This is Simon, Martie's brother. A guest post today partly due to Martie's battery situation on his phone and partly to share his list of additional requirements!

Last weekend, before Martie set off on his adventure, we did some last minute shopping, including my local bike shop; Bike Bug North Sydney.

Last week Rocky and Guy had great laughs with us and we left the store on a high. This week I shared with Guy some of the delights and frustrations of Martie's week and he was a champion, suggesting some specific products to help Martie out and throwing in a couple of items to make the ride easier.

Next item to cause some issues was the replacement tent and poles, Martie thinking this was safely tucked away in the panelvan, specifically in Mum's pack. Alas not the case. A quick call confirmed both are sitting in Mum's "Christmas Preparation Room" in Croydon (Melbourne). Mum is flying to Sydney this afternoon, so I will meet Mum off the plane to grab the replacement tent and poles, then drive to the rendezvous point of Charlottes Pass (8am Sunday morning, 18 Dec), via Martie's first food drop to pick up the barrel.

The next update will be from a fully charged Martie's phone all things working out OK! On behalf of the rest of the crew, thank you for your interest in the blog and more importantly in Martie's Adventure!