Day 4 - Wednesday 15 March 2006

Maze - Mollisjok -60 kms


After my deep sleep last night which involved a lot of snoring, I wake up at 6am refreshed and ready for dog duty. The other girls in my room seem very tired for some reason. To make our dog routine even more efficient, I pick up the shovel while the others are feeding the dogs and do some turd hurling which for some reason seems great fun this morning. Of course after the dogs have all eaten and I have finished cleaning up, they perform their daily duty again so I have to start at the beginning. Not such a time saving exercise.

I would rather do all the dog shifts than have anything to do with cooking. I find the thought of it more stressful than staying aboard the sledge. Breakfast is porridge which I abhor but it tastes delicious this morning and I have a second serving.

I send my bags hurtling down the icy slope, pack my sledge and organise my dogs. Everything is perfect. The sun is shining and there are 60 kilometres ahead of us.

After all my falling off yesterday, I am a bit anxious about today's trip but the track is flat and even and I just glide along without a worry in the world. The scenery is beginning to look very Arctic with snowy plains and hills as far as the eye can see. The weather is fantastic and not too cold at all. Dave the cameraman, does a few set ups along the way and films us passing by. He is actually getting a lot fitter and managing to film footage from his sledge. I haven't even dared to use my camera while we are moving which is a shame. We climb a hill and the heavier men find it a struggle which means they are left behind a lot. I take the opportunity while there are only a few of us around during a stop, to have a sledgeside wee. There is no hiding place so I have to just take my all-in-one Arctic suit down to my knees and squat, making sure I avoid the hood. Just at that moment, my wonderful dogs pull the anchor out and start forward. I grab hold of the sledge and they drag me and my bare bottom a few yards along the ground before the ice anchor takes hold again. It was a close escape. I dread to imagine the look on Per Thore's face if my dogs pulled me bum up to his sledge.

Although this is a long day of travelling, it feels wonderful and not at all tiring. I think the whole group have enjoyed it. We arrive at the small village of Mollisjok and after the dogs have been hitched up, Per Thore takes me on the back of a skidoo to our accommodation for the night. The village is very old and has lots of antlers attached to roofs and a large teepee next to our guesthouse. The girls have two rooms with bunk beds and down the corridor is a flushing toilet and shower room. This is luxury.


Quaint old village of Mollisjok 

Downstairs is a dining room and kitchen where we can prepare and eat dinner. Plus there is beer available. The boys however have to sleep in a separate hut across the road. I feel sorry for them but not for long.

Dinner is salmon and potatoes and beer - wonderful. We have our briefing and the main complaint is that a few people were frustrated with all the waiting around while Dave set up locations for filming. C'est la vie, It's good publicity for SPRI to have the trip filmed by the BBC.

While we are having our dinner, a group of dead hard Norwegian men enter the room. We are told they have just come off an oil rig. I wouldn't like to argue with them.

When we go up to bed with the hope of a wonderful night's sleep in our luxurious accommodation, we suddenly hear very loud music coming from downstairs. This is following by lots of thumping and shouting 'Hey' and door banging. My goodness it's an oil riggers party and the music is so atrocious that I can only lie awake trying to identify every single track. It goes on for hours and at one point during the early hours, I hear someone open the door of the next room where Jane and Emma are sleeping and then some shouting. I don't know when the music stopped but I must have fallen asleep and then kept everyone awake with my snoring.