Team Training in Yellowknife

The first, and scary, photo of me in Arctic headgear!

It was all pretty emotional, as I met my team members face to face for the first time... Obviously we had chatted on the phone quite a bit, and exchanged emails, but now meeting, knowing I was starting a process which, over the next 5 months, would end with me knowing each of them intimately and maybe, even relying on each other for our lives, was quite intimidating. All went well, Richard's quiet assertiveness and professionalism inspired huge confidence in both me and the team environment.

Initial activities were involved in the issue of our expedition equipment, testing sizes, and make some customisations as directed by Richard's experienced knowledge. For example, the ski poles we are using are a combination of one supplies pole (the strongest and lightest) and another suppliers cork grip (best insulator and comfort). We had to put the two together, ensuring the glue we used for the handles will perform its function at -60 deg C. It's the details like this where one values Richard's experience.

The boots, ski's and bindings we use are custom made under Richard's, Weber Arctic, brand. Here is a picture of the boot that will (hopefully!)take me the 770 km's across the arctic to the Pole:



About 90% of the equipment we use on the expedition has been / will be sourced by Richard, as one finds out how specialised the 'stuff' we require is. Even in London, which has a large number of world class, outdoor / mountaineering shops, their attendants admit that: "They largely they don't stock, and cannot advise on gear for a North Pole expedition". Some of the stuff we use is also still on trial / laboratory development, and subject to risk of not being 'perfect for the task'. I did find this quite surprising in this technically advanced world we live in, but then again the target market is very small, and probably bloody crazy, so business sense prevails.

Just some other 'equipment briefs' that maybe of interest (I'll add more in future Blog posts along the way):

We will sleep in 3 bags: Two extreme temperature rated down sleeping bags. One inner and one outer, and then a very thin, Vapour Barrier Bag (VBB). The VBB is the 'most inner' bag that is designed to 'chimney' all the moisture generated around our bodies and clothing as we sleep, out via the head opening, away from the two sleeping bags and their moisture hungry down. Moisture management is one of the real focus processes in this Expedition, as moisture when absorbed, eventually turns to ice, and this has two bad implications: One being added weight, and the other being loss of insulation.

We will use Snow shoes and Ski's to traverse the ice. The snow shoes are best for the real rough terrain where crossing pressure ridges and pack ice require the additional leverage that the shoes with their crampons provide. (The terrain for the first few degrees is expected to be very rough and will be done mainly with snow shoes. The ski's are required where the ice is thin, and more flat, so out weight can be spread over a great area, lessening the chance of falling through the ice. Providing the terrain is relatively flat, the ski's provide for faster travel. The boot in the picture fits both snow shoe and ski bindings.

Then there are the sleds.... The ones he used here in Yellowknife are not the ones we will use on the expedition, but similar, and which had to weighted to simulate the actually sled weight we will be carrying on the expedition. So it was off to find sand, so we could fill sand bags to around 50kg. Not easy when the whole environment is covered in thick snow, and little bare earth exposed. Shovelling the sand at -30 deg C, then loading the sleds with the bags started bringing the realities of upcoming, four days of trekking, closer to reality. This was something new for me...I had never camped out, on the ice, in -30 deg C conditions, but it is something I want to learn and get to the point where I am totally at one with being able to move, eat, sleep, and live on the ice, for an extended period. I have felt this on my bicycle, in the wildernesses of the world, and on my yacht, on the oceans of the world. There seems to come this point when you have earned this place with mother nature, you feel right, and she allows you 'in' to be at one with the rest of 'her creatures'. I feel far off being accepted into her ice rooms, but am confident that with the help of Richard, my other team members, time on the ice, and my determination, I will eventually get accepted in. That is a huge reward for me, in taking on this expedition. I was about to start the first harsh part of this process...

Getting familiar with the gear and working with the other team members had the additional effect of bringing the expedition closer to the emotions. At times this was hugely exciting and motivating but, at times the enormity of what lies ahead seemed to look like a single, complex, threatening, and yet unidentifiable cloud on the blue horizon.....and one which was travelling a huge speed relative to the others in the, otherwise normal, sky.

Our first real physical training experience started in a 'special', smaller lake, just outside Yellowknife. The lake was frozen, but 'special' in that the Yellowknife power generating plant discharged it's warm cooling water into the frozen lake, forming a perfect small, zero degree water, 'swimming pool' for us to try out our Dry suits. Using every chance I could to get exposure to the cold, I chose to walk there and meet the others who came by car, from different accommodation. Hmmm, the 3 km walk in the snow was good, but arriving early I experienced the challenge of staying warm in a totally open exposed, -30 deg C environment while not moving. Good for the mind! Putting on the Dry suits over all one's -30 deg C warm clothes proves a challenge, particularly as we found out, most of the Dry suits had been made a size oo small! As they were called "Dry Suits", I assumed they were 'guaranteed' not to let water in, so didn't bother emptying my pockets of phone, money, wallet, and other valuables. Now that moment of truth as I sit on the edge of the ice pool (no cocktails in hand (sorry mitt!) for this one!) slowly slithering my way off the end of the ice edge into the 'inviting' water. Well the first thing I notice is that I am like Michelin man, as there is a huge amount of air trapped in the suit, making if difficult to become neutrally buoyant at a level tin the water that fells 'normal'! The other issue is that the buoyancy is such that it wants to turn you on your face, and your mind says, hey that's not a good idea, you need to be doing backstroke! Ok so logic prevails and I spend time forcing all the air out through the neck seal. At the same time, I do feel what seems like direct contact between my skin and water. "It can't be, because this is a Dry Suit, it must just be how the extreme cold water makes the plastic suit skin feel, don't be a nerd! Right, now getting used to floating, and swimming, gee this could be quite exhausting if I have to do three or four hundred metres open water lead crossing, and managing the sled behind me." Eventually it feels a bit more natural, but now I am convinced there is water inside my Dry suit. Now to get out....hmm, pulling oneself up onto a tin, brittle ice ledge, hoping it doesn't break off half way through the movement. Aah, I made it, now I am out of the water, I can confirm there is water inside my Dry suit, and sadly quite a bit, so my clothes are soaked and boots and felt liners soaked. Oh well, this could happen on the expedition, except much worse, I could fall in to the water with no dry suit on...now that would be 'fun', but it has happened, and i need to check with Richard how best one manages that... Not now though, as I am dealing with my current predicament, and finding out that my 2 day old Canadian mobile phone has not survived the watering. Oh well at least I didn't have my 'expensive' phone with all my personal data with me! Chilled to the bone, and with this start, we complete the training, with me wondering how I will ever get Mother Nature's blessing to enter her Ice rooms! Thanks to Faith and Ken's industrial drier, I get all my gear, 'back to, bone dry, and ready for round two'! That night, a lovely team building, restaurant meal, with a few beers,the company of the other two teams also being coached by Richard, and all is but behind me as experience...yeah, I steep curve, but I feel good that I am learning and moving. The next day is another steep one....



Is that a look of Fear, Cold or, a Leaking Dry suit? For sure, he is not having fun!

'D-day' arrived, when I bade farewell to Faith and Ken, and most importantly my lovely warm bed, and it's heated environment, as today we were heading out for our 4 day expedition simulation, trek. Time to start living even deeper reality... It was first handing out the daily lunch and snack rations, packing the sleds, last minute equipment checks, and then head down to the lake for the set off. Gee, the food looks great, thick slices of fattiest, smoked bacon, chocolate bars and truffles, home made high calorie Fruit cake, a huge packet of mixed nuts. (7500 kcal per day...! Almost the best part of this whole thing...just eat, eat, and eat! Unlike the huge carbohydrate and protein dominated, calories involved in my cycling adventures, this is almost 100% fat, and we all know that fat food normally tastes the best! More on the food side in future Blogs postings. Yeah, there are even more 'daily delicacies' to talk about!)) For hydration, my personal 1 litre thermos flask that will be filled with hot tea at the beginning of each day and provide the day's hydration. (Sweat is 'a crime' on polar trips, so fluid replacement is nothing like warm climate activities.) We share out the communal equipment, and breakfast / dinner supplies, balancing the sleds as best we can.

The next four days were truly valuable in helping me familiarise myself with the rigors, routines, and challenges of getting to the point of being able to walk for 6-7 hours a day, live on the ice, in a sustainable, multi-day repeatable, manner. On the expedition we initially plan to be 'moving' for about 10 hours a day, but because of the limited day light hours the 7 hours was deemed a practical first test. The temperature dropped down to the -40 deg C's, for a few of the days, and in hindsight, this was the best training I could have hope for.

Probably the biggest learning I had, was about 'Sweat management'. As a true Antipodean, I view sweat as a positive and natural, reaction to prevent overheating at high work output, and provided I replace the sweat, and keep alert to the maximum body temperature control, I can perform hour after hour without a problem. Well this is a whole different game: As Richard said: He is 'allergic' to sweat! Now, not literally, but figuratively to emphasize the pedantic way in which he approaches the generation of sweat. Its like manging a fine machine, adjusting layers, opening closing vents, adjusting work output, as conditions varying. All with one goal in mind, to work at the planned expedition level of output (speed and sled weight related) at the point 'just before' the body starts generating sweat. This is easier said than done, and I can see is part of the art inherent in experienced Polar expeditioners. With the stopping and starting, varying terrain, and changing environmental temperature / wind effect, this becomes a continuous management exercise. Sweat, or any moisture for that matter, is a problem as I mentioned above relating to sleeping bag moisture control.... Loss of insulation and weight gain!Tipping over the other edge of being too cold is the other harsh side of managing this delicate balance. On the first day, the 'naive Howard' tipped way into the 'too much sweat' area, and paid later in frozen clothing layers that just couldn't warm me, at the end of the day, tent building time, and then were difficult to dry inside the tent that evening. On one of the following days, when we had -40's and a sharp head wind, I definitely lost the balance on the cold side, countering the fear of sweat by not having enough layers on, and letting my core drop to the point that I had mild frostnip on my toes and fingers. All valuable learning for me, and fortunately not resulting in more serious frost bite. It's an amazing physiological and mental struggle walking, pulling the sled, and knowing your hands and toes are just on the limit of being able to keep themselves warm given the protection you have surrounded them with! Slight wind changes, temperature drops, hand positions, foot movements, and the game moves in and out of one's favour... Stop to take a pee, or adjust something that requires mitts off and the whole process is set back with increased unfavourable odds! Anyway this was how I felt on these four days training, and it was an invaluable experience having to deal with this at this early stage in the expedition training. At -20 deg C, it's all a breeze, and the game switches almost 100% to only dealing with the sweat side. Hmmmm, after confirming I am 'just and apprentice, or maybe even only a 'wannabe apprentice', I resisted thinking what -60 will be like.... Phase 2 problem!

These few days training made me comfortable, thinking I should be able to manage the day after day, 'monotony' of the 9-10 hr trekking.....the mind has dealt with a fair amount of this on past solo adventures, but I did get the chance to think about the SPECIFIC new challenges the cold, arctic environment may catch me unawares with what strategies I will employ. However, the imagination is not the same as being there... so we will see!

Unlike solo sailing, where the 'pressure is with you 24hrs a day, day after day, this polar expedition stuff has some 'very nice', daily break to look forward to: After a hard day hauling, when the tent is up, the stoves are roaring, I have done my 'collecting ice for water', duty, and its time to relax, cocoon and enjoy the increasing heat inside our 'little tent'... Boots off, tent 'slippers' on, mattress down, and luxury tent seat supporting a tired, but content Howard. Aah, and to cap it all, a lovely warm, virtual mother's milk, based drink to start the dinner process. I can see, that this scene will be a major motivator for completion of the end of the day progress goal each day.

With mobile reception still available, and i-phones aplenty, conversation around dinner was often centred around instant information still available online... Hmmm, how this will change in the Arctic, and I do wonder to what levels, and in which direction it will go... I find that stripping all the busy world away, and just dealing with the basics required to keep the body and mind functioning, and managing the day's suffering brings a level of thinking, and open-ess of the heart, that is probably only possible with those dealing with terminally ill friends or immediate life threatening circumstances....but I maybe wrong, time will teach me more!

Like all good things....They have to come to an end.... One of the many, and certainly one of the most critical, scarce resources, stove Fuel, has to rationed, so at some point the stoves have to be turned off! Oooh, from a lovely warm and lighted tent, chatting around the stoves, to -40 deg C, and inside 3 Sleeping bags, and a dark tent, all in a matter of minutes! This will take some getting used to. Just the physical process of getting into the three bags is at the limit of 'serious fun'!

The first night, I thought I had managed my pee-ing routine, but an hour before the wake up alarm (mine!) went I awoke dying for a pee... Gee, I tentatively put my head out of all the bags, and saw that we were sleeping in a igloo...With our breathing and clothing moisture all the tent walls had iced up, and it looked just like an igloo! The turning 'quietly' to see the path to the tent door, I realised I had an impossible mission. There were faceless sleeping bags, packed like sardines together blocking the way... Hmm, I will have to plan this better...and for now you will need to 'vasbyt' (bite hard!) as they say in my home country! Fortunately later Richard 'lends' me his pee bottle for the next night and beyond. Gee, what a simple 'invention' and what a luxury to be able to pee in one's sleeping bag! (That's if you are a boy!)

At the end of the 4 days training, I am relieved to get back to a warm B+B environment, but I also feel as if I have accomplished a huge amount, and am a step closer to Mother Nature accepting me into her Ice rooms. Before we part ways as a team I feel I have really completed the early stage bonding with my team mates, and I feel good that I am part of this team.



Our Team Photo at the end of the 4 Days: L to R: David, Sven(who assisted, but not part of our North Pole Team),Tessum, myself, and Richard.


I am so glad I have decided to spend the next two weeks in Yellowknife training on my own, as I need to now take the lessons from this team session back into the next level of learning. See the next Blog posting.