The Goliath Expedition

1 February 2006
We’ve taken a long time to get sorted, all water bottles filled and midday has gone before we get under way. The pace begins to slow as Dimitri, with too much weight in his sled, starts to struggle. This means I pull ahead, as for me movement equates to warmth. But I then find I have to stop and wait, therefore losing the heat I’d built up. It’s essential that we stick together though. I have the gun and there are plenty of polar bear tracks around to remind us of their ever-present menace.

The day is slow and I realise we could be in trouble if the pace doesn’t pick up. I have only five days food and fuel that will run out before we can reach Teller. We make about 10 miles today and pitch tent at sundown on the sea ice. So far the route has been the best I have seen in Alaska. We have hard sea ice with little or no snow. I have to admit to being surprised at just how slow we are moving. What would have happened if it had snowed? On clear sunny days with a good hard surface I’m used to taking advantage and moving as quickly as possible because it never lasts. But of course I realise that I am acclimatised and have got into the swing of things. After all I’d been out here on the snow and ice for a month already. For poor Dimitri it’s a very different story. He’s been thrown in at the deep end. He’s never experienced this type of cold before, not even last year on the Iditarod trail. Plus, yesterday he was caught out and has ended up with frostbitten fingers. He’s been dropped straight into these conditions and, tough as he is, it takes time to adjust.