Dream it Do it: The Experience

Novack's Adventures | Jody | Oct 3, 2011

I’ve got a question for you.

What does an inexperienced camper get when she is faced with the Arctic?

Sun burns. Cold toes. Wet feet. Chipped nails. Nasty bruises. Stomach aches. Muscle cramps. Homesickness. Lots of laughs. Great friends. Unique experiences. But most importantly . . . confidence.

I know what you’re thinking . . . that’s a lot to have happened in 18 days. But it did.

Somewhere between huddling in my tent praying the howling winds would pass and scaling 800 metres up a mountain, I changed. I started off as a girl missing her family, faced with the sheer terror of the unexpected, to a woman hiking farther, skiing faster, and climbing higher.

Of course it wasn’t quite so easy to transform into the strong woman I am now. Let’s just say there were many tears shed in London’s Heathrow airport. Although, who could blame me? As someone with practically zero camping experience, it was alarming for the first words spoken to me to be, “Is that all the gear you have?” I’d already been questioning whether I’d packed enough gear, and that comment sent me into shear panic. The only comfort I had was that I knew no matter what gear I had (or didn’t have) they weren’t going to let me die out there.

With that lovely start the journey only got harder, but that made it all the sweeter. After a night of homesickness, stomach aches, and cramping muscles, I would wake up feeling stronger. Each morning turned into the opportunity to prove to myself that I could conquer this barren landscape. If the Arctic was going to leave its mark on me – sunburned face, nasty bruises, numb toes – then I was surely going to leave my mark too.

Ok, I have to admit that my introduction is a bit melodramatic, although completely true. If you’ve been intrigued by what you’ve read then I suggest you stick around for more. Keep checking back here for more stories of my Arctic expedition. You’ll hear about the foods I ate and the problems they created. I’ll be sharing tips and tricks that I picked up along the way. Most importantly, I’ll let you all know how Novack’s gear fared against the temperamental Arctic.

If I can do it, you sure can too. Remember, Dream it. Do it.

Celina