The novelty has now officially worn off being wet and cold…. The misery I spoke about before is now just miserable! The good news is that we are within reach of the end point where a warm shower and a bed are on the cards. It’s a funny thing, I am trying so hard not to wish away the last few days. I know my bed will be there waiting for me in four days or fourteen but I may never be back in this harsh but wonderful place. Trying to stay in the moment is very difficult. We sent the best part of two years putting this expedition together and I spent every waking moment looking forward to it. What the hell was I thinking! I suppose when I have time to reflect on the trip once it’s all done and dusted, I will forget the rough times.
When I’m on the oars, I’m constantly thinking about the pleasures of home, these guys are awesome and I have made friends for life (I’m not sure what the lads would say about that!!) but 70 days in total in the constant company of three hairy, and now very smelly men is just starting to get old. Myself and Paul were trying to work out how long it would take for friends to clock up the hours that we have all clocked up in each others’ company. There is not much about these guys I don’t know now. If I was to try and sum them up, Kevin is an academic trapped in an adventurer’s body, Frank would have been right at home driving a dog team in the late 1800′s, Paul is a record keeper constantly taking notes in his little diary, and I’m not sure what I am apart from bloody freezing, hungry and exhausted!
The funny thing is that every time we think we are making progress and start planning forward, something happens to stop us in our tracks, like literally as I type this I hear the lads talking about the fresh water supply… it’s basically become contaminated with sea water. So now the priority has changed from charging on to Cambridge Bay to looking for a creek on the shore to fill some water tanks from, talk about a curve ball… right that’s me off to find some water I suppose…… did I mention I’m cold?
P.S. I’m loving every minute still, bed can wait.
~Denis
