Once into the mountains, and winter being well and truly upon us, we began to endure temperatures as low as -35°C. Prior to this I had never experienced anything below -10°C, and that was getting the peas out of the freezer at home. After spending nights shivering uncontrollably in my sleeping bag I would rise to find the tent and equipment covered in ice, my boots would be ridged with frost and my eyelashes would have frozen together during the night. As I stepped out of the tent the outside air would instantly rip through my clothing and any exposed flesh rapidly developed a waxy cuticle so common in frost bite and frost nip. 

After 105 days walking I suffered a major back injury that almost prematurely terminated the expedition. With a fever of 38°C and nerve endings being damaged in my lower spine due to compression from my 35kg pack, I was rushed to hospital for a second time. With only 4 rest days left available, due to visa date restrictions, the decision had to be made whether to call it a day or push on at the risk of possibly causing further damage to my back. On the fourth and final rest day the decision was made to post home any kit that was not absolutely crucial in a bid to reduce the weight of my pack to give me the best chance of making it. Everything bar the absolute necessities went, even the cooker, our source of melting snow for water and providing a warm meal when in the wilderness, was sent. All that remained was to walk the 57 straight days without a day off to the finish line.

The second great storm strangely came in the last week. In a country with very little snow fall, we woke to find that a freak front had moved down from Siberia, bringing with it the worst blizzard that Northern China had seen in half a century. Over night 2 metres of snow had fallen in places and the formidable prevailing winds were causing catastrophic damage to buildings and causing havoc on the roads. Vehicles had been abandoned and submerged under snow, buildings lay in ruins, people were barricaded into their homes and in turn, Northern China was forced to come to a stand still. Having previously thrown away our thermal layers and with our boots beginning to show signs of holes after having walked such vast distances, the storm threatened to delay us beyond our deadline. The wind swept down from the north across the open rice plains hitting us side on and bringing the bitter sting of wind burn and frost nip once again. The conditions we battled through would have been far more expected on a South Pole expedition, than those of Northern China in the spring months.

With one set of clothes and only a couple of real showers for the entire 6 months, the hygiene issues to overcome included foot rot, rashes, cysts and feminine susceptibility to infection caused by the lack of clean sanitary conditions. I washed as the Chinese locals did when I had the chance, using a bowl of water from the well, boiled and placed in the centre of the room. 

Due to China’s doors being closed to outsiders until fairly recently, the isolation under which this country and its cultures developed has placed it in a world of its own. Once out of the developing cities and tourist spots, deep in the deserts and mountains a journey of cultural discovery began as we stepped into a world where westerners had never been seen in the flesh.

It’s so difficult to explain how my emotions rose and fell over the 6 months. So often I had battled to the point that I wished it all to end right there and then, when the cold bit through my clothing and the hunger caused such pain, I would ask myself what on earth I was doing. Just then, when I would have gladly gone home and given it all up, the hospitality of a rural farmer welcoming us into his house and feeding us by a warm fire would give me renewed strength to see it through to the end. I don’t believe experiences like the ones we encountered along the journey can be gained without the hardships that we suffered.

On the 18^th of March 2007 we finished our epic journey at Hushan on the Chinese and North Korean border. Having accomplished over 12 million footsteps between us, the last few were very emotional made more so by the arrival of my parents who were waiting at the finish line tremendously proud of what I had achieved despite everyone’s pre expedition doubts to my capability.