Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
I think it will be indelibly engrained in my memory for the
rest of my life that there were forty-six matches in the pot.
This meant I needed to ration myself to three matches per day
and I would have seven to spare. In order to make my limited
supply of matches last it would be critically important not to let
my stove blow out in a draft, be washed out by condensation
dripping from the bottom of the pot, be doused by spilt liquid or
run dry of fuel before I was finished melting snow and heating
water. I also couldn't afford many mis-strikes.
Having carefully replaced the matches in their water-tight
container I looked again at the disposable lighters. I couldn't
understand why all three should stop working at once. I
had used similar lighters on all my previous expeditions and
couldn't remember ever having had such a serious problem.
My only thought was that it could be something to do with
altitude. I didn't have an altimeter with me but my maps showed
that I was climbing to the highest parts of Antarctica's domed
interior and would reach altitudes of around 4,000 metres.
My GPS, although an uncalibrated and unreliable measure of
height, roughly agreed with the maps. Although these aren't
impressive heights by mountaineering standards, the cold,
dry and already thin atmosphere of Antarctica amplifies the
effects of altitude. I thought back to my unusual breathlessness
that day following any slight extra physical exertion and
remembered that during the night I had woken with the
panicky sensation of not being able to fill my lungs. For the
last few nights I had found it difficult to sleep despite being
physically and mentally exhausted. Perhaps I was beginning to
feel the effect of altitude? If it was beginning to have an impact
on my body then was it not also likely to be having an effect
on my equipment?
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