remarkable what some people will do to abuse themselves

A WALK IN ANTARCTICA

The following is taken from Ben Saunders blog as he works his way across the Antarctic continent. Just like mountaineers chose to abuse themselves so is he. Seems to me there are better ways to enjoy ones self.

“It’s hard to know how to write about today. Lying here in my tent at 8.40pm it feels like I’ve experienced the range of emotions and sensations one might normally go through in several weeks. In the 11 hours I was outside, the weather turned from mild to frighteningly cold and windy, and then back to benign and sunny again this evening. Soon after starting I had to battle through an area of sastrugi (parallel wavelike ridges caused by winds on the surface of hard snow, especially in polar regions) that felt more like crossing the fractured pack ice of the Arctic Ocean. At mid-morning the temperature plummeted and the cloud dropped to give me only a few metres of visibility. There are a few cues that tell me when it’s very cold: my face completely ices up from my breathing, the energy bars I eat at breaks become rock hard, and without mittens on (I take them off at each break for 5-10 minutes) my hands start getting worryingly cold. By midday I was fearful that I’d get into trouble at the next break as no matter how hard I skied, I wasn’t warming up after the last stop. What he is leaving out of his explanation pertaining to not being able to warm up is the very fact that he is wet from his own perspiration. Eventually I decided to pause to put on my red Canada Goose gilet (a Hybridge Lite) (This is a down body with wool sleeves. Looks nice to wear on the street but not for arctic conditions regardless what he is claiming, --- that I’d normally only wear when I was stationary, and it did the trick, tipping my body temperature back over the line between relative comfort and potential danger.” I’ll bet he was uncomfortable again when he stopped moving. It’s a pity he did not take fishnet long underwear with him, if he did he would not be experiencing a chill as he stated in a previous report and in this instance I am quite sure his discomfort was moisture accumulation.

To follow is an e mail I just received from a customer.

Jerry,

Starting in 1990, I have purchased ten of your sleeping bags for myself and my family (five were gifts) and we are still using all of them, I recently decided to buy two sets of the Lamilite socks and I couldn’t be more impressed. The socks were a great fit (I wear a 9 1/2 and you suggested a size 9) and very comfortable. I took the socks to Iowa with me hunting in freezing cold weather where my feet were wet; I was never uncomfortable and always warm. After cleaning our daily limit of pheasants, I took the socks into the shower with me, washed them, and laid them out to dry as we enjoyed a nice dinner. The socks were dry and ready to wear when I returned to my hotel room and I enjoyed another hunt the next day. One day, it warmed up and my feet were perfect as the Lamilite keep dry and comfortable. The temperature ranged from 19 degrees to 45 degrees…perfect in all conditions and extremely soft and comfortable.

I look forward to wearing your socks inside on my sleeping bag this winter as they will add additional comfort in the winter conditions.

I highly recommend to all sportsmen, bikers, campers, fishermen…all need to have a pair of your Wiggy’s Lamilite socks with them at all times. What another great investment!

Jeff Johnson

Ohio

Ben probably has a dozen or more socks and of course he would have been better off with one pair of Lamilite socks.

I still believe he has already accumulated a significant amount of ice in some of the products he is using most especially his bag.

I hope he continues to comment about his lack of comfort which I believe will continue to occur.

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