Entry dated 29th October 2006

Most of my gear has now turned up and what hasn't yet arrived should be here in time. My sled and most of my equipment is being air-freighted to Punta Arenas, Chile next Monday, so anything that needs doing to it, any checking, practice, repair, amendment, etc has to be done by then.

I'd better spend the next few days reading all the instruction manuals as I can't afford the weight to take them.

Sending the equipment on ahead saves on some pretty horrendous excess baggage charges. However, all the freight goes via the United States where they are a bit funny about imported foodstuffs, so all my expedition freeze-dried food has to come on the plane with me via Spain instead. When I get to Punta Arenas I have to raid the local supermarkets for probably their entire supplies of unsalted cashew and macadamia nuts, as well as loads of butter, cheese and salami, before I can repack my sled (which has hopefully arrived by then) ready for Antarctica.

Allowing for local time differences, the total travel time to Antarctica is around 35 hours

Michele, my wife, threw a dinner party at our house last night to celebrate my imminent departure. Thank you to everyone who came and showed support. This morning the clocks went back - normally a fairly depressing occasion as it's dark by the time you get out of work, but I've only got a couple more weeks and then I won't see much dark for a few months.

The web site is nearly complete. In the next few days the Map and Log pages should appear. I've now got the software and equipment to automatically update the site from the ice, so the map will show my progress most days and comments from me will appear regularly.


First Entry: 27th September 2006.

Just over 6 weeks until I leave and NOTHING is ready. My main polar clothing hasn't arrived, my sled is still in a factory in Norway, I've a thousand and one things left to organise for the expedition, let alone preparing everything at home for being away for 3 months.

To top it all, my sponsor dropped out a couple of weeks ago and so I'm running around trying to get someone else interested whilst increasing my training, clearing up a big backlog at work, and trying to spend time with the family.

I've been lucky, in that other people have helped enormously in the planning, equipment and logistics for the trip. Otherwise, I think planning a polar journey and working at the same time are incompatible. Still, if it was easy, it wouldn't be a challenge. I wonder whether the actual walking won't be the easy bit.

In preparation for the expedition, I've been training for two years.

I was relatively fit for an office worker in his 40s, but began with lots of long slow runs to build up stamina and basic aerobic capacity. I've always played lots of 5-a-side football and tennis which helped.

For the last 6 months I've employed the experts to get me ready for burning 8,000 calories or more a day. Dr Andrew Middlebrooke (email link) is a senior lecturer in the Sports Science dept of Exeter University, a qualified sports physiologist and a consultant sports scientist to UK athletics. Andy has put me through a course of testing and training designed to get me fitter, stronger and, ultimately, fatter! Anyone who is considering taking on a major physical challenge can contact him for a consultation.

Whilst Andy has got me fitter, Tim Edbrooke (website link), has kept me going. Tim is a highly experienced sports physiotherapist with practices in Exeter and London, and has worked with the British Triathlon teams and other extreme challenges.

As the expedition approaches I am spending more time pulling a large builders' bag filled with gravel around my neighbour's field. Many thanks to Spike McCarthy. The grass will grow back.

Anyone interested in my fitness results throughout my training is welcome to view them. Just send me an email: john@dontjustdream.co.uk

DON'T JUST DREAM - John Wilton Davies' South Pole solo expedition