When I leave the tent each morning with all my gear on I have such a limited field of vision, if I have to adjust a zip or tighten a strap I can't see it through my goggles (to remove them for anything longer than a few seconds would surely freeze my eyes) I fumble with my mittens trying to attach my sled trace to my harness, I feel like I have oven gloves on and I'm trying to thread a needle even the most simple task can be so frustrating here.
Skis on, poles looped onto my wrist, I check my watch and look down at my compass trying to spot some formation in the distance that I can take a bearing on, I see a large piece of sastrugi about 500m away, this will do. I lean forward and feel the tug of the harness and the weight of the sledge, then I haul. For 1hr and 10 minutes I will lead the march until I am relieved by the next in line. Whilst my mind does drift, I have to concentrate on not loosing the mark and finding the next one in line wit it, or I will have to look at the compass again and loose valuable time. The sastrugi formations are incredible, but also lethal if you don't cross them at the right angle, twisted ankles are always a threat. Some of the snow drifts are steep and the sled does not easily run its course, so you lean harder into the harness to pull it over.
Leading a march is I think, the easiest time of the day, when I'm in 'The Line' I just follow the sled infront of me not thinking about where I'm going, it is then when you have to be disciplined with your thoughts. 7 to 8 hrs a day with nothing much to look at other than a white never ending horizon is quite hard on the mind, soul and body - but I love it. The piece, tranquility and being completely self indulgent with my thoughts is a rare thing to experience these days, it is like being able to day dream all day for 55 days. After a while the enormity of the task (20 to 25km per day for 55 days) vanishes and you start to see and experience the details of your surroundings, the way each breath freezes on your lips, the translucent moving carpet of snow that floats around your ankles on the wind, the startling difference between the the white ground and azure sky.
All of a sudden an hour has gone by and it is time for a break. I sit on my sledge, take a swill of water, if I am lucky its still warm, if not I hold it in my mouth for a few seconds to warm it up before swallowing to prevent 'ice-cream head'. I shovel mitten fullls of chocolate and trail-mix into my mouth for fuel, its all frozen and hard to eat quickly - I need to take on 500kcals in these 4 minutes, I can't take my mittens off as it will take another 20 minutes before my fingers will be warm again and I hate the feeling of the blood rushing back into the frozen tips - like someone hitting them with hammers.
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