We have been over whelmed by the level of press interest in the expedition, especially as the coverage has been over such a broad spectrum of readers and amazingly it is still coming. I have attached just a small sample below.

As we have mentioned previously we are disappointed in the limited film footage we were able to capture out there, and are already looking at alternative camera equipment for next year, to depict the unfathomable conditions and drama that the ice cap provides. However, from the little footage we were able to capture, we will be creating little film snippets over the weekend, so keep an eye out of the multimedia page.

Tarka has now, a little over a month since we came off the ice, fully recovered physically. I however am still a little behind. The numbness in the toes has gradually disappeared bar my left big toe which I still can’t feel…very strange sensation, especially as I keep tripping over it! This week I have been shedding layers and layers of skin from my hands although that seems to be clearing up now. But problematically my knees are in a bad way. They hurt continually especially up and down stairs and don’t seem to be improving. For this reason we have been delaying getting back into training. Although I think it’s about time to dust off the bike and see if exercises will actually help the old knees.

As well as wrapping up from this expedition we have already started planning and organising for next year’s expedition…Rivers of Ice – Take 2!

As you will see from the table that we were incredibly happy with our choice of equipment and nearly all of it performed amazingly, leaving very few things to change or modify for next year.

We have completely circum-navigated the base of this glacier looking for an exit by boat and there just isn’t one. There is no way off here other than going back up the glacier which I am not sure I can physically do. Technically especially with the fact that we have no tent, we have run out of food and I cant see. So were about 100 meters from the mouth of the glacier and there is nothing that we can do. We can t go any closer as it sheers off and the boats cant get any closer cause it would be dangerous for them also. So our journey is going to finish by helicopter, it’s the only way off. So we’re just hoping one comes. I don’t know how or where it will land as we’re in enormous cerracs. But hopefully it will have a winch and we’ll be able to get off.

Basically I have just completely had it. The last week since the tent went has just completely taken its toll and I don’t have an ounce of strength left in me and I just can not wait for this to end.

Just thought we would say a few thank yous since we’re here. Thank you to all our sponsors you’ve been amazing obviously couldn’t be here with out them and really really appreciate their support. Sarah you’ve been a star, Caroline again you’ve been a star taking on press and everything else**also big support to PM**. Thank you to all the people that have helped all round the world with information about the area and everything else. And most importantly I would like to say thank you to Sadie, who I cant thank you enough. I kinda through her into being Project Manager, she had never done anything like this before. She just moved her house, moved her business, running her own business all at the same time as doing this for us. As good as the professionals.

Quick summery for now, well we have the longest British traverse, longest journey by a woman and we think the first to descend via the Glacier Spegazzini.

We’ve nearly lost our lives on several occasions, but what we are taking from this trip is that we have every intention of being here back next year at the same time to try again at our main objective. We truly believe that the tactics we used will work and now we know that the first three quarters of the trip we believe if we’re a bit fatter and a bit fitter we can do 20km a day as appose to 16km a day which would give us an extra week at the Fella Rechart. And with over two weeks in all to get through that section, again fingers crossed, it would give a much better chance to get through that weather window. So we have not given up on the mission its just going to have to wait a few more months. But we have still achieved an awful lot so were not going away completely disappointed. That’s probably it for now, we’ll do our final pod cast tomorrow hopefully being on dry land as it were. Bye.

So, I mean it really just…it truly makes my experience in the Artic in February feel quite pleasant because at least then it’s just cold and you could wrapped up because here it’s just evil. I wouldn’t want to put off people coming to Patagonia of course, just the ice cap itself!

Lets just talk a little bit about the panic attack because I’ve seen other people with panic attacks or I thought and it wasn’t like that. I’ve seen people get really upset and they get carried away and they get in a tiz until they can’t control their breathing and it is just a complete mess. Where I was happily just finished dinner, in my sleeping bag chewing on a 9 Bar and I said to Tarka “oh pants I need to go out side for a wee”, which when your in your sleeping bag is a bit of a rig moral. Before I even had a chance to eat my last bite of my 9 Bar I couldn’t feel my hands…well, I could feel that they were going tingly, then I couldn’t feel them. I lost coordination and couldn’t focus my eyes, it felt like someone was sat on me. My chest was going tight and then I couldn’t breathe very well and this just came out of nowhere. You know I wasn’t upset about any thing and now I’m really worried about needing a wee in case it happens again! One interesting fact, that Dr Ed Mathers did tell us, is that after you start hyperventilating in a panic attack, after about 4 minutes of that unless you can bring it back to normal, you pass unconscious which presumably is the body re writing itself! Aren’t we clever us humans! Anyway, that’s probably enough of me rabbiting. I’m going to go kind of to sleep in my wet sleeping bag. And, yes we’ll speak tomorrow. Bye.

]]> http://www.rivers-of-ice.com/2009/09/10/on-the-move-again/feed/ 0 http://www.rivers-of-ice.com/2009/08/15/thankyous/ http://www.rivers-of-ice.com/2009/08/15/thankyous/#comments Sat, 15 Aug 2009 16:23:42 +0000 Katie-Jane http://www.rivers-of-ice.com/?p=498 Well were off today and will spend the next 5 or 6 days traveling to the tiny fishing village of Caleta Tortel. We will then spend a further few days sorting kit, organising our boat charter and having everything checked by the military and various other authorities. During this time we will keep you updated as and when we find the internet.

We hoping to start the expedition itself on the 23rd of August and from this point on we will send back audio podcasts, as well as written versions, daily. Although once the expedition gets under way Tarka and I will not be able to see the website itself, we will have daily contact with our expedition manager. She will pass on messages or questions from emails, message wall, or twitter, and where possible we will try and get replies back to you. Receiving messages have a far greater impact than you may imagine, they allow a very remote and harsh wilderness to feel a little less lonely during those really hard times.

Before we depart I just want to say a few thankyou¹s to those who have got us this far. We feel incredibly privileged to be sponsored by such a host of exceptional market leading brands and we thank them greatly for sharing in the vision of Rivers of Ice. Our parents have also been invaluable in their effort, time and finance towards the journey and a simple thank you doesn’t seem enough. I just hope we can be successful in our quest as a way of a return.

There is also a team of people who¹s efforts are really only just starting, but we would like to give them a huge thank you in advance. Sadie who is project managing the expedition has an epic amount of work ahead of her. And considering a few months ago she agreed to my request of whether she could just check a few emails for us, maybe 5 minutes maximum a day. I now feel incredibly indebted to her, as her work load has escalated to website updating, logistics, press, weather forecasting, etc etc and for freeŠ.she¹s amazing, a great friend thank you. The rest of the team Sarah, Hannah and Caroline are equally, carrying out sterling work on our behalf¹s, and I would like them to know that their efforts are greatly appreciated and we couldn¹t do this without them.