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of it, because the conditions were simply too bad for Jose to film in.
We eventually struggled out and pressed on. Then came a calamity:
after just five hours' trekking, Eric, not wearing a dry suit, fell through
the ice and into the water up to his waist. The blizzard had prevented
him, the most experienced of guides, from seeing where the ice was
thin over the water. It was action stations as we pulled him out before
he became waterlogged. We dried his boots and clothing as quickly as
possible, before he was severely affected by hypothermia. All up, we
covered just 5 kilometres.
We set up camp in the mid-afternoon. Our priority was to dry
out Eric's boots and clothes so we could press on again tomorrow. As I
write this, I'm still wearing my goggles and big fur hat, which will never
be a fashion statement but keep me warm. Ice clings to my face and
beard, which I've been letting grow. My nose is blue and scabby, and
my lips are chapped and refuse to move when I try to speak because
they are frozen stiff.
Disasters aside, I'm feeling strong and determined. I've fallen
back into my mindset of past ultra events: not fighting nature, just
