Coke Bottles
We're back in amongst the mountains again, camped by the wind-blasted and sun-eroded cairn we built last week. We found it without using the GPS – the six-foot-high marker was visible from more than a mile away, and our stash of food and fuel was safely buried at its base. We're particularly pleased about the fuel, as another of our experiments is using two-litre Coca-Cola bottles to store petrol (thanks for the idea, Steve). This may sound daft, but we're obsessive about saving weight, and the Coke bottles are way lighter than either the MSR titanium fuel bottles, or the heavy-duty five-litre canisters we're using. We'll try them at -40 in a test chamber in the UK before they get the full vote of confidence, but they're looking good so far…
I spent a fair bit of yesterday's update grumbling about the surface we're skiing on; today was different but no better – the wind has obviously been whistling up the valley, and it's left a meringue-like surface in its wake. It's difficult to get any glide going (or any speed up) but it's all good training.
Before I sign off to tuck into my chicken curry, I need your ideas. Tony played a mean but brilliant practical joke on me today. After figuring out he could write text messages from our satellite phone to our satellite phone (they arrive a few minutes later with the same exciting beep that accompanies bona fide texts) I received a message that would have put me in an intensely awkward position. Anyhow, I'm currently plotting my revenge, and any ideas would be gratefully received…
— Filed under Greenland