By Friday of this week I hadn't heard from Bruce and, knowing that there was some fiercely cold weather in the region, I was starting to get a little concerned for him. I needn't have worried. He's about as prepared as a man could be for this journey and eventually got through to me at lunchtime on Friday.

In the meantime, I had spoken with his lovely daughter, Brooke. She has spent the previous weekend with her father on his journey and they had had a blast.

You can see from the photos that Bruce sent me that he's certainly needed his microspikes, with the snow turning to ice and giving him tricky conditions underfoot.

The really great thing is that he is having a blast, learning as he progresses, and his gear is working out for him.

Make sure you catch up with Bruce's blog at rtkchallenge.com and check out the great trail food options from our sponsor, Trailtopia.