My challenge this year is to walk to the north pole (geographic, not magnetic).  In two teams of four, we will be dragging our own tents and food for the "last degree" - sixty nautical miles to the pole.  Our main obstacles will probably not be be the cold (since we have excellent clothes, tents and heaters) or polar bears (since they rarely come this far north) but will be overheating and dehydrating (since pulling the sledges will be hard work) and falling trough the ice into the water (the geograpic north pole is on ice which melts during the summer).

I have already covered the cost of this trip, so any money you donate will go direct to NDCS.  Except for very large amounts, donating through this site is the best way to give - it is simple, fast and secure.  It is an efficient way to sponsor me since it involves you in no admin, it involves me in no admin, the National Deaf Children's Society will receive your money quickly and, if you are a UK taxpayer, tax relief will be added to your gift automatically.  Justgiving do take a fee, but except for very large donations, it seems good value.

My main training has been cycling, cross training, rowing and gym work.  You see me here at the top of "the stang", a notorious steep hill near swaledale.  The fitness test, which I passed last August, was dragging a 58k tyre for nearly a mile and was very hard work ... so I was pleased to be told that cycling remained a suitable form of training.  I'll soon find out if I should have done more with a tyre ...