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I am back from my week in the Arctic and what an amazing and lifechanging experience it was.  I met some amazing people from Malta and the UK.  Below is a really good account of what we did, written by an Editor of a Maltese paper:

Before we knew it, it was suddenly March. On the day in question, 13 cocky individuals set off for what they thought would be a breeze. It was three days of fun and three days of camping in the middle of nowhere in northern Sweden. Once in London, we hooked up with our instructors and met four people who were to join us in our efforts to make a team of 20.

The first three days were great. On Day 1, we were given our first lessons. Clothing is all about layers. If you sweat, you can get severe hypothermia; slow down. Obey your body in extreme temperatures, drink and eat when you need to and go to the toilet when you can. Your bowels do funny things in very cold weather – constipation and runs were two recurrent problems throughout the week.

We spent that day cross-country skiing – 7km along trails, powder snow, drifts, frozen lakes and more. That day we had our first case of mild hypothermia: one of us broke into a sweat through sheer effort and had to be warmed up in a sleeping bag.

Day two was even better. Snowmobiling out in the Swedish mountains was an experience I will never forget. Day three was the last day of temperature acclimatisation. Going from +16 to -20 is not an easy thing for the body to get used to, but, before we knew it, some of us were completing routine chores outside in nothing but a thermal under-layer and trousers.

Day three was a day with the sled dogs, ultimately a chance to take part in something amazing with animals who love what they do and the environment they do it in. These dogs just want to get in their harness and run. When they get tired, they stop for 10 minutes, roll in the snow and eat some of it, and, before you can even get your gloves off, they are howling to go again.

Being in a sled with them going full whack and playing with them after was a great treat and heart warmer. And that’s where it all changed.



Survival

After supper on Day 3, our expedition leader Nigel gathered us for a briefing. We were to survive for three days and nights out in the wilds. Snow lay waist-high and it was cold – very cold.

The first night went like a blur. We had to chop down firewood and set up a Teepee tent and get a fire going. To do that, we had to shovel about a 20 foot diameter of snow out of the way, down to the hard permafrost. We split into three work gangs: one for dead trees (not easy to spot in pitch darkness); one to clear the ground and pitch the tent; and one to get the fire going.

Before we knew it, we were turning up our noses at the horrible ‘fire water’ which had been boiled down from snow. People literally forced the rations down their throats. It was an early lesson I learned. My body, being slight, needed a lot of food to function. Normally fussy, I just didn’t care. Down it went. It could have been anything, I didn’t care as long as it was warm.

We quickly set up very cramped sleeping arrangements in the tent and set watch to make sure the fire didn’t go out. When I was awoken for my watch, it was freezing and my partner Maria and I were dismayed to find that there were only three tiny embers in the very primitive wood-burner in the tent. We managed to rekindle the dying embers and by that time there were only 15 minutes of watch to go. Numbed by the cold, all we could do was hold each other for warmth until we could get back in our sleeping bags.

We woke up and learned another hard lesson. To survive out in the Arctic you need food, shelter, fire and water. To make water you need fire, to make fire you must chop down a tree, to chop a tree you must find a dead one, to find the energy to do it, you need food. You get the picture.

That day we were to build a shelter to sleep in for the night. If we failed, or did a shoddy job, we would freeze. After another horrendous yet calorie-rich breakfast we set to. The team decided that myself and Raj – an English fellow raising money for Age Concern (well done team!) – were to lead this project. Going from a pile of snow to as close as you can get to a natural pine and ice bungalow is no easy task. We set to it, chopping tree after tree for construction. Others piled snow to build the walls and others built up our separate fire pit. The indefatigable Twister with his trusty machete chopped down dead tree after dead tree for firewood. Others gathered fronds to line the roof and others kept the ‘kitchen’ going. We stopped for lunch, utterly spent, but at least the weather was holding. It was cold but clear. As soon as our stomachs were full, we got back into it. Shoveling, chopping, cooking, carrying… it never ends.

By 3pm, we were looking a long way from being done. It is one of those moments of realisation. There were two hours to darkness and we were way off. People were starting to flag, get tired and impatient. Apathy starts to creep in. Somehow, you have to find it in yourself to get motivated again and help others. It is amazing what a deep breath, a slap on the shoulder and a quick cuddle can do. It is fascinating to watch group dynamics. In a situation like that, there are no individuals. People start to cease to care about themselves and concentrate more on the group, a word here, a joke there, a quick hand to carry a log… the list of tiny selfless little acts that I saw all the team perform on that day goes on and on. Here they are meaningless, but out there they are priceless. Even more priceless was the roar of approval when expedition leader Nigel told us that it was the “best damn shelter he had ever seen built”. That day, we became a team. By 9pm, we were fed and watered, and we set in for our night in the ‘ice-hut’. Spirits were high, we could take on anything.

On Day three, I remember waking up at night feeling very cold. I didn’t want to wake my buddy and I remember feeling around with my mouth to eat some high-energy chocolate snacks straight out of the coat. You quickly turn feral. The next morning I awoke feeling wretched, almost like having flu. People were a bit rough that morning, so we gathered for breakfast and had some hot drinks. We were ready for the last day.

We had been in the process of piling snow high up into a mound to scoop out and use as an igloo. Sadly it was not to be. Only a few minutes after having climbed on top of it to test its integrity, it collapsed in the middle. You have to dig it out as a perfect arc, but something, somewhere went wrong – the structure had been compromised. I was outside at the time and I heard a sickening “crump”.

For an instant I froze, and then I remember frantically searching for my buddy Owen, who was running towards the site. We called a snap headcount. Number 8 was missing. The expedition team leaders were there in seconds, and all I can remember is everyone just heaving off huge blocks of snow. In my mind’s eye, it seemed like an hour, but it was a couple of minutes. We saw Miriam’s hand, it clasped the first one it found and, before we knew it, we had her out and in hospital for a check-up. We knew she was fine, but it severely dented the spirits of the group. It was cold, snowing and miserable. We were worried about Miriam and we had ‘failed’ in the igloo project. We needed to buck up, and what could be better than a huge fire and food and bongos to go with it? That night was cold. It was in the -20s. But, as we received news of Miriam being given the all-clear at about 2am, spirits were buoyed once more. A bond was well and truly cemented. It is hard to explain how one feels about the team in such a situation. I suppose, for me, it is like watching a movie where they bring up biographies with a picture of the character in question. I learned a lot out there. I learned about myself and I learned about teamwork. We really should appreciate what we have in life and, in many ways, less is truly more. Carrying a bucket down to the ice-hole and filling it up for icy washing-up water can be as rewarding as that front page story, or that advertising deal. You learn that helping someone else, or acknowledging their contribution, will result in more for the team.

On that note, I will end. We have done our bit, now it’s time for you to do yours. I personally would like to thank my sponsors Go, Bank of Valletta, Middlesea and VFM, as well as many others who dipped into their own pockets to support the SPCA.

Monies raised will be going to Age Concern, helping to combat loneliness and isolation amongst older people.  They offer a whole range of wonderful services such as: 

Careline

For every £5 raised, careline can make 20 calls a day to speak to isolated older people living on their own

Visiting

For every £10 raised, a visitor can spend an hour or more a week with someone who is unlikely to see another person that day for a chat.

 Social Groups

For every £25 we raise they can run a community group once a week which 30 people can come along to.

Overall these services cost Age concern about £18,000 a year and they have to fundraise for all this money.
This service supports about 160 people a week which works out about £2.16 per person

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Many thanks

Annalisa x