Phone Call

I (Paul) just got off the phone with Arvid. He is doing well and in good spirits. Yesterday was a difficult day, though he had good conditions and was still able to put a good amount of mileage on. He is still in some pain, but is glad that they are on the road and the journey is underway. They took off his bandages today (as you can see from the photos below), and the wounds are clearly healing. Today’s mileage will be significantly lower (roughly 380-390km), and that reflects the amount of climbing and the fatigue setting in. He had some difficulty with food yesterday, but some of it has stabilized. It always takes a bit of time for his metabolism to kick in and just realize that this is the new reality. We are looking forward to hearing more from the crew now that the mountains are (almost) behind them, and cell reception should improve. If you’re ever confused about who is speaking, look directly under the blog title. There will be “Follow Crew,” “Leapfrog Crew,” or “Paul Loewen.”