another six days skiing and another 100 or so kilometers closer to the target (im afraid that the estimates which are being posted in my absence are a little optimistic). am now in Finland, having crossed the border earlier today by skiing across a frozen lake

the first night out from Abisko was spent in a tiny cabin on the opposite side of a lake, from the hotel where i had been so hospitably treated the night before. i was all alone and could see the lights on the far shore, which only heightened the sense of isolation

several days later in some mountains along the Norwegian border i had a particularly surreal experience. sometimes i hear noises coming from the mountains; cracks pops and squeaks, in my imagination it is these ancient craggy monoliths talking to each other. but when you hear something alone it is easy to convince yourself that it was just your imagination and ignore it. this time it was a definite thump followed by a shock wave. exactly the same as you would feel and hear from a grenade at 50 m - something i cant pretend did not happen, or explain

the event set the scene for the rest of the day. it was the worst flat light i have ever experienced. flat light is a phenomenon which prevents you from seeing anything, it is like a white darkness - the best example of what it is like is from a scene from the movie “the matrix” where two characters are standing in a totally white landscape - they can see themselves but everything else is white

that is exactly what it was like, nothing but white, no points of reference anywhere, i just had to set a compass bearing and follow it. my tracks in the snow would disappear after a couple of metres. it was totally surreal, and i felt bewildered by the lack of visual stimuli, like a form of sensory deprivation, for several hours the only thing i could see was myself. it felt like the rest of the world had ceased to be, and i had passed onto some ethereal plane where nothing else existed, it was the most utter sense of loneliness imaginable

after a while i could make out a shape in the distance, a collection of dark spots which definitely weren’t my imagination this time, i headed for them out of a need to be next to something real, but they seemed to be changing configuration, moving between each other and dancing in the murk. this time i couldnt pretend i wasnt seeing this, it was happening before me and i couldnt ignore it or escape the implication of what i was witnessing

when the spots of dark eventually materialised out of the murk into a pack of reindeer i was pretty happy, not only was i not insane, but i was not alone, other things existed. the weather improved and by the end of the day the sun had come out, i slept that night, alone in a cabin called Daertahytte

On the early morning of the 10th April ,Dave set out from Abisko, taking a short cut across the lake of Tornetrask, to Palnoviken hutte, still just inside Sweden, where he spent the night, having covered 27 kms or so..He set out, again, early on the 11th April, quickly crossing the border into Norway making  for the hutte at Innset, 35 kms on , where he found a pleasant, renovated hutte, which was comfortable and in which there were a couple of families staying. Probably good to have some company again. Over the weekend 12/13th April, the weather has been good and he has been able to make good distance visiting Gakashutte about breakfast time on the Saturday and on to Voumahutte that night and on to Dividalshytte by the Sunday night. Still good weather and snow, pleasantly warm when the sun is up ,he continued on Monday the 14th some 35ms, more, to Daetahytte that night. This morning Tues 15th, he is halfway to Paltsastugan, where he will stage the night, before aiming for Matkakailu Hotel tomorrow, over the Finnish border,hoping for the weather to remain kind to him. He will probably take a day’s rest there before crossing the Finnish Wedge and back into Norway.

im slowly creeping northwards, day by day my goal is getting closer; 68.35848 degrees north, nordkapp lies at 71.2

its been six (or seven) days since my last update. no two days of skiing are alike, although many of them are similar. however a few days ago the Norse weather gods decided to shake things up a little to remind me of my mortality, and the fragility of human life when we are at the mercy of the mountains.

i had set off in the morning intending to try and make at least 25km, the weather was bad; wind and falling snow. but not bad enough to prevent movement. my route through the mountains between Kvikkjokk and Abisko meant that i was at least three days away from civilisation in every direction, however along the route were a series of isolated mountain cabins which i could use if necessary

by mid morning the weather was deteriorating; the wind speed had increased and visibility had decreased to around 50 metres. i decided that it would be unwise to continue the route as planned and that i should seek shelter in one of the cabins. unfortunately i was now mid way between two places of safety and shelter, so i had to press on in the face of the blizzard, which was getting worse by the minute

at its height the storm had turned the valley into a seething cauldron of wind and snow, visibility was cut to a few metres, at some points you couldn’t see the ground beneath your feet, when you held a ski-stick out at arms length you could no longer see the tip. the trail was marked by a series of stakes driven into the ground at intervals, each time i found one i would have to make a guesstimate of where the next one would lie and set off in the hope that i would find it, occasionally the whiteout would lift for a fraction of a second and allow me to get my bearings for the next dash between stakes

the wind was relentless, at times i would have to hold on to the trail markers to prevent from being blown away, i feared that if i were blown over i would not be able to get back up. the force of the wind drove snow into everything; my pockets became full, snow forced its way inside my goggles to fill them up on the inside, and i had to stop every so often to stop and bang them against my ski pole to clear the accumulated spindrift. even zips and Velcro seals were penetrated, as driven by the incredible winds, snow found its way into everything

i knew that if i lost the trail markers i was done for, in such conditions it would be impossible to put up my tent, and if i had tried to consult my map it would have been instantly torn from my grasp. unless i found the cabin i would only continue stumbling blindly on until exhaustion overcame me and i succumbed to the elements. but not this day, out of the maelstrom of wind-borne snow i saw the unnaturally straight lines of a man-made structure looming out of the murk. many times before i had seen rocks with straight edges come out of the snow and falsely believed that salvation was at hand. this time the shapes materialised into the form of a latrine

i had made it to the huts at singi. amazingly, inside i found two Norwegians who were doing the same trip in the opposite direction. we spent the afternoon warming ourselves by the stove, drinking hot drinks and comparing notes on our experiences thus far. they have a website also; www.dalsia.no

the next day the storm had blown itself out and i continued in bright sunshine, albeit with some very cold winds still making things interesting. i have now reached the Tourist station at Abisko. when i arrived here to collect some maps that i had posted ahead, the pretty receptionist told me that they had been expecting me, and would i like two nights free food and accommodation - there was only one answer to that, and i am now a complimentary guest. this is one of the nicest places i have been able to stay during the course of the whole journey, although sadly i think i am too tired to make use of the many facilities, but i absolutely murdered the buffet last night and am looking forward to doing the same again tonight

today marks the 100th day of the expedition, the time i spent in the terrible storm seems to have invigorated me, and although the distance remaining will be long and hard, i now face it with a fresh sense of optimism and expectancy. i may still fail, but i do not feel anything like the sense of despondency which characterized my last post

Dave set out from Saltoluokta on the 3rd April, crossing the Akkajaure Lake on foot until he reached a road on the other side, where he started to walk, partly to help with his ankle by varying activity to help with the injury management. He followed the road through the small communities of Kebnats,Vietas and Suorva and then on to Vakkotavare where he turned north following the Kungsleden on ski. By the 5th April he had reached Singi in spite of a considerable storm which slowed his progress. This morning he set out for Salka as his next intermediate stop on the way to Abisko, which is situated on the main East to west highway number 70(Norway) 98(Sweden), which runs from Kiruna to Narvik. This is some 60 kms to Abisko from Salka.At Abisko, he will pick some maps, predelivered by post and supplies, for the next leg back into Norway. He is in good shape and has been doing some video clips and more photos for the web.

been a while since my last post, no point in trying to describe each day in detail, they all seem to blend in to one, weather has alternated from very cold clear and sunny, to warm and overcast

someone once asked me how it was possible to ski uphill, i told them that you point your skis at the top of the hill, put one in front of the other and keep doing this till you get to the top. i suppose that it is not all that obvious to people how you prevent yourself from slipping back so i will try to explain; the ski is not completely flat, it is flexible and has a curve so that if you stand evenly on both of them the part of the ski just underneath your feet will be off the ground while the weight is taken on the portion of the ski at the front and rear ends. onto this area underneath the feet you rub in a special sticky wax, when you go to push forward you momentarily place all of your weight on the rear ski, flattening it and forcing the sticky wax into contact with the snow - this gives you grip and allows you to push off, in this way the skis can alternatively glide over, and grip the snow - magic

there are many different types of waxes to use in different conditions and temperatures, choosing the right one is an art, and can mean the difference between sliding around uncontrollably like a novice, and gliding smoothly and swiftly over the mountains

waxing is usually fine for skiing along a flat or a shallow hill, but for steep hills i use skins. skins are strips of fabric which clip onto a point on the ski a short way in front of the binding, they are sticky on one side to stick to the ski, the other side is like velvet, with all the fibres pointing one way, they are smooth in one direction and rough in the other - so the ski will slide forward but not back

to go up very steep inclines it is necessary to push out the ski tips into the “herringbone” gait, but with the feet so widely spaced and a heavy pack this means constantly shifting the weight from one side to the other and it uses a colossal amount of energy

i must be over 3/4 of the way now, but it isnt getting any easier. each day seems to be harder than the last, each time i hoist my pack up on to my shoulders it feels heavier, and each time i fall it is harder to get back up. i have been too well trained not to neglect to eat or rest sufficiently, but this is a fatigue of the mind rather than the body. i have read that each man has a finite amount of courage, no one is capable of going on indefinitely. i do not know how much i have left. it may come in a day, a week,or a month, but soon i will have nothing left, i can feel my strength running out of me with each passing day, and i must reach the cape before this happens

after 33 km today, i stopped at the Saltolouka Fjallstation where i am staying the night, the kind lady who runs the place is giving me a free dinner. simple acts of kindness like this can keep me going for another day, they add to the bank of courage from which i can draw, as does learning of donations to MAG. but the opposite can also be true, a month ago when i found out that the trip had only raised 500 pounds i was crushed, since then the amount has risen to 1100, but this is still a huge disappointment, i had hoped for more

Dave set out from Vuonatjviken en route for Kvikkjokk about 55-60 kms away, early am 28th Mar and made good progress, reaching about halfway by mid-afternoon. He  had the good fortune to meet a Swedish family on a snow mobile, who directed him to their hutte and invited him to stay and fed and watered him, to boot, which was most welcome. He had a pleasant evening with the family and a good night’s sleep/rest before starting out early on the morning of the29th Mar, to complete his trek to Kvikkjokk. It was by now snowing lightly & overcast, a bit of a change from the clear cold weather of the past few days. Rumour has it, that it might rain as it is a lot warmer. Hope not!! He reached Kvikkjokk mid afternoon & has found a small, basic hotel to stay. Today 30th Mar will be “rest day”, much needed after six day’s skiing quite long distances. Still following the “Kungsleden”, the next target is Aktse

occasionally someone will ask me about what it was like in Afghanistan. like many others, when faced with this situation, i usually reply that i cant really be bothered to talk about it. the truth is that i would like to talk about it, but i have learnt that this is a pointless exercise. in the past when i have tried to relate my experiences, i usually come to a point in the conversation where i look at that person and say to myself, “you havent the faintest clue what im talking about”. no one who hadnt been through that experience could ever have an understanding of what it was like

so it is with this; im writing it, and you are reading it. but unless you have done something very similar, you will never be able to understand what i am going through, or what it feels like to be alone in this great white wilderness. some days are bad in ways which i cannot relate. being lost and alone and far from help. each day brings pain and exhaustion, i could end it now but it would mean a failiure which would live with me for ever - to continue means at least another month of this

i have been skiing and walking for nearly 90 days, by now i must have covered at least 2000 km

one of the hardest things about this trip is the fact that there are very few people who i can talk to about what i am doing. i even find it hard to talk to my father about this. despite his having been an army commando and an olympic biathlete. when i do phone home it is best not to say much about what it has been like, and just to ask about how things are going for him

i am now just a few km below the arctic circle, Nordkapp lies 500 km inside the arctic circle

Latest message from Dave. He set out to do the 55 kms to Adolfstrom from Ammanas on the 24th March ,starting early in cold temperatures of about -24C, initially hoping to do it in one shift. However, he tired and broke the journey in shelter, before setting out early am 25th March. The temperature dropped down to below -30C during the night, but by the time he set out at 7am, it was around -24C. Had a good ski into Adolfstrom arriving about midday where he has found satisfactory shelter. The target for the 26th March is Jackvik about 27 kms away. The excellent weather seems to be holding firm for the time being.

when i got up this morning, or more correctly when i didnt get up this morning. i decided that since this was probably the last comfortable place i would get the chance to have a rest in on this journey - that i may as well have two days rest here, rather than just one. so i languished in bed as long as i could, and had a leisurely breakfast. later on i learned that the outside temperature had been -35

while still back in UK i had decided that if the temp was less than -30 i wouldnt move, below this temp military training is discontinued, as beyond this point the risk of cold weather injury increases disproportionately. so it was just as well that i was overcome by laziness when i was, otherwise i would have ventured out into the mountains where the altitude and wind would have brought the temperature still lower

tomorrow the weather forecast predicts that it will be -24, and up in the mountains it will undoubtedly be cooler still. there will be no shelter for the next section of the journey, there was an emergency cabin along the route i am planning to take but it was burned down last year. below -30 strange things start to happen; zips fall apart because the teeth have shrunk in the cold, metals can shatter as they become brittle, and moisture on the breath instantly condenses and freezes on the nearest surface, causing the area around the mouth to become covered in hoare frost. since i am not very keen on finding out if i can survive a night in the open in temperatures below -30, what i am going to try tomorrow, is to start at first light and try to cover the 60 km to the next possible place of shelter before nightfall

there is a james bond movie with roger moore (that name always makes me laugh, go on, say it with a straight face - i dare you) i forget what it was called. anyway, it begins with bond having just shagged some gorgeous blond, in a cabin high in the mountains, and leaving her wide eyed with the words “im sorry my dear but England needs me” then he skis off with baddies on snowscooters chasing him, skis over a clif, deploys a union jack parachute, lands safely, gets chased by more baddies in snowmobiles and helicopters, defeats them with a combination of witty one liners and good facial bone structure, then escapes in a speedboat disguised as a mini iceberg and sails into the arctic sunset with yet another gorgeous blond

thats more or less how the last few days have been for me

i would like for that to be true . . .  but im afraid its not. james bond would not loose control on a slope, and somersault downhill in a tangle of skis and sticks, breaking his nose, and spraining his wrist in the process, and if he unexpectedly went over a drop off, he would have something better to say than “shit!”

the last three days have been some of the most amazing of the trip so far, the sun has been out every day, and the mountain scenery has been some of the most impressive i have ever seen. most of the time has been spent above the treeline skiing along the snowscooter tracks which abound in the Swedish mountains, and most of each day has been spent skiing across postcard scenery, but that is not to say that the weather has been ideal throughout, every morning is bitterly cold, most days have begun with light snow, and if it is windy i have had to wear my halloween mask to prevent frostbite

the first day i headed north, at around 14:00 i had a major wipe out on a downhill section, i came to rest “shaken but not stirred” almost at the doorstep of a mountain cabin, i decided to call it a day, the hut keeper gave me a beer which went some way to making up for the broken nose. the next day ended at 16:00 arriving at another cabin, and on the third i only had to do 22 km to come down in to Amarnas where i planned to spend a rest day. it being the easter weekend and all the hotels fully booked i am sleeping on the floor of a hotel gym

as i was skiing down into Amarnas some Swedes who had witnessed my latest ski crash invited me to dinner with them. it was an excellent meal after which two guitars were brought out, and they all sang songs, some of them sang very well and the guitar playing was first class, it made me wish that i was musical in some way, it must be a great thing to be able to make music which can uplift, or conjure emotions from other people

this trip was supposed to be about suffering and hardship in the face of adversity - one man, fighting against the elements, in a lone quest against the odds e.t.c. instead it has been a case of - one man, graciously accepting hospitality, on a quest to reach the cape, in the face of overwhelming kindness. i expected this journey to be a lot tougher, instead it seems that providence, or whatever star guides my fate, keeps contriving for me to run into some of the most generous people i have had the good fortune to meet, to all of whom i am very grateful. i can only hope that my luck holds