i cannot begin to relate the events of the last few days. images flash before my minds eye of the days in the run up to yesterdays conclusion; a crushing defeat, a moment where my courage failed me and i was overcome with despair, a change in fortunes, another chance to turn it around, a truly horrendous 12 hour 70 km march, the penultimate days skiing with views of the ocean glittering in the sunlight contrasting with the crisp whiteness of the mountain landscape, sleeping in the open air on a cliff overlooking a fjord, the march through an undersea tunnel with the foul stale air making me dizzy and playing havoc with my imagination, the final push to the cape beset by tight boots which made it feel as if nails were being driven into my feet with every step, and the final moments which i have difficulty remembering properly, it is as if my mind has blanked them out lest the power of those last few moments be more than my psyche can safely recall

the afterglow of that feeling remains with me still, like an echo in my consciousness. i felt like i was 12 feet tall. like my heart had grown several sizes larger, and was in danger of bursting out of my chest. i had had a dream, and then forged it into a reality by the the force of my willpower alone, and i felt the absolute certainty that i could do anything, if i but dared to

but despite my pompous self adulation i know that i would still be flailing about in the snow without a clue if it wernt for the amazing support i have been given; from the corporate sponsors who believed that i could do this when few else did, to the individuals who gave succour so a lone traveller, without knowing where he was going or why. the individuals who have helped me are legion, and i could never thank them all, but there are some who deserve mention here:

my friends Andy and Apostolos, who were there with advice, and who i hope to persuade to join me on the next adventure. my Godmother who has been there for me through this and many other upheavals. Trygve, whose advice, and in whose steps i followed. Col Richards and Canning of The Royal Marines, who have supported me up to the hilt. Brian, without whose superhuman efforts during the early stages of this trip i would certainly have come to grief. and of course, my father, who came to meet me as i skiied onto the cape on the 122nd day of my journey, his help and support has been amazing, through this experience we have grown closer and come to a greater respect for each other. as i have learnt to trust him with tasks which have meant the difference between life and death, and he has recognised that my achievements are beginning to rival his own. of course there are many more people to thank but there is not space for all of them; Mike, Joe, Baz, Rune, the list is endless, and i hope that if any of you are reading this, that you are aware of how much i appreciate what you did for me, and what it has meant

in the end it is probably worth examining why i did this, was it because of a desire for self glorification, through the completion of a trial of endurance - if i was really serious about giving money for charity, why didnt i get a high paying job and donate my wages? i really dont know how or why i came to be here (i have no idea why i joined the marines but i am very glad that i did) so why did i do it? a girl once said to me that i was searching for an awnser, and when i found it i would realise what the question was - i think she got it from a fortune cookie. another cheap phrase that i heard was “its not who we are that defines us, but what we do” i would be happy if that were true, but i think that it too is a flawed statement. when alls said and done, i think that the charity aspect, and the personal achievement side of this journey have been like the chicken and the egg; one cannot exist without the other, but it is impossible to say which came first

what is there to say, it feels like a lifetime ago that i began this journey, setting off in the dark from the lonely lighthouse at Lindesnes on a damp new years eve. needless to say, a lot has happened since, i look back on those memories of the early days of this journey, and it seems like it was another person, who began this trip, another me, who struggled with the early setbacks. this country has left its mark on me, as indelibly as the marines have, and now at the end the events of the journey flash before me, like the roll call of characters at the end of a movie, so much has happened in these last four months, and i must acknowledge that it has changed me forever

one final thing; as i was skiing towards Nordkapp on that final day, the sun was beating down on the snow and there were fantastic views of the sea on both sides. i heard a noise from above, and looked up to see that a blue tit had landed on the flagpole which bore the union jack, sticking out of the top of my pack, the bird looked down at me, chirruped and flew on in the direction of the cape. if a novelist or scriptwriter were to include such a ridichulous event in a book or play then they would be derided, but like the rest of this, it happened - just as i have written. of course, i did stop to take my hat off and check that he hadnt taken a dump on me

P.S. i am staying at the Park Hotel in Alta tonight for free, in return i promised them a mention, and i can truthfully say that it is a very good, well kept, clean hotel, and the receptionist is very pretty

i just wrote a mamouth post covering everything, the days running up to the finish, what it was like, how i felt, and what i plan to do next (walk across africa) but the F***ING hotel computer decided to dump the whole lot

cest la vie - il get round to writing it all up sometime in the next few days, right now im going to go & have a beer

i made it, im too knackered to write about it now

After being dropped off by Trygvy’s girlfriend on the morning of the 26th April , Dave set out from the Gargia Fjellstua on ski. eventually the long suffering skimarch boots he was wearing fell apart, so he had to fall back on trainers and walking on the road, all very frustrating and no prospect of replacing his boots. Late afternoon and he reached Rafsbotn, where he met a friendly Norwegian who put him up for the night, fed him and loaned him a pair of skiboots. Next day he decided to continue walking, not wanting to risk wearing strange boots when still a considerable distance to North Cape remains. It was to be a long day having started about 9am, he finally reached Skaidi some 70 kms further along the E47 main road. By now it was nearly midnight and he was pretty exhausted. Today, still being pretty tired, he decided to take a day’s rest. He plans to ski tomorrow aiming for Smorfjord. Target date for North Cape is Friday 2nd May.

on leaving Kautekeino i headed directly north, having done a map reconnaissance and found out from the locals what the best way to Alta would be, i had chosen a route which should give me snowscooter tracks to follow the whole way

i had a rendez-vous to make in Alta in two days time; with Trygve Nygard, a Norwegian who completed the Lindesnes - Nordkapp transit this time last year. his help, and advice had been invaluable during the planning phase, and en-route he has provided encouragement and mapping

unless i could get to Alta by thursday evening i would miss him, as he was about to take a group of outdoors students up into the mountains for several days. this meant that i would have to try and cover over 100 km in 48 hours.

the first day went well, having good routes to follow means that you dont have to waste any time on navigation, i didnt get my compass out all day. during the day i made regular stops to take on fluids, and maintain a constant intake of calories (thermos tea and chocolate), however due to the pill regime i am on i had to plan around the instructions i had been given for taking them; dont eat for 1 hour before or 2 hours after taking this one, dont take this one unless you have just eaten, take this one only incase of extreme pain, and whatever you do, dont cross the streams

by 6:00 pm i had covered 50 km, i stopped to get out my cookset and boil some snow. chocolate may be great but it is no substitute for hot food, and for that you need to boil water from melting snow. it took me just 30 minutes to feed myself, change my socks, powder my feet, re-fill my thermos with hot sweet tea, check the route, and be off again

by 9:00 i could feel myself tiring, i needed to find some place to rest, somewhere i could have a roof over my head, and dry out my wet socks. having checked the map i could see that i was still at least two hours away from anyplace that would suit. that being the case, if i did manage to get there, it would be nearly midnight and they may not be open. luckily i was able to get a signal on my phone, so i called my father, who went on the internet with the name of the place i was heading for, found a guesthouse there, and called to warn them that there was an Englishman due to get in late

i reached the guesthouse just before midnight, and was given a bed. but i was too tired to sleep, i had to get up and have something to eat before sleep eventually found me at around 02:00. the next morning i felt like shit. muscles and joints were aching, but i still had a long way to go. i found i was so exhausted that i had to stop and rest on my ski poles every 100 metres, my pace dropped dramatically as the day wore on, and i began to feel sick. then the weather turned bad. it wasnt the worst weather i have seen on this trip, but it was no picnic; high winds and snow reduced visibility so that once again the trail became obliterated, and the trail markers were obscured in the white out.

i was feeling seriously uncomfortable about the situation. i felt very weak, and in the inclement weather it was not possible to stop and eat something to replenish the energy levels. i carried on through the bad weather, getting slower and slower and feeling weaker than ever. at one point i keeled over sideways, and lay there on the ground for a few beats, the lack of exertion and constantly straining tortured muscles felt delicious. i relaxed my shoulders and rested my head on the snow; if i just lay here then i could probably fall asleep before the chill started to creep into fingers and toes, it would be and end to the pain, and the cold would carry me away in my sleep without me ever knowing. of course i struggled to my feet and skiied on, it was just a thought which occurred to me for a fraction of a second, but it was a disturbing insight into the last few moments of other skiiers who must have allowed that lethargy to overcome them

the next few hours were unpleasant and hard; skiing against the wind all the way. i knew that the exhaustion i was feeling would be held off if i ate something, but i was feeling sick and the prospect of food was not welcome . my chocolate would be frozen so hard that to try and eat some would be to risk breaking a tooth, and the wind was so strong that it would be impossible to put up a tent to provide shelter enough to get a cooker going to cook some proper food. i had a salami in my pack, and i stopped to eat a few chunks, but just the time it took to do this was enough to freeze my fingers to painful numbness which only relented after i put them back in my mittens and skiied on for half an hour to get the blood pumping round the extremities again.

the situation was not good, but i was so exhausted that i couldnt get excited, or feel worried about it. i just put my head down and kept on skiing. eventually the route took me down into the valley, and out of the wind, and from there it lead to the mountain lodge at Gargia. this is where i was to meet Trygve. the lodge was very comfortable and while i was waiting the chef gave me a fantastic meal of reindeer heart and a coke for free. Trygve arrived with his girlfriend who has also skiied Lindesnes - Nordkapp, and took me to his flat where i was treated to another huge meal. we talked about our experiences and compared photos, despite being so tired i had a great evening. Trygve had to leave later that evening but he has let me have the use of his flat so that i can rest here for the day, and on saturday his girlfriend is going to drive me back to Gargia so that i can continue from there, cheers guys

p.s. some folks tried to make a comment on the last entry, but i spammed them by accident and i dont know how to un-spam them, sorry guys

Dave started out from Kautokeino about 8am on the 23rd April soon reaching a well defined track signed to Alta where he carried on through the day until nearly midnight, having covered about 70kms. Much of the time he made use of skins as waxing was difficult. Accomodation was prebooked early evening with the Suolovubmi Fjellstua, so on arrival rest was first priority. He hopes to reach Alta this evening, but has again about 70 km to go .

the tooth came out this morning, its not something i would recommend as a holiday activity or a party game. the dentist was really kind though, and treated me for free - even paying for the drugs herself. i cant thank her enough

i have taken her advice and am resting for the day before going on tomorrow. the route for the next 100 km or so seems to be fairly simple, and if possible i am going to try and cover the distance to Alta in 48 hours. if i can sustain this kind of pace then i may be able to finish by the end of the month

it was 4:00 in the afternoon, i had been skiing since 7:00 in the morning, i was two days out from Kilpisjarvi, Finland, nearing the end of a 40 km stretch. by consulting the map i estimated that there were 3 km between me and a hut right on the border, situated in a bend in the river. those 3 km were the unbearable; the ground was littered with unneven hills and depressions, and thickly forested with birch. i found myself having to fight a path through the branches which scraped at my face and clutched at my pack and poles as i forced a path between them. the uneven gradient didnt help matters and the snow had become like quicksand just to make the experience just that little bit more special, it took me over an hour to cover that 3 km

from a promontory above the hut i could see the river beside which it lay. over 100m across. the snow which covered it was broken in places to reveal the fast flowing water beneath, and the chuckle of running water could be clearly heard. tomorrow morning i would have to cross it in order to get back into Norway

to fall through the ice over a fast flowing river is one of the most terrifying prospects i have ever faced. if you did manage to resurface, then you would be quickly sucked beneath the ice by the current, from there you would probably spend your last freezing minuites tearing all of your finger-nails off in a vain attempt to claw your way back up through the ice, and if you are on your own like i am then chances are that no one would ever find you again

the tiny cabin was empty, that night i sat beside the stove looking into the flames, and visualising the river i would have to cross tomorrow morning. in the daylight i had chosen the widest point to cross, where the water would be slowest and shallowest, and a route which would take me as far as possible from the points where the water broke through the ice. i thought about the best configuration for my kit, which items of clothing to wear to give me the most agility and ease of movement, and the best way to stow my kit so that my pack could provide some degree of buoyancy. every variable weighed in the balance, and chosen to reduce the chances of falling through, and the best chance of survival if i did

in the morning i re-ran through every eventuality in my head as i ate a solitary breakfast, and confirmed all the details in my mind. when i got down to the waters edge i unlooped the ski poles from my wrists and unclipped my ski bindings to begin the crossing and set off without ceremony. shuffling across with bindings unclipped was slower than i would have liked, but falling in encumbered by having skis and poles attached to the hands and feet would make death that much more certain

i could feel my heart pounding, and the sweat forming on my brow despite the temperature being ten degrees below zero, slowly the distance across decreased. then from maybe 3/4 of the way over i saw a hole in the ice in my path. on my reconnaissance from the other side i had missed a place where the running water showed through. the ice surrounding this would be weak, and unstable. i had to maneuver to change course, quickly i bent down to re-fasten my bindings and chose a new bearing to the shore. i chose a place where the bank rose steeply, less distance to go but a greater chance that there would be deep water beneath if the bank was on the outside curve of the bend in the river - my luck held and i reached the incline which meant that i was out of the danger zone. i stopped to don my sunglasses and continued into Norway without looking back

that night i reached Madam B’s after another 35-40 km stretch. i am not going to bother to describe what it was like, suffice to say it did not live up to my expectations, but there was a hot meal and a shower, and for that i was gratefull

for some time i have been developing a tooth ache, and until now it has been lost in the background clutter of all my various other ailments, (at the end of a long day there is nothing that does not hurt) slowly but sorely the pain in my mouth has been creeping up on me, and this morning i could only swallow with difficulty. i had to take painkillers just to force some breakfast down. i needed to get this sorted quick, and changed my route accordingly to head for the nearest town where luckily there is a dentist. i have now had a session, several x-rays, and tomorrow i am having a wisdom tooth removed - free of charge. the dentists were very kind in seeing me at such short notice and i hope that tomorrow will see the end of this particular headache

there must be less than a dozen days remaining between myself and Nordkapp, and im sure Norway still has some surprises left in store for me. my boots are finally beginning to fall apart now, and the sole is coming away at the edges, i am going to keep them, and see if they make it out of curiosity - besides, i doubt if i could find any replacements this far north

Dave set off early from Kilpisjarvi, having received his maps, just in time’ on the 18th April. That evening he staged at Kuonarjohka. On the 19th April, he completed his crossing of the Finnish Wedge and entered Norway, where he stayed the night in a hutte just inside Norway. Next morning, the 20 th April , he struck out for Madam Bongo’s Fjellstue, where he arrived about 5pm. Sadly it is not quite what he had hoped for, but , he has a roof over his head and food.

yesterday when i skiied across the frozen lake and into Finland the first person i met was the manager of the Kilpisjärven Retkeilykeskus, a guesthouse/restaurant, i asked him for directions to the place where my next section of maps were posted to. when he heard about my journey and why i was making it, he gave me a free lunch and invited me to stay in one of the cabins. the view from here is amazing, one of the best in Finland, the food was very good, and i am spending a rest day here after six days up in the mountains

unfortunately my maps have not arrived and i may have to press on tomorrow without them. maps for the area of Finnmark which i will be passing through are only available if specially ordered, and i dont have time to wait the week or so which it would take to order replacements, with no guarantee that they would not get lost again

i do have a large scale map but this only shows roads and major rivers, no good for navigating at all. once i re-cross the Norwegian border i will be off the map - quite literally, lost. so i will have to head east until i hit a highway which goes north, then follow that until i get to Alta. its not a prospect which i relish, but it will give me a taste of what it was like for the great explorers; Lewis and Clark, Shackleton, Scott, Amundsen, and Nansen, who crossed great swathes of uncharted territory without knowing what lay ahead, when “uncharted territory” was more than just a trite phrase

one thing which is shown on my large scale map of this area, is a curious feature which claims to show the location of “Madam Bongos Mountain Lodge”. the name sounds most unlikely, and conjures up images of a fantastical place - something like a cross between a carry on film and the Benny Hill show. stranger yet is that this place is not marked on any other large scale maps i have been able to see, and no-one i have asked has ever heard of it

perhaps Madam Bongos is like some mythical shangri la, which can only be found by those with a magic map, a place of endless frivolity and licentiousness where there are dancing girls and endless parties, presided over by the mysterious Madam Bongo - this is Lappland after all

there are tales of climbers who have returned after months in the mountains, delerious and raving about some far off mountain paradise, entirely populated by beautiful nubile girls, where there is a 24 hour buffet, and where the wine flows like water. they say on clear nights up on the high plateau, you can sometimes hear the distant sound of bongo drums

okay that last paragraph is not quite true, but there is a place marked on my map which says “Madam Bongos Mountain Lodge” so it must exist. it only looks like its a days ski off my planned route so i am understandably curious

new photos in the gallery, there have been a few glitches with the website recently, however the Folks at Mutiny Design have worked hard to correct them and things seem back to normal now. this site was created by Mutiny Design for free in support of MAG