Planning

Planning an expedition takes over a year – maybe even two years.

At the moment I am in full swing with planning for the Patagonia trip. I am also planning for the North Pole expedition which I hope to do next year.

We have to make lists of lots of things that we need – food, clothing, tents, sleds, fuel, ski systems etc. We then have to work our exactly which ones we want, by testing them or by talking to other experienced people. We try things out, change them or modify them. Because we sometimes have different opinions about what would be good we have to discuss it and find out why we have different ideas and then make a decision about which way to to go.

We have to plan our route. Included in this is planning how to get to the start. To get to Pataonian icecap we have to fly to Santiago and then in a smaller place to Coyhaique. From there we go on a 14 hour drive followed by a 5 hour boat trip. If we are lucky we will have some horses to assist with the final bit which is the climb up to an access point on the glacier. To do that we had to contact some Chilean people who can help us with making the arrangments (I don't speak Spanish). The Patagonia Mountaineering School is helping with this, plus with getting the permits we need. At the moment we have an application in with one Chilean dept. We will need others from other departments as well as permits from Argentina. A tricky aspect of our route is that we will cross the border between these two countries without going through a recognised border post. We found out about these things from other people who have trips in this area – helpful fellow adventurers are very important for the information they have about places.

We try to buy our gear in Australia – to support Australian businesses. Some things we need to buy from overseas though. Countries where there is cold, snowy weather have some clothing more suited to our needs.

The biggest part of the organization for a long and remote trip is raising the funds. This is the bit I enjoy the least and am least good at. I have to gather all my courage to contact people to ask for money. I do plan to work out how much money we need and work out a number of different ways to fundraise. The plan has helped, for example, to let us know that selling merchandise is not going to make us money (it just covers the costs) and that we need to hold quite a lot of fundraising events. I have asked people to help with the fundraising and to my surprise some people have agreed to help. Their willingness to do this is such a boost to my morale and makes the difficult task a much easier one. Once again I am reminded that the support of friends is one of the most valuable things you can have. I am also reminded that the job of organizing an expedition is pretty large – and much harder to do without the support of others.

Finally we all have to get ourselves fit, healthy and strong enough for the expedition.

Being in the Natural Environment

How do we see the natural environment? What is our relationship with it?

I love the natural environment. I love being out in the bush, on a mountain or by a mountain stream. To stand on a high point and look out over forest and untouched landscapes is exhilarating and awe inspiring. The complexity and sophistication of the way all parts of our ecosystems fit together is truly amazing. Being in the bush reminds me of its beauty and that I too am but one part of a glorious whole that is our natural world. The further away from signs of human impact the happier I am. I find the bush a safe place to be, much safer to body and soul than a city landscape.

The bush can be dangerous. Nature gives no favours - a storm will just come and go with no regard to who is in its path. In that way nature can be very humbling and provide an important reminder that our lives depend on the state of the natural world. Most of the danger though is when we make mistakes – we frighten an animal that then bites us, we walk into its territory that it then defends, we take a route we are not skilled enough to do, we allow ourselves to get too cold or thirsty and become incapable of looking afterourselves. These are avoidable dangers – and I relish the challenge of ‘travelling safely’. The danger I fear most is the danger of what people do to each other – theft, assault, car accidents – these are not in the bush.

I never think of doing something in the outdoors as ‘conquering’ or ‘fighting’ the conditions or the route. I believe that in being in the outdoors that we are doing what we can to work with nature, for example by being attentive to the weather, just as we are attentive to our position on the map and that we have to adapt to the conditions – a humble approach. The sense of having successfully managed in tough conditions is a sense of knowing my own competence but more importantly is an experience of ‘working with ‘ and ‘becoming part of’ nature.

Training, Training, Training

With 6 weeks to go before we leave Australia we have a lot to get ready. I've been doing fitness training for a number of months but the training now is pretty crucial. While I would like to be doing 10 fitness sessions a week I'm finding that I am managing between 5 and 7 - due to work and other commitments - though I know that if I tried really hard I could get out to do more. One of the key barriers is mental - the commitment and determination to do some excercise every day even if it means going out in the dark of the night or the very early morning. I can't always make myself do it.



My fitness activities include:

Basketball - Good for a fun activity, anaerobic excercise and speed work.

Gym - I have a 3 programs that I work through. These are mainly focused on upper body strength to make sure my back and arms are ready for sled hauling, lifting and snow shovelling. If I go in the mornings I only do one aerobic warm up and alternate between the stepper and the rowing machine. If I go in the evenings or on the weekend I will do both.

Running - I run once a week with a friend and we do about 5 kms. I do another run once a week and do between 10 and 15 kms.

Tyre hauling - this is the delight of icecap expedition training. Great for fitness because I work hard and for over 2 hours each time. I attach a tyre (with a wheel) by a rope to a backpack harness and drag it on dirt tracks for approx 11 kms each time. I have several options including adding wieghts, dragging the tyre on the side that has already worn through. This is hard work as the tyre picks up dirt and rocks and has a high level of friction.

Pack walking - I load up my back pack with 20 kgs of water, bricks, ropes and other heavy stuff and walk from my house for a couple of hours. I try to find routes that have hills.

In the last 3 weeks I've managed to do the following:
week 1: gym 3 times, tyre drag 2 hours and 20 mins, 24 km bike ride
week 2: basketball game, touch rugby game, gym 2 times, run 5 kms
week 3: basketball game, touch rugby game, gym once, tyre drag 6 km heavy/6 km light, run 8 kms.

I hope to do more sessions over the following 6 weeks - but to avoid injury and over tiredness.