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Conrad Dickinson and team past half way mark of Lake Baikal expeditionA team of four Brits - husband and wife, Conrad (51) and Hilary Dickinson (53) plus friends Alistair Guthrie (36) and Anthony Baird (44) - have used skis, skates and snow shoes to trek 430 km (267 miles) to reach past the half way point of their 700 km (435 miles) expedition across the Siberian wilderness of Lake Baikal in Siberia. The plan was for each person to haul their 100 kg (16 stone) sledges assisted by high tech kites specially made for the Siberian conditions. However, as luck would have it, the wind has constantly blown in the wrong direction, so they have only spent one and a half hours with kite assistance, even though they’ve been on ice for 14 days and nights. Typical temperatures are -20ºC, made worse by wind chill and the team is spending every night in tents on the creaking ice on top of the world’s largest lake. Speaking on a satellite phone, Conrad Dickinson said, “We’ve been man-hauling the sledges all the way and need to put in an extra two hours of work each day to make up for lost time, but if we do 34 km (21 miles) each day, we could finish in a week’s time. We’ve certainly put our skates to good use and everyone is in good spirits and pushing ahead like mad.” Antony Baird added, “The ice on Baikal is in a constant state of flux as the ice fractures around us. From the crack of a pistol to the ack-ack-ack of a machine gun, to the whumph of heavy artillery, it can be an eerie sounding place, especially at night. Today we were subjected to sustained earthquake like rumbling. “One thing is for sure: At 30km offshore there's nowhere to go. So if you'd like a decent night's sleep then you may as well get used to it.” Alistair Guthrie said, “We’re making progress now and that feels good. We are really developing a pattern now and the physical thing, although still hard, is becoming sustainable. The routine helps a lot as it allows me to disengage my brain and just do and don’t think why. When we are moving, there’s too much noise from the wind and ice to talk to the others but the communication is still there. A simple nod of the head or a thumb raised motivates us all towards our common objective.” Hilary Dickinson summed up her emotions about the Northern Rock sponsored expedition, “It’s been a rollercoaster of great days, frustrating times and plain hard graft. Reaching the end of the lake is constantly in my mind – we are so determined to finish what we’ve started.” The team hopes to complete their expedition on March 30 2007.
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