Hey you two! Fancy living in Twickenham? 

CONCLUSION

The trip was fantastic. It lived up to my expectations a hundredfold. It expelled a few myths too and one of those was about the dogs....ahhhhhhhh....the dogs.

DOGS
When I first saw the seventy one dogs all lined up at the start, it took my breath away. I imagined they would all be typical looking huskies but instead they were every colour combination under the sun with a diversity of breeds thrown in the pot.
There were typical huskies but some dogs looked like wolves, some like Egyptian hunting dogs and many like any dog you would see being walked in your local park. The shock I had was when I spied by favourite black and grey dog and then saw her eyes. Ice blue -they pierced my heart. I think about that dog everyday. I wish she was here with me now. I never knew her name but in a way it adds a bit of mystery to her persona. How would a dog like that cope in this country. I heard of one family who bought a husky back from Scandinavia to their home in the country and the dog was so unhappy that they had to take it back.

One thing that really impressed me was seeing the dogs work together in teams. They were so happy running with the sled. All four of my dogs acted as if they always stayed in the same team. They got on so well and I had no trouble with them at all. At the end I asked Per Thore if they did work together and he said no.

Toffee and Alaska, my two lead dogs were always jumping up for a stroke and were so friendly. My two back dogs were very shy. The only male had husky features and he kept very quiet. He was really sweet.

I was good to my dogs because I love all animals and believe that when man works with them, it should be a two way agreement. I hope that my dogs will always be well treated by future sledgers.

CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT
I took far far too much. We were given a kit list but a few weeks before the trip, panic emails started going around about what to wear. I subsequently went out and bought extra clothing. I had one set of thermals but ordered another set from Damart. These were permanantly out of stock much to my annoyance so I had to buy another set. When I came back, the Damart thermal pants had turned up and now I hear that the top is wending it's way to me. I'll be taking my next holidays in the winter from now on!

All we needed was two sets of thermals, one fleece top or jumper, a hat and neck warmer or balaclava, goggles and one pair of thinish thermal gloves and warm over mitts, long warm socks and maybe a duvet jacket. Phil gave us all a lanyard each which I found indespensible. I could attached my overmitts to it when I was unharnessing the dogs. The stainless steel flask I bought was far too large and I found it difficult to open. The Berghaus Mule bag was a brilliant buy from Millets and will get used again and again. I didn't use one thing from my medical kit but I wouldn't have gone without it. One thing I would take if I went again, is a sturdy pair of rubber gloves. These would be useful for when handling the dogs dishes. My thinner gloves came back stinking of dog's dinner.

A small packet of wet wipes is useful when you stay somewhere that doesn't have any running water.

CAMERAS

This is the last time I take three cameras on a trip. My digital was really good, my Ricoh GR1 was good with the Velvia 100 but I had a problem with glare getting into my Pentax zoom which ruined a lot of shots. I took Provia 400 for action shots thinking I would be shooting a lot from the sledge but for the first three days I was too scared to use any camera while travelling. All the shots taken with the 400 film are very dark. When I did get my confidence up to take shots whilst on the sledge, I could have used my digital in Sports Mode.

I had all my slides put on a disc anyway and managed to repair some of them in Photoshop. I was asked to give a slide show recently to a local unit of Girl Guides. I panicked because I didn't think my slides were very good but I managed to find over fifty which were presentable.

The light in Finnmark is so bright and harsh that it is worth checking up on exposure
settings and making sure your camera can cope with these conditions.

WOULD I DO IT AGAIN?

YES YES YES

Day 6 - Friday 17 March 2006

Joatka -Gargia - 50kms

Today is our last day of sledging and one we have been thinking about all week. In one of our briefings, Sid told us that Friday would be a difficult downhill journey on a winding path through the trees. Per Thore told us last night to be careful with the bends and to keep a good distance from the sledge in front. If we heeded this good advice, we would make it to the bottom without any mishap. Hmmmmm......

I am up at 6am to help with the dogs after a fantastic night's sleep for me and a night of snoring for the others.


Phil mixing dog food 

I go and see the horses again. How I would love to ride one of them and experience the unique gait, known as the 'tolt' that Icelandic ponies have. The owner of the settlement has very friendly dogs each with its own neat kennel.

We are away from this beautiful place by 0930. The sun is shining as we travel over lakes and past rocky outcrops.


The journey back to Gargia 

Everyone is quiet again today and the only sound is the pad, pad, pad of the dogs and a gentle panting. My team is pulling well but I can feel they are getting tired. We travel on the flat for a while passing through the village of Destica which has a famous quarry. The stone is used for roof tiles, floors and fire surrounds and is exported all over the world. Finally we come to the famous downhill section which I have been both dreading and looking forward to.

It requires a lot of concentration and hanging off the edge of the sledge to keep it upright. Everything is going really well until Jane takes a sharp bend to the left and topples over. David Wilson, in front of me, brakes suddenly on a hump next to a tree and I in turn slam right into him. Jane has recovered her sledge and is off again. Everyone behind is shouting to me to overtake David but our sledges are jammed together. I manage to hoist my runners from underneath his with the help of Phil, but by now the dogs are going mad. The sledge gets free and I am taken down the hump and around the bend at top speed and then over we go. Per Thore shouts 'Get back on!' Dave Butler helps me get my sledge up. I throw down the anchor and stand with all of my strength on the brake as David Wilson races past me. I pull up the anchor and off we go chasing David. What excitement! It's all too much so we stop for lunch and then continue onto Gargia.


Looking smug after ramming Dr Wilson up a tree! 

I unharness my faithful, friendly but tired dogs and put them back on the chains. I
unpack my sturdy sledge and put it neatly next to all the others. There is going to be a group photo and the girls are asked to pick their favourite dogs and sit in the front row with them. I pick the grey and black bitch. I could put her in my bag and take her home.


The dogs back on line enjoying a well earned rest. 

The sledging trip is over. It has been one of the best experiences of my life. At dinner later that evening, Sid and Per Thore tells us that we are the best group they have ever had for mucking in with the jobs and getting ready quickly.

I would like to do this again and I know others would too.

The sledging trip is over but we have a few recreational activities including a hot tub, a visit to an Ice Hotel and snow mobile safari.


Gargia 

Tomorrow we will fly back to Heathrow and have to adjust to life and work at home with no dogs and no snow. It'll be hard.


Alaska and Toffee - my two faithful friends 

Day 5 - Thursday 16 March 2006

Mollisjok - Joatka - 30 kms

Despite the awful night, I am up at 06.30 to help with the dogs. Apparently last night one of the oil riggers was looking for the loo and went into Jane and Emma’s room first and then Sid, Kirsty and Per Thore’s room next. One subtle word from Per Thore sent him scuttling back down the stairs. And I thought we were in for a night of rape and pillage!

As we have such an easy day today, we are leaving later so don’t have to rush. It feels quite strange to have a lot of time on my hands. We have got into the routine of packing and sorting the dogs out very efficiently. There are a few skidoo riders staying in the village and they pass us a few times. Our journey takes us over the largest lake in Finnmark, Lake Jiesavri. It is enormous! Everyone is very quiet and contemplative as we glide over the flat surface for hours. It is a joy to look behind and the see the line of sledgers unbroken. I feel confident enough now to use my camera whilst on the move. I just have to make sure that my dogs don’t try and overtake Dave as he is doing some pretty nifty filming. He is crouching right down on his runners and filming my dogs up close. On the edge of this huge lake are occasional wooden huts, which are used by fishermen in the summer. Sometimes there are a few caravans and I can imagine this must be a very popular resort for Norwegians when the ice has thawed.


Born to Sledge! 

We stop for lunch by a fishing hole that has a very long net in it. Per Thore drags the net up but no fish are to be seen. We are so lucky with the weather and when the sun comes out, the ice glistens on the nearby hills. The scenery is really spectacular.

By about 2pm, we arrive in Joatka, our next stop. This is a tiny settlement in the hills with quaint wooden buildings and the air of being well looked after. I immediately spy two Icelandic horses in a paddock and after hitching the dogs up, I go and make friends with them. About fifty skidoo riders turn up just after us and I hope that that aren’t staying the night here as well. It is quite a sight though – they look like Nordic Hell’s Angels.


Joatka 

We are staying a large bunkhouse – one big room for the boys and one for the girls with a kitchen in between. There are two long drop loos outside.

When I took the harnesses off my dogs, I suddenly got all upset. My dogs are so friendly and trusting. I have never had a dog as a pet and I know that I am going to miss Alaska, Toffee and the other two very much. The reason why I love adventure trips like this one and my horse riding expeditions, is that you build up a relationship with your animal and it makes the whole experience much richer. Of course it is also hard to leave them behind. Peter sees that I am upset and makes me sit on a wooden reindeer to cheer me up.

I go for a walk back to see the Icelandic ponies and meet Duncan. We hang out and then go for a beer (yes there is a small bar here!), then supper and then back to the bar for another beer. Two beers in one night is quite a lot for me on this trip.

At the briefing, it was mentioned that when we came into Joatka, Peter’s dogs went straight on and he had a hard time trying to get them to come back. Per Thore explained that these dogs had recently been used on in a big sledging race and the contestants usually bypass the village. It was lucky the dogs did stop otherwise Peter could have ended up in Russia.

All in all it was a lovely day today and Joatka is the most picturesque place we have stayed in so far.

I am sleeping on a settee and it is so comfort……a……b……..l……e zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

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.

Day 3 - Tuesday 14 March 2006

Souluvombi - Maze - 30 kms

Judy and Rie are on dog duty this morning so they have be up at 6am. I get up with them and help with the ‘shit picking’ which involves shovelling the doggy turds into a large scoop and tipping it over the bank at the side of the road. I take a few photos of David Wilson, Chairman of Friends of SPRI, doing the same.


Our Chairman s**t picking 

These photos could come in useful in the future! After breakfast and a visit to the long drop loo, it is time to pack my sledge and push it up the hill to the dog lines. I confidently put the harnesses on my dogs and hitch them to my sledge. I stand around looking very smug and then Per Thore comes up, looks at me and says "You have done Everything………(right?) WRONG! The harnesses are inside out and on the wrong dogs and the dogs are in the wrong order. START AGAIN!"

By now most of the teams are ready and the dogs are excited. It is not easy to completely re-do my dogs. They are jumping up and down and running around and the ice anchor is not holding very well. Carl comes and helps me and eventually I get it all sorted out. I feel a complete idiot. Even Jane who thinks she is useless at doing the dogs, has done her team correctly.

Then suddenly pandemonium breaks out! Per Thore has already warned us that we will travel down the hill and take a sharp left hand bend. He is on his sledge and about to pull out his ice anchor. All our dogs are leaping in the air, tangling up their traces and barking excitedly. The anchor comes up. I reach down to pull mine out and the sledge shoots forward at a ferocious speed. I put all my weight on the brake as the bend comes into view. Dave the cameraman is on the bend as I crash into him. I screech ‘sorry’ as my dogs leap forward after Per Thore leaving poor Dave trying to regain his composure. The path is now weaving through woodland and I soon discover that my earlier confidence has disappeared as I land face first in a snowdrift. Of course I let go of the sledge and my darling doggies rush off up the track till they are stopped by one command from Per Thore. The whole line has halted behind me and I have to walk the path of shame to recover my sledge and dogs under the icy stare of our Leader. It is not long afterwards that I repeat this embarrassing episode and I silently vow to concentrate from now on. Trying to balance on two thin runners which keep getting iced up and on a sledge which tips sideways at the merest little bump in the path is not an easy task. I watch Per Thore and try to copy him though my moves are very exaggurated in comparison. I find that standing on one runner and leaning out sideways seems to work in a rather precarious way.

We leave the treeline and enter the high country. It is very bleak up here and a blizzard is blowing. There are more crosses dotted around and the stick remains of teepees left by the Sami reindeer herders. I am completely covered up and glad of my goggles and neck warmer. The dogs don't seem to mind the weather though I find it is a battle to keep them on the track. We come down into sparse woodland again and stop for lunch. I really want to spend a penny but there is nothing to hide behind. The birch trees are very spindly and won't give cover. I step over a bank at the side of the track and immediately go down into a snowdrift. Perfect! My own private loo.


Look away boys, I'm having a pee. 

After eating a frozen cheese sandwich, we continue up the track and I have the luck to spot a beautiful big white Arctic Hare crossing out path and bounding into the woods.

We pass through the small village of Maze and I spot some reindeer and Icelandic ponies in an enclosure. We reach a large frozen lake and sitting above it is a wooden summer house, our rest stop for this evening. It is a beautiful spot.The sky is pink and there is a full moon. I put my dogs on the line and unpack my sledge. I start to walk up the very steep,icy slope to the house and as I am nearly at the top, I slip and end up ceremoniously at the bottom again. This could take some time. The house is really cosy but there is no running water and no electricity and a chemical loo out the back. However there are stoves in every room so we should be very warm. The girls are given the front bedroom with a balcony and the boys have a back bedroom and various settees in the living room and kitchen. I go back down to lake with Rie and Jake and Per Thore hands Jake a huge corkscrew saying 'OK fetch water' I am learning that Norwegians are very economical with their words.


Rie and Jake drilling for water 

Well this is a new one on me. We have to drill three holes in the frozen lake and collect water in buckets for a) us b) the sauna c) the dogs. Each hole is marked by twigs so we don't get them mixed up. While all this is going on, Alastair is lighting the stove in the sauna next to the lake. The girls have been given first shift so we change into our swimming costumes and have a bit of a steamy chillout. Emma dares us all to do the Viking Challenge which involves running out and diving into the snow. So we put on our Arctic boots, take a deep breath and make a dash for the lake. The snow though is not so deep as we thought and there are a few bruised noses. When we go back to the sauna, the fire has gone out and we have to ask poor Alastair if he can come in and help. He doesn't seem to mind though as he spends what seems like ages trying to relight it as we sit around waiting half naked.

I am on supper duty tonight which in my case involves standing in the kitchen for 30 minutes pleading with a huge pan of water to start boiling. I am not very good at cooking and decide to do dog duties from now on.

The spaghetti is gratefully received mainly due to it being almost an hour late. We have our nightly briefing which is much more positive than yesterday and by 10pm I am in bed fast asleep...........ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Day 2 - Monday 13 March 2006

Gargia -Souluvombi - 30 kms

I am up at 0630. The room is a complete mess of disgarded clothes. Jane keeps losing things which is making me nervous and I now have my rucksac and a huge carrier bag full of clothes that I won't be taking with me including the ski pants I bought from TK Maxx and my polar bear pyjamas. I put on my long johns and thermal top which Sid has said we will all be walking around in for the duration of the trip and go to find the dogs. The dogs...........what can I say? This is possibly the most beautiful sight I have seen in a long time. There they all are, seventy two dogs chained in long lines. Are they friendly or will they bite? I walk cautiously along the line. They are wagging their tails and straining at their chains for a stroke.

Sledge dogs waiting in line 

One in particular catches my eye. She is small with black and speckly grey fur and the most brilliant ice blue eyes.

The shy dog wth blue eyes 

Some dogs are very friendly and others are cautious or stay curled up in their straw lined hollows. After breakfast I stow my excess clothing away in a store room and take my now downsized bag of equipment back down to where the dogs and sledges are waiting. Per Thore shows us all how to harness the dogs and attach them to the traces on the sledge. It all looks really easy. I won't have a problem.


The Dog Master with all the harnesses 


Eager sledgers! 

He rigs one of the sledges up and asks Peter if he wants to have a go. Peter shoots off across the snow like a real pro and we don't see him again for a while. Per Thore then sorts a four dog team out for each of us. I am given two very friendly lead dogs - Alaska and Toffee and then two back dogs known as the wheels. One of them is the black and grey bitch I saw earlier so I am really pleased. The other back dog is a black and tan husky who is very shy. I never find out their names as they belong to another breeder.

The wooden sledges look very flimsy. They have a blue zipped waterproof bag on the front of them which is for our bags. Per Thore gives a quick instruction on how to use the brake and ice anchor, tells me to stick behind him (do I really look that nervous?)and off we go.

It is a fantastic sensation being pulled along by the dogs in the snow and balancing on the runners at the back of the sledge. I keep up with Per Thore as we climb through woods, sometimes having to push the sledge to help the dogs. I watch how he stands on the runners with such ease holding on with one hand. I am grasping with both but I seem to get the hang of it quite quickly. People behind are falling off and we have to wait for them to catch the dogs and get back into line. We leave the treeline and climb up into the hills. It is very bleak and the wind is blowing hard and cold. Every so often we pass a cairn with a wooden cross stuck in it. Former dog sledgers I assume! Everytime we stop, my hands get colder and colder even though I am wearing thermal inner gloves and thick ski mitts on top. The heavier men are finding it harder and harder to push the sledges and Dave the BBC cameraman is feeling faint.
Per Thore makes him come up to the front and Kirsty the doctor checks him out. He doesn't look well at all. He is carrying much more equipment than anyone else so Jane takes some of his camera equipment to lesson the weight. We don't stop for lunch as we have to make up the time for all the stops we have made. Funny thing is I don't feel hungry at all.

We arrive at Soulivombi which is a small settlement of huts and caravans, a small cafe and a wooden bunkhouse. There is an entrance for the men and one for the women, no running water and three long drop toilets near the cafe.

Per Thore puts out long lines with chains attached for the dogs. I stop my sledge, remove each dog in turn and clip them to the chains. I remove their harnesses and try to remember which one goes on which dog. I then push my sledge down the hill to the bunkhouse and park it.


Bunkhouse at Souvulombi 

I am on dog feeding duty this evening so I just have time to put my bags in one of the rooms. The dogs are fed a mixture of reindeer meat, biscuits and hot water which is kept in insulated containers. There are six of these containers and twenty four stainless steel bowls. We carry the whole lot up to where the dogs are and Per Thore hands me a pair of thick rubber gloves and tells me to stir the mixture until it is like a thick soup. It is truly foul especially for a vegetarian like me. I am nearly sick. It is dark so I have to wear my head torch. With a scoop I fill twelve bowls from each box. The other members of the team, take the bowls to the dogs. The dogs wolf the food down and the bowls are empty in no time at all. The team collects the empty bowls and I start stirring another box of the vile stew until all seventy one dogs have been fed.

About ten minutes after all the dogs have eaten, they lift up their heads and howl in unison like a huge pack of wolves. It is the most amazing primal sound.


One little dog howling his heart out 

While my team is on dog duty, another team is making supper which we can eat in the cafe. Our food is mainly pasta and dry packets of sauce mixes, bread, tea and coffee. Everynight we will have a briefing from the team leaders. Tonight the men aren't very happy with all the pushing they had to do up the hills today. Some want more dogs but this is not possible. The lighter members of the group suffered from the cold waiting for the men to catch up. Sid says that we have to do another day to see if these problems still exist.

I am sharing a room with Judy and Rie, the Japanese lady tonight. I feel sorry for them because I have a really bad snoring habit. I also have an annoying night cough not helped by the very dry conditions here.

I am in the top bunk clutching a packet of Lockets.

Goodnight!

Day 1 - Sunday 12 March 2006

I am up at 6am and have repacked my bags yet again. I am so nervous driving to Heathrow. Will I be up to this challenge? Will everyone else be superfit? All these thoughts are going around in my head and turning my stomach to butterflies.

I make my way to the SAS desk and there are three familiar faces - David, Duncan and Judy. I suddenly feel a lot better. Then there are all the others looking keen. Phil 'the Crazy Musher' gives me a handwarmer and a lanyard (this becomes one of the most useful pieces of equipment on the trip) and Peter organizes us in a group for the check-in so well that I think he is our expedition leader at first. We all wander around duty free buying booze and wet wipes before boarding the flight to Oslo. As soon as we reach the coast of Norway, I see the land is covered in snow and now it feels as if the adventure is really starting. There is time at Olso airport to get a snack before boarding the next flight to Alta in the far north.

At Alta we are met by Sid, our leader from Across the Divide and Per Thore, the local agent. Kirsty, the doctor has travelled with us from Heathrow. We pile into a minibus and on the way to our overnight stop at Gargia, someone notices a faint light across the night sky. A great cry goes up 'it's the Northern Lights! and we are all pressing our noses up against the bus window trying to catch a glimpse of them through the trees.

Gargia is a small settlement of wooden accommodation blocks and huts with a central building which houses a kitchen, bar and restaurant. It is also has an equipment store in the basement. We are given a keys for our rooms then go to dinner and have our first briefing. This is when I realise that I have brought far too many clothes. Sid tells us that all we need is a set of thermals and a thin fleece to wear under our suits. We are put into groups and given tasks for the next day. I am on late shift dog feeding and shit picking! - Nice!

Dinner is salmon, vegetables and potatoes and chocolate mousse for pudding. I buy a can of lager which costs about £5. This might be a good opportunity to cut down on drinking! After dinner we get our Arctic suits and boots. The Arctic suits are all in one and very cumbersome. The boots seem very large.

I go back to the room I am sharing with Jane and we both repack our bags till well after midnight.

ONE DAY TO GO

To take my mind off the panic I am feeling at this moment, I thought I would tell you a funny story.

A few years ago when I went on my first riding holiday in Jordan, I found myself suffering from acute bladder weakness. I had only just arrived and had spent the day doing touristy things in the capitol Amman. I had suffered all day with this and it was getting so bad that I thought I was in for a full session of cystitis which as any woman knows is horrid beyond words and even worse in a foreign country. I was back at the hotel and the next morning I would be travelling down the country to start the riding trip. Across the road from the hotel was a small parade of shops including a pharmacy. I went inside and an Arab man was sitting behind the counter. I looked at the shelves desparately looking for Cystapurin or something similar but I couldn't see anything so I asked the Arab pharmacist. He didn't speak English and why should he? So after shouting cystitis several times with no effect, I then pointed down to my nether regions,pulled a face of pain and made agonising sound effects. He watched me in disbelief. I did this several times and then my friend Gill came into the shop and helped my in my charade. This time we had a result.

The pharmacist looked very excited and pulled from a drawer under the counter..a d.i.y colonic irrigation kit.

We went back to the hotel disheartened and Vicky who was on our trip was in reception. I told her about my problem and she said that she also was a pharmacist and would go over the road and get me some antibiotics. As the three of us crossed the road to the shop, we suddenly saw the small Arab man running out of the door and down an alleyway. When we got to the door, it had a CLOSED sign on it. Poor man, he must have been terrified of the thought of three women standing in his shop all pointing downwards and screeching in pain!

Funnily enough as soon as I started riding, the problem went away which makes me think it must be stress related.

I am mentioning this incident because I now know that this is a common problem and there is a company who offers advice on how to deal with bladder incontinence and produces several products which will help. This company is called TENA and sell pads and pants which can help avoid embarrassment and discomfit. I had a mail shot from Tena last year and discovered that they offer bursaries for people who want to achieve a lifetime's ambition. I applied for a bursary but was not successful. However they have sent me some of their products to take along on this trip so hopefully if I have any embarrassing moments, I will be well catered for.

THREE DAYS TO GO

Well I had a nice surprise this morning when I went to the local sorting office to collect a parcel. A skincare company I had approached just after Christmas, had sent me a box full of goodies including moisturizer, Factor 25 face protector and lots of other essential care products. These will be really welcome on my trip so thank you Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare (mentioned also in Sponsorship post)

Which brings me to the subject of cameras. I would rather talk about cameras and forget about the growing mountain of clothes on the spare bed which has to be sorted through. Cameras are an interesting subject. I love cameras and have many of my own and access to state of the art Nikons with F.O lenses. I have 35 mm, compacts and digitals but I still love film. I hate being weighted down by heavy gear on adventure trips so I just use compact. I have decided on that on this trip I am going to take two compact film cameras with slide film and one compact digital with a big memory card. I have bought three rolls of Velvia 100 which I will use in my wonderful Ricoh GRI. It has a great wide angle lens but no zoom so I will use it for static landscape shots. It is such a rugged little camera and has all the elements of a 35mm so you can adjust the aperture and the exposure. I took it to the Antartic and it stood up well to the cold unlike my Canon 35 mm which just gave up. I also bought three rolls of Provia 400 which I will use in my Pentax Espio 120SW. This camera has a good zoom for a compact and I have had great results from it in the past. So I shall use this more for action shots which I think there will be many. My third camera is my Ricoh Caplio R1 which again takes some great shots especially on macro setting. These three little cameras probably weigh less than one big professional kit and they can be slipped into pockets to keep warm.

When I get back home I will take my slide film to Snappy Snaps in the Strand and get them to process but not mount the slides and put them onto CDs. In this way I can keep them on my computer with the digital images but also have a good old fashioned slide show if I want.

There! I have got cameras out of my system and so tommorrow I shall have to face the clothing situation.

FIVE DAYS TO GO

My back bedroom is a huge pile of clothes, cameras, water bottles, bags and rucksacs.

I found my multicoloured fleece creation as mentioned previously at the back of the wardrobe. I hadn't worn it since I went to the Antarctic in 1999. I also hadn't washed it. It is the warmest garment I have and I made it with love using a pattern and state of the art fleece and pertex lining from an outdoor company called Peninne Outdoor. If you want to save money and make your own gear, that is the place to go.

There you go, I have given them a free plug and didn't even ask for sponsorship.

Anyway I washed my fleece and tried it on last night. I forgot that when I went down South, I was over two stone heavier and quite porky. I could have set it up in Mongolia and lived in it! OK slight exagguration - but I could easily smuggle two huskies under it and bring them back home.

SEVEN DAYS TO GO

This time next week, I will be in a hotel anticipating the next day. I will have met the rest of the team and we will all be wondering what the week has in store for us. This is the bit I both love and hate. When I went on my first horse riding expedition, I remember meeting all the other keen riders and realising that they could all ride much better than me. They were so confident and the more they talked about their fantastic abilities ' oh make sure you give me a really spirited horse', the more I shrank into my seat and thought 'SHIT'!!

Next week, I will meet superhuman beings who race up hills for hours everyday. They will have matching and state of the art clothing. I will look at my home made fleece in mauve, turquoise and fushia and the cheap ski pants I bought in Tk Maxx and want to die.

Of course this is last minute nerves and the fact that I have now contracted the office cold which has laid people up for weeks.

By tomorrow I will feel a lot better. I owe it to everyone who has sponsored me and I owe it to myself.

The local paper, the Richmond and Twickenham Times has run a small piece on me with a promise to do a follow up with photos when I have returned.

UPDATE

There are five weeks to go and panic mode is setting in. Am I fit enough, have I got the right equipment, have I got the right attitude and am I taking this seriously? When everyone is shivering around me I have to think 'No this isn't cold, I am not feeling the cold, I am not cold, I am quite warm really - gulp'

The team has started exchanging emails about equipment and how fit we all are. The girls are trying not to read what the boys say as they seem to be superfit with the most technically advanced equipment plus millions of business sponsors. The girls are worried about contact lenses and earrings and looking cool in their goggles and balaclavas. One of the girls is a BBC reporter who will be filming us falling off the sledges, trying to separate fighting huskies and saying how we feel without using foul language. This has all the potential of yet another 'make or break my career' TV show like 'Big Brother' or 'I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here'. We could call it 'I'm Bloody Freezing, Give Me a Brandy!'

On the sponsorship front, my colleagues at GMTV where I work, have done me proud.

I have raised almost £600 and most people have dug really deep into their pockets to give a very generous donation. So many have come up and asked me about the challenge and wished me luck.

SPONSORSHIP - UPDATE

UPDATE - 30.03.06
I can't believe it! I have just totted up all the sponsorship money and I have raised over £1700. My family and friends including friends in the USA and Spain helped me with over £750 and the rest came from my colleagues at work.

It has been a fantastic response and I am glad that I managed to get through what was a hard week for a very good cause.


I have now raised over half the required mimimum of £1000 and that is just from a birthday and Christmas. It goes to show how much money could be put to good causes in lieu of presents.

I am approaching several companies who I either have a close relationship with or whose ethics are in keeping with this challenge.

One company I would like to thank is Equitour who specialises in horse riding adventures overseas. I say adventures instead of holidays as I have been on three now and they are wonderful experiences. I went to Jordan to ride Arab horses in the desert region known as Wadi Rum. I spent five days riding and camping with a small group of people who have now become close friends. It was such a fantastic experience that I returned the followng year.


Jordan 2004

I could go to Jordan every year and not get bored but this year for a change I went to Chile. With old friends and new friends, we rode nimble, surefooted Criollo cross horses for ten days in the Torres Del Paine National Park, staying overnight in Estancias, campsites and wild camping in ancient beech forests at the edge of glacial lakes. There is nothing so exhilarating as galloping across the pampas for miles alongside the local horsemen in their wonderful costumes.


Riding in Chile Jan 2005

Therefore for giving me three of the most exciting adventures of my life and now sponsoring me for this quite different challenge, I would like to thank Louise Lyall of Equitour.

Another company I approached is Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare - I was first introduced to Liz's skincare products by a friend and found them to be exceptional. All the ingredients are completely natural and not tested on animals. I have been using these now for a few years and felt that this company may wish to support me in my challenge. I was delighted when on the 7th March I received a box full of products which will help to protect and moisurize my skin in the harsh Arctic conditions. Thank you Liz - this contribution is very much appreciated.

Thank you also to TENA who has sent some product for my trip.

I would like to thank Alex and Lou from Ded Good Music who kindly put the story of my challenge on their website The Ded Good Music Library They also gave me a neck warmer which was invaluable in the extreme Arctic cold.

TRAINING

I have to be superfit for this challenge. It will be colder than I have ever experienced and I have no first hand knowledge of dogs. The terrain will be very rough in places and the sledge will need pushing up hills or over tricky ground. I am not going to be sitting on the back of the sledge calling out 'Mush Mush' the whole time but helping the dogs too. When I am sitting on the sledge, I will probably be gripping it with grim terror as I have heard that the dogs travel very fast when the terrain allows it and do not stop for anything. I have also heard that everyone falls off the sledge from time to time and you must not let go or you'll never see your dogs again! I will be wearing a lot of clothing, a balaclava, thick gloves, boots which will hinder any movement, and goggles to protect my eyes from the harsh glare of the snow. These will also keep away any missiles which are fired out of the doggies bottoms. I must remember to keep my mouth closed.

I have told that I must be able to walk 20 miles a day for two consecutive days. My normal exercise routine consists of walking about 4 miles a day plus I have done some much longer walks on holiday and at weekends. I feel quite comfortable walking 15 miles so need to work on that a bit more. I also ride my horse Bert at weekends and I do a weekly exercise class to keep me flexible.

Here are some images of how I have been training:

Walking the South Downs Way - Feb 06




Getting up close and personal with a reindeer


Drinking Vodka in the Ice Bar off Regent Street October 2005


Training in Madeira April 2005

THE COSTS

Update 26/11/05

The trip is going to cost about £2,300 to actually fly there and do it. That is what I will pay out of my own pocket. On top of that I have to raise £1,000 plus for the charity SPRI.

I am achieving this by asking for sponsorship instead of Birthday / Christmas Presents and it is amazing how much it adds up. I have already made about £300 in birthday money.

Shortly, I am going to put up a sponsor sheet at work which I hope will bring in a lot more.

I am also going to target a couple of companies to sponsor me and if they do, I will put a link on this website which in turn will be linked to the SPRI Friends website.

The money I raise will help SPRI improve resources which students and scientists use to research issues such as global warming and its effects on this planet. Research is also carried out on the changing habitats of birds and animals and sealife in the Polar regions. Most important it deals with how the indigenous people of the North are effected by climate changes and how their whole livelihoods are under threat and subsequently their existence on this planet. On this trip to Arctic Norway, we will meet with the Sami people who follow the reindeer herds and this I will find most interesting.

WHY OH WHY?

I have always been attracted to the Polar Regions but it was a book that changed my life - Terra Incognita by Sara Wheeler. It is an informative, humorous and passionate account of the writer's time spent in Antarctica. Afterwards, I started reading every book I could lay my hands on about the history of that continent and the men who explored it and those that came back and those that did not. I discovered that mere mortals could go there if they had a few thousand pounds to spare and a strong stomach for the sea crossing. I went in February 1999, via Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, aboard an old well renowned ship called the 'Disko' . It had no stabilizers and I was sick sick sick for two day crossing the famous Drake Passage and then a complete repeat for the crossing back. But down there amongst the ice bergs and lava black shores stinking of pink krill tinted penguin guano, I found a land of beauty and wonder. I could write and write about this trip but I have to get back to the North.

I joined several polar societies including SPRI and then looked Northwards at the exploration of Greenland and Arctic Canada. I became interested in Inuit Culture and especially their print making and stone carving. I support the Inuit Art Foundation and send money to help with materials, training etc. My own artwork - stained glass, cast glass and stone carving - is heavily influenced by the work of the Inuit people.

Therefore you can see that when this opportunity arose to not only go to Arctic Norway as an adventurer but also to support another charity which I feel strongly about (SPRI), I jumped at the chance. It is going to be hard I know but then it is a challenge and not a holiday.

THE CHALLENGE - MARCH 2006

DOG SLEDGING IN THE LAND OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN
For More Information visit – www.acrossthedivide.com


On the 12 March 2006 I will be on my way up to the very North of Norway, 200 miles within the Arctic Circle. I will be part of a team of friends and strangers and all of us feeling pangs of anticipation for what we are about to do.

According to the itinerary, we will be met at Alta airport and taken off to Gargia where we will be kitted out in extra clothing for the harsh conditions. I have read that temperatures reach as low as –30 degrees up here. We will then have a briefing on the safety aspects of dog sledding and cabin life. I can see the problems that may arise from falling off the sled and the dogs tearing away at top speed while I hold on for dear life. But cabin life?? All will be revealed I’m sure.

The next day, we will learn how to handle a sled and finally meet the poor dogs who have been through this so many times that I’m sure they think up lots of tricks to play on us ignorant humans. After lunch, we pack our sleds, hitch up the dogs and the journey begins.

The trip lasts for five days and takes in a circular route of 250 km stopping at places that I couldn’t find on any of my maps or travel guides. I finally found a good map in Stamfords. The terrain is a mixture of forests and frozen lakes. It is hilly in places and I think that I have to get off the sled going uphill and push to help the dogs. Going downhill, I hang on for dear life and hope that a tree doesn’t come between me and the rest of my life.

The places where we will be stopping for the night are Soulovombi , Maze, Soussjavri,
Jotka and Gargia. Most of the accommodation is in lodges or cabins but the stop at Jotka is in a tented camp in the forest. Every night after travelling from 30 to 60 km a day I will have to unhitch my team from the trace which sounds very complicated making sure that the lead dog is unhitched last. Then I have to make a sort of soup for them by melting snow and cooking it with reindeer meat. This is how the dogs take in liquid. Then I chop up frozen chunks of the aforesaid meat and throw it to the dogs. Please note that I am a vegetarian so this is completely alien to me. I must NOT hold the meat out in my hand like I feed my horse an apple. When they are all happy and bedded down, I can then attend to my own needs which could involve a slug of vodka to get over the ordeal!

Every morning early the whole process has to be repeated in reverse (leaving out the vodka bit). I have been told that sled dogs do what dogs do naturally while they are in full stride and that it is advisable to wear goggles and keep your mouth closed. So no shrieks of exhilaration whilst careering down an icy slope unless you want a mouthful of……………… mush!

I think this trip will be very challenging but fantastic and I am really looking forward to it.

ONE MONTH LATER

They didn’t forget. I receive an information pack that I look at with horror. There are headings that say ‘Doggy Facts’, Equipment List and Training. TRAINING? I am advised to start straight away. But surely you don’t have to be that fit to sit on a sledge or is it sled? I have to reach a level of fitness equivalent to walking twenty miles a day for two consecutive days

I did finish a walking marathon of 26 miles once for the World Wildlife Fund and the next day I could barely hobble to the bathroom.

Then I read the itinerary and that old cold arrow does its trick again. I sign the registration form, enclose my deposit and off it goes. I am committed – or I should be!

THE NEXT DAY

What have I done! Dogs?? I know nothing about Dogs. Well I know about all the explorers who used dogs for travelling across the ice and I know that the little b*****s are vicious and uncontrollable and fight to kill each other given half the chance. Me on a sledge? No way. I would like to go to the Arctic but maybe a comfortable cruise ship is more my style. Oh last night was only idle talk. Maybe it will all go away................................

THE BEGINNING - NOVEMBER 2004

It was November 2004 and I was glugging a large glass of red wine in a tiny crowded gallery off the King’s Road. Outside was dark and cold with heavy lashing rain. Inside it was warm and cosy and the guests were being offered trays of prawn satay and vegetable tempura from the local Thai restaurant.

The occasion was a book launch – The Nature Notebooks of Edward Wilson – and I was a guest of David and his brother Chris, co-authors of the book and direct descendants of Edward Wilson the naturalist and polar explorer who tragically perished with Scott on the way back from the South Pole.

It was a convivial evening and the wine was flowing.

A whisper went around room – ‘dog sledging in the Arctic’. I gulped another mouthful of prawn and wine and suddenly an icy arrow pierced my brain! DOG SLEDGING IN THE ARCTIC!!!!! I barged my way through the crowd to where the whisper was emanating. It was true. A trip was being arranged to raise funds for SPRI – The Scott Polar Research Institute of which I am a Friend.

Within the hour I had verbally signed up to join the trip along with half the people in the room. It seemed like the most fantastic thing in the world on this cold rainy winter evening in London.

All the way home on the bus, I thought about it with great excitement and I’m sure the wine had nothing to do with it whatsoever.