February 18th, 2010 by Sarah
Today, Mindbubbler Sarah recounts her incredible encounter with Amelia Russell & Dan Darley, a couple who decided to spend their holidays trekking to the North Pole! If you want some inspiration on how to complete a once in a lifetime challenge… Read on!
Late and flustered and breathless from a mere 40-yard sprint I arrived to meet a couple who are about to take on one of the biggest challenges of their lives.
On February 27th Amelia Russell and Dan Darley will leave Canada’s remote Resolute Bay to walk unsupported to the North Pole. I greeted them in their cosy south London idyll with a cry of “I’m not worthy!”
In under 70-days time Amelia, a 27-year-old A&E Doctor, looks set to become the first-ever British woman to make the walk unaided; her partner in snowshoes is her boyfriend Dan, a 33-year-old investment banker whom she met at their college rowing club at Cambridge University.
On top of their busy careers, this dynamic duo has spent the last two years saving (around £100,000) and preparing for their adventure – without the luxury of a sponsorship deal. The economic climate hasn’t been on their side and soon they’ll be dealing with the challenges of a different climate altogether.
While I grew up dreaming of making my Academy Award Oscar acceptance speech, Amelia’s desire for a life less ordinary also began in childhood. However, unlike mine, her dream is fast becoming a reality, but why? She says:
“I’ve always been someone who’s wanted to achieve and get out there and do something a bit different, not just wear pink and be a princess, but sometimes I like doing those things too. I’ve always had a drive to push myself and it’s amazing what you can achieve.”
Amelia and Dan are acutely aware that it’s the mental endurance that will be the real test of their adventure.
Consequently they’ve complemented their physical training – easy stuff like hauling heavy tyres around to replicate their sledges – with psychometric training to help them understand their compatibility, in a bid to deal with potential conflict – such as making the decision to stop the trip if danger arises – as well as the tedium thrown up by days of isolation.
(The fact they’re sharing housekeeping chores has got to be a good start.)
Personality tests set out by John and Elaine Peck highlighted their shared drive but they still have their demons. Amelia’s knee problem is a major concern but, on a personal level, she admits:
“I’ve never spent two months on my own with somebody else, or two months where I’m almost continually tired and cold and I have to see how I cope with that.”
Long nights on call pale into comparison with the endurance Amelia is about to face. “I’ve got 60 days on call, effectively, so it’s going to seem relatively easy being a doctor!”
If they want to reach the Pole, (the Geographic one, that is, not the Geomagnetic one or the Northern Pole of Inaccessibility), days off aren’t an option.
For starters the fact they’re ‘unsupported’ means its skis, snowshoes and immersion suits from the off – no huskies, kites or snowmobiles to help them, no supplies being flown in, nothing – just Amelia, Dan, their fuel, food (mostly Pemmican, the ground meat, fat and fibre concoction Shackleton and Scott would have partaken of) and the elements.
Dan’s concerned that despite their two years of preparation they may be overwhelmed by the experience – in the first week the weather will be at its most chilling and their load will be at its heaviest. He doesn’t want to fail but explains, “It’s never as bad as you think it’s going to be – overcoming that inertia to get yourself going is what’s important.”
Ambition is part of Amelia’s constitution but why is she following in only two other women’s unaided footsteps to the North Pole – and each of these completed the journey with their partners, like Amelia?
Back in the golden age of British Polar exploration it was the woman’s role to stay at home with the kids, but Amelia thinks it’s still seen as a man’s domain – the danger, lack of home comforts… she admits:
“There’s no shame in it but a lot of my friends don’t want to spend two months on holiday in those conditions, they’d rather spend the money and have a nice time somewhere and…most of my female friends are not quite so competitive as me or want to challenge themselves in such a physical way. The women it does appeal to seem to be like me.”
So, is it the possible glory Amelia is looking for? “It would be a great achievement but that’s not the reason I’m doing it. I’d want to do it if a hundred women had done it.” And I truly believe her.
Throughout our chat Amelia and Dan stress their extreme adventure isn’t about success or failure but the process of the challenge.
Oh, and romance – they look forward to cosying up in their tent watching the Aurora Borealis whirling around them. Can’t think of a better view to enjoy with him indoors – unless my view was from the comfort of a four-star ice hotel!
Keep up with Amelia and Dan’s progress at: www.northpolechallenge.co.uk
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