot my coordinates of Epsom Downs (not because i think i can get lost going round a racecourse!) but just get used to the functionality of it. Have also just received my firesteel for getting those stoves going in the tent and this weekend am going to make a start on purchasing the necessary medical supplies to fill up my personal medical kit- Boots the chemist wont know what's hit them! ....plasters, anti-fungals, dressings, micropore, antiinflammatories, needles, etc etc etc....am determined to treat my feet like my prize position whilst i'm away as i've seen the photos of feet when you get a blister in sub zero temperatures! the fluid filled sack freezes and essentially you walk with a lump of ice under your skin in your foot! (Ouch!)
Also planning a a big PR/press opportunity on 5th December....more news to follow when confirmed.
Also planning a a big PR/press opportunity on 5th December....more news to follow when confirmed.
08 November 2009
Have just returned from my tyre pulling round Epsom downs racecourse and my bum, legs and shoulders ache! Got stopped by a few people who wanted to know what on earth i was doing but everyone was very interested and very supportive which was nice. It'd be good to do a long session every weekend as there just isn't time during the week by the time I get back from work so i may have to aim to do gym sessions during the week and tyre pulling at the weekends.....
06 November 2009 - Tyre pulling....woohooo
Planning a nice long tyre pulling walk on sunday (8th november) across the north downs...does anyone fancy joining me?......... alternatively in return for a donation towards my expedition i will happily take your dogs for a long walk? I look forwards to being inundated with offers!
26 October 2009
We've finally finished in Dartmoor and i can't decide now if i'm more reassured by the thought of the journey ahead having spent 10 days living and breathing it or completely terrified. It's fair to say that as the prospect of buying the kit that will keep us alive whilst on the ice approaches and we start to book our flights for januarys training the enormity of what we are going to be doing has started to hit home. It's no longer a distant plan on paper but a true fact that in 10 short weeks we will be on our way to Svalbard and preparing for a month of training in the most extreme conditions i've ever been in and trying to put into effect the skills we've learnt here on the moors whilst surrounded by howling wind, bulky clothing and in sub zero temperatures.
It also wouldn't be fair if I didn't mention how fantastic this week has been from the point of view of us all living and working together as a team. It's reassuring to feel you have started to really get to know your fellow expedition team members and to trust their skills and abilities in situations. The team fits together well and everyone has their place and their role within the group and in addition to the hard work it's been good fun.
It also wouldn't be fair if I didn't mention how fantastic this week has been from the point of view of us all living and working together as a team. It's reassuring to feel you have started to really get to know your fellow expedition team members and to trust their skills and abilities in situations. The team fits together well and everyone has their place and their role within the group and in addition to the hard work it's been good fun.
17th-27th October 2009 - Summary of training on dartmoor
Throughout our training we’ve covered a range of topics from safety and communications to navigation and rescue emergency care, so I’ll give a brief overview of how the last 10 days have gone.
Throughout the week we had fitness sessions every morning (there goes my idea of a lie-in!) – training in silence to really focus ourselves and also holding hands with a partner to work together. Most sessions involved starting with a bit of gentle jogging and working through to uphill sprints. We also did quite a bit of wrestling – alternatively pushing and pulling each other to simulate the muscles needed when your pulk gets stuck on a ridge of ice and refuses to budge! (I can assure you from the photos I’ve seen that sea ice is not flat!!)
Lots of circuit stuff like sit-ups and press-ups (thank goodness I’ve been going to British Military Fitness!) and also a bit of log carrying which was fun (if not tiring!) The fitness sessions finished off every morning with a fully-clothed immersion in the river to get used to the cold – making sure we held our head in the water whilst counting to ten! These cold dips got easier during the course of the week but did mean with the exception of day 1 that you wore soggy clothes and shoes for the next day’s session. They also provided some good photo opportunities when the local press came over on Thursday! (See the Western morning news article for a piccie of us all in the river!)
Navigation was an ongoing topic throughout the week. We started off with basic navigation with maps and compasses, and working on pacing and timing – walking across the moors on a bearing rather than using features to navigate as it is crucial to understand the basics of navigation before you rely on your GPS. These skills really came into their own during a night navigation exercise where we couldn’t see anything at all to help us out, and we were amazed when our pacing techniques worked, allowing us to find small Cairns and hut circles in the dark of night!
Once we’d convinced Howard and Jim we could navigate across the moors at night with a compass we moved on to GPS – and took part in a second night exercise but this time around using our GPS only, with no maps or compasses to help. GPS navigation seems easier in some ways, as the GPS can just point in the direction you need to travel, but what it doesn’t account for are any features such as hills or rivers that might be in the way, so there is a certain amount of decision making involved when the easiest route to take isn’t necessarily the most direct. Looking at maps of the arctic really puts into perspective how different navigation will be when we get there. Tthe ice reforms in a different way every year so we won’t know what the terrain will be like until we get there and start crossing it! It also instilled into you at night to trust your equipment – so often you feel that you are heading in the wrong direction as it’s easy to get disorientated and this will be extremely important in bad condition such as storms and whiteout.
We also had a lot of discussion on expedition planning and safety protocol. Risk mitigation and evacuation procedures are really critical to get right, and we need to ensure all the possible emergency scenarios and actions are considered. Our discussions involved everything from tent fires to polar bear attacks and the use of Emergency Position Indicator Radio Beacons (or Personal Locator Beacons) for casualty evacuation. We also looked at the technology we will be using – from radio communications on the ice, to satellite phones and personal handheld computers for reporting to base camp – and how we will charge the batteries for all this equipment using our portable solar panels.
Giles from Colour Works came in at the weekend to talk about team dynamics and working together, which is going to be so important for us to achieve our goal. Trusting each other was also really important during our rope work sessions, where we started off on the flat terrain with some basic knots and coils and worked up to climbing and abseiling around the rocks and boulders of the Dartmoor Tors. We had a fantastic time sitting on top of the Tor and lowering each other off the side, and also learnt loads about hauling techniques and how to work with a crevasse kits to set up a pulley system for hauling equipment uphill or people out of the water.
Kit and equipment is obviously a big part of ensuring the expedition runs smoothly so we spent quite a bit of time going over kit requirements – trying on and taking measurements for all the clothing we will need – of which there is a huge amount ranging from down jackets and trousers to keep us warm in camp to windproof walking jackets and trousers for trekking and lots of underlayers like thin and thick gloves and socks. (If you’d like to have a look at my kit list and help me buy our kit please see the kit page)
We also had a separate session on the use and maintenance of stoves which are a really vital bit of equipment: used for warmth in the tents and also to melt ice for drinking and for rehydrating food (no cooking is actually done on expedition except heating water) So we need to be able to look after our stoves and learn how to fix them if there are any problems. Howard also took us through the design and use of the Qajaq – the prototype sled-cross-canoe we will be using. The Qajaq is a great bit of equipment that will not only be hugely useful for crossing leads in the ice, but also for shelter in adverse conditions and use as a stretcher for any casualty evacuations. Very exciting!
To finish off the course we spent a great deal of time on Rescue Emergency Care, which really highlighted the difference between first aid in a normal work or home environment and first aid in a remote wilderness environment where any rescue attempt could take anything between 9 hours to several days (in bad weather) to arrive! Although we will have Mary along as our expedition doctor, the lack of sophisticated medical equipment available means that it’s really important for any of the team to be able to deal with life threatening emergencies ourselves.
We covered lots of material from CPR and full body damage checks to severe bleeding, burns, and head and neck trauma. We practiced immobilisation, splinting and traction for breaks and dislocations, and played with various “toys” such as resuscitation aids, monitoring aids, shelters and stretchers. Cold temperature related problems such as hypothermia and frostbite were covered in detail, and we also took part in lots of rescue and first aid scenarios during the week, including search and rescue attempts and evacuation exercises.
Throughout the week we had fitness sessions every morning (there goes my idea of a lie-in!) – training in silence to really focus ourselves and also holding hands with a partner to work together. Most sessions involved starting with a bit of gentle jogging and working through to uphill sprints. We also did quite a bit of wrestling – alternatively pushing and pulling each other to simulate the muscles needed when your pulk gets stuck on a ridge of ice and refuses to budge! (I can assure you from the photos I’ve seen that sea ice is not flat!!)
Lots of circuit stuff like sit-ups and press-ups (thank goodness I’ve been going to British Military Fitness!) and also a bit of log carrying which was fun (if not tiring!) The fitness sessions finished off every morning with a fully-clothed immersion in the river to get used to the cold – making sure we held our head in the water whilst counting to ten! These cold dips got easier during the course of the week but did mean with the exception of day 1 that you wore soggy clothes and shoes for the next day’s session. They also provided some good photo opportunities when the local press came over on Thursday! (See the Western morning news article for a piccie of us all in the river!)
Navigation was an ongoing topic throughout the week. We started off with basic navigation with maps and compasses, and working on pacing and timing – walking across the moors on a bearing rather than using features to navigate as it is crucial to understand the basics of navigation before you rely on your GPS. These skills really came into their own during a night navigation exercise where we couldn’t see anything at all to help us out, and we were amazed when our pacing techniques worked, allowing us to find small Cairns and hut circles in the dark of night!
Once we’d convinced Howard and Jim we could navigate across the moors at night with a compass we moved on to GPS – and took part in a second night exercise but this time around using our GPS only, with no maps or compasses to help. GPS navigation seems easier in some ways, as the GPS can just point in the direction you need to travel, but what it doesn’t account for are any features such as hills or rivers that might be in the way, so there is a certain amount of decision making involved when the easiest route to take isn’t necessarily the most direct. Looking at maps of the arctic really puts into perspective how different navigation will be when we get there. Tthe ice reforms in a different way every year so we won’t know what the terrain will be like until we get there and start crossing it! It also instilled into you at night to trust your equipment – so often you feel that you are heading in the wrong direction as it’s easy to get disorientated and this will be extremely important in bad condition such as storms and whiteout.
We also had a lot of discussion on expedition planning and safety protocol. Risk mitigation and evacuation procedures are really critical to get right, and we need to ensure all the possible emergency scenarios and actions are considered. Our discussions involved everything from tent fires to polar bear attacks and the use of Emergency Position Indicator Radio Beacons (or Personal Locator Beacons) for casualty evacuation. We also looked at the technology we will be using – from radio communications on the ice, to satellite phones and personal handheld computers for reporting to base camp – and how we will charge the batteries for all this equipment using our portable solar panels.
Giles from Colour Works came in at the weekend to talk about team dynamics and working together, which is going to be so important for us to achieve our goal. Trusting each other was also really important during our rope work sessions, where we started off on the flat terrain with some basic knots and coils and worked up to climbing and abseiling around the rocks and boulders of the Dartmoor Tors. We had a fantastic time sitting on top of the Tor and lowering each other off the side, and also learnt loads about hauling techniques and how to work with a crevasse kits to set up a pulley system for hauling equipment uphill or people out of the water.
Kit and equipment is obviously a big part of ensuring the expedition runs smoothly so we spent quite a bit of time going over kit requirements – trying on and taking measurements for all the clothing we will need – of which there is a huge amount ranging from down jackets and trousers to keep us warm in camp to windproof walking jackets and trousers for trekking and lots of underlayers like thin and thick gloves and socks. (If you’d like to have a look at my kit list and help me buy our kit please see the kit page)
We also had a separate session on the use and maintenance of stoves which are a really vital bit of equipment: used for warmth in the tents and also to melt ice for drinking and for rehydrating food (no cooking is actually done on expedition except heating water) So we need to be able to look after our stoves and learn how to fix them if there are any problems. Howard also took us through the design and use of the Qajaq – the prototype sled-cross-canoe we will be using. The Qajaq is a great bit of equipment that will not only be hugely useful for crossing leads in the ice, but also for shelter in adverse conditions and use as a stretcher for any casualty evacuations. Very exciting!
To finish off the course we spent a great deal of time on Rescue Emergency Care, which really highlighted the difference between first aid in a normal work or home environment and first aid in a remote wilderness environment where any rescue attempt could take anything between 9 hours to several days (in bad weather) to arrive! Although we will have Mary along as our expedition doctor, the lack of sophisticated medical equipment available means that it’s really important for any of the team to be able to deal with life threatening emergencies ourselves.
We covered lots of material from CPR and full body damage checks to severe bleeding, burns, and head and neck trauma. We practiced immobilisation, splinting and traction for breaks and dislocations, and played with various “toys” such as resuscitation aids, monitoring aids, shelters and stretchers. Cold temperature related problems such as hypothermia and frostbite were covered in detail, and we also took part in lots of rescue and first aid scenarios during the week, including search and rescue attempts and evacuation exercises.
16th October 2009 - Team Training
Friday night and i'm on my way to Dartmoor for a 10 day training session.....not sure what to expect as have very limited information but am sure it will help focus us all on what ahead.
7th October 2009 pm – Happy Ali
Woohoooooooooo (much less down despite my cold!) now have Discover Unearthed foods on board as a sponsor! Simon and Gemma you are legends! I'm on a roll...........
7th October 2009 am – Grumpy Ali
Feeling down as have a cold and don’t feel I can afford to miss training for a few days …..January feels so close and I'm still so far away from raising the money i need. Even using savings, selling my car etc will not reach my target - i need to start thinking about other options.
October 6th 2009
Have manged to arrange a meeting with the Senior Brand manager of a well known product through work – I really hope they want to sponsor me it’d be great to feel my own company are behind me….
15th September 2009
Got a response from British Militray Fitness today to say they get thousands of requests for sponsorship and they can't sponsor individuals so cant help but…..they think what I’m doing is great so have agreed to let me train with them for free - ££'s a month saved….it all adds up!
7th august 2009 - First Success!
WOOOHOOOO great response for contacts and already some promise of cash! I've been promised a camera to take away on the trip and sponsorship for a patch on my jacket (Massive Thank you to Park Cameras and particulary Mark Robinson for his support) …..i feel I’m on the way!
Now just need to find some more...............
Now just need to find some more...............
6th august 2009 - the hunt for sponsorship commences
Finally starting to get contacts for sponsorship sorted – I really want to get started as soon as I can but the need for the coordinated approach is really slowing things down.The enormity of the task ahead is a bit soul destroying i'm trying to earn £22000 in the midddle of a credit crisis i'm terrified this isn't going to work but am silently now praying sponsorship is going to appear…
30th july 2009
I've been enjoying the trips to the gym and have been fairly dedicated the last few weeks so have also just joined British Military Fitness to help keep me motivated and varying my excercise regime as it's important not to get into a rut.
9th July 2009
Great start I have been to the gym and had a personal plan set up which lasts 7 weeks before it gets ramped up – quite excited about finally having a plan to follow although very concerned at my current level of fitness - think this is going to be tough!
5th July 2009 – Getting started
This is the start of my blog and the journey that is leading me to the pole! I'm just back from holiday (British Lions rugby tour to South Africa!!) and now the only focus is the expedition. So much to do in what feels such little time. I've got to get fit and find £23000 in 5 months – agghhhh
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