.....thank you for the sympathy!....you can all stop laughing now!......on a serious note, one of my mates who did finish this Australian version of the 'Ididerod'...(y'know that cross country alaskan thing with the huskies etc)...hasn't had any feeling in the tips of 3 fingers since it finished. went to the doc this morning...mild frostbite!......in Oz!!!....damn it was cold!.....another mate sat in the car with the heater running for 15 minutes before he could take his gillet off...hands couldn't grip the zipper!.....

cheers,

hitchy