Sledging It

It turns out that the park is Auyuittuq National Park (try pronouncing that after a drink or two) and the walk is a ten hour daily hike for 11 days dragging a sledge: 120 miles in total. I once did a 10 mile sponsored walk, but that was over 20 years ago. The farthest I walk these days is from the car to my house. I have never dragged a sledge in my life. I haven’t been skiing for ten years. And if I’m honest, I don’t like the cold.
The other problem with this ‘little walk in the park’ is the sleeping arrangements. There are no five star hotels in the Auyuittuk National Park. Instead, every night, the group ‘makes camp’ which means sharing a tent with a bunch of shattered strangers. This is where I have to own up. I am the most unlikely camper. Ever since having children I have made a point of never going on family camping holidays. My argument? A decent bed is all I want after running around after two active little ones all day. The last time I slept in a tent was at Glastonbury Festival in the mid-nineties when, as a music journalist, I had a backstage pass and an interview with Johnny Cash. I have a sneaking suspicion that camping in the Arctic will be a very different experience: there will be no mud, no veggie burgers and no portaloos