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How I get through times of trouble

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On any adventure you should always expect the unexpected so that you're not taken by surprise when the going gets tough - and failure becomes a possibility.

Recently, our Walking Home From Mongolia expedition has been getting tough. It's not only the regular routine of hiking through the extreme cold and never knowing where we are going to sleep each night, but I'm also struggling with a foot injury and mental exhaustion, and last week I received a message from England saying my dear grandmother had died (aged an amazing 106), so I am now really missing my family.

On Thursday, things were starting to look better again. My expedition partner, Leon McCarron, and I had a beautiful day's walk up a valley that had ridges strewn with ancient Ming dynasty watchtowers. We had lunch in a cool village which was hemmed in by a 15-metre-high mud wall. While the sun set, we put our tents up on some grass beside a frozen stream and felt pretty good.

But as we prepared to sleep, we both noticed that we were not feeling hungry, and a few minutes later we both fell ill with stomach upsets. It must have been the egg fried rice we had for lunch in the walled village. As a result, all night we were diving out of our tents into the frigid air and into the bushes.

I woke up the next morning feeling exhausted and nauseated. We were in the middle of nowhere, running out of water and slightly behind schedule. We had no choice but to keep walking.

The day's hike, although beautiful, was a struggle. I was feeling weak and ill, and as I thought about our problems I began to question whether we could actually pull off this expedition; that perhaps we should cut our losses and give up. But I know that would be a bad idea.

These are a few things I tell myself when I feel like giving up:

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