Exercise 1 Walking to the North Pole

Ann Daniels, 37, is proof that humans really can reach new physical and mental peaks after the age of 30. She is setting off with Caroline Hamilton and Pom Oliver to complete a unique double record. They are expected to take until June to become the first British all-female expedition to reach the North Pole on foot. In 2000 they conquered Antarctica, so they could also be the first all-women’s team in the world to have reached both poles.

1. What would be the team’s double world record achievement? 

Apart from breaking records, the team will also try to move into new scientific areas of human endurance research. For example, the trio will suffer temperatures lower than -40oC. Through research on cell walls, scientists already know how we feel “hot”, but they are still struggling to find out how we feel “cold” and how the body survives extreme cold.

2. What aspect of the expedition do scientists particularly want to study?

What they are planning to do will be absolutely amazing physically. But it is even more incredible mentally. I would say that at least 70% of the expedition will be a mental challenge,” says Zoë Hudson. She’s a physiotherapist when she is working in Britain, but is the team base-camp manager on the walk to the North Pole. “For instance, the team might cover five miles in a day, only to find that the nature of polar ice flow means they could wake up the next morning to find they have drifted 10 miles backwards,” adds Zoë.

3. What is Zoë Hudson's role in the expedition?

What they are planning to do will be absolutely amazing physically. But it is even more incredible mentally. I would say that at least 70% of the expedition will be a mental challenge,” says Zoë Hudson. She’s a physiotherapist when she is working in Britain, but is the team base-camp manager on the walk to the North Pole. “For instance, the team might cover five miles in a day, only to find that the nature of polar ice flow means they could wake up the next morning to find they have drifted 10 miles backwards,” adds Zoë.

4. How will the team be challenged mentally during the expedition?

In addition to the physical and mental challenges, each member of the team will lose around 12 kilos in weight, so, as well as doing endurance training with the army, they have had to put on weight. Ann Daniels has grown from her usual 62 kilos to 72 kilos, eating bread and cakes to build up a good layer of insulation.

5. What benefit will Ann Daniels get from the extra weight? 

For the expedition, the team has invented a sticky food called “mullarkey”, a mixture of cereals, slightly salted butter, melted snow and drinking chocolate. Each morning they will have a hot rice-type breakfast and hot drinks made from boiling snow. While walking they eat chocolate bars and nuts. “No fresh fruit, far too heavy ” they say. They take multivitamins to compensate which are much lighter to carry.  In the evening,  a rehydrated meal is all they can look forward to after the efforts of the day.

6. Why are multivitamins preferable to fresh fruit on the expedition?

For the expedition, the team has invented a sticky food called “mullarkey”, a mixture of cereals, slightly salted butter, melted snow and drinking chocolate. Each morning they will have a hot rice-type breakfast and hot drinks made from boiling snow. While walking they eat chocolate bars and nuts. “No fresh fruit, far too heavy to carry,” they say. They take multivitamins to compensate.  In the evening,  a rehydrated meal is all they can look forward to after the efforts of the day.

7. How do they use a natural resource to prepare their meals?

Ann Daniels, 37, is proof that humans really can reach new physical and mental peaks after the age of 30. She is setting off with Caroline Hamilton and Pom Oliver to complete a unique double record. They are expected to take until June to become the first British all-female expedition to reach the North Pole on foot. In 2000 they conquered Antarctica, so they could also be the first all-women’s team in the world to have reached both poles.

Apart from breaking records, the team will also try to move into new scientific areas of human endurance research. For example, the trio will suffer temperatures lower than -40 C. Through research on cell walls, scientists already know how we feel “hot”, but they are still struggling to find out how we feel “cold” and how the body survives extreme cold.

In addition, the British Arctic team will provide more evidence of human powers of “mind over matter”. They will pull nearly twice their own weight in supplies, for more than 500 miles on moving pack ice. The 10 hours or so each day they spend covering the necessary distance has been compared to running a daily marathon for months on end.“

8. Give one detail of the physical challenges that the team will endure during the expedition.