A FEARLESS mother from Essex has already suffered frostbite in two toes as she bids to journey solo to the North Pole.Rosie Stancer, from Tollesbury, has so far covered 14 miles in a gruelling 11 days - she must complete the 415-mile trek in 60 days to avoid problems with the ice breaking up further as the season begins to change.

A FEARLESS mother from Essex has already suffered frostbite in two toes as she bids to journey solo to the North Pole.

Rosie Stancer, from Tollesbury, has so far covered 14 miles in a gruelling 11 days - she must complete the 415-mile trek in 60 days to avoid problems with the ice breaking up further as the season begins to change.

If successful, Mrs Stancer will become the first woman to travel alone to both poles having previously reached the South Pole in 2004.

Mrs Stancer is updating a daily blog on her website and explained on Friday how she contended with constant snowfall and another whiteout -when low cloud covers the ice and suddenly everything is white, leading to a feeling of disorientation.

She said: “One loses all depth perception, a lump of ice in front of you could be right at your feet or 100 metres away and one would only know if you fell over it. There is no up or down, no world to interact with, just a white nothingness.”

With 25 knot winds pushing the ice south, Mrs Stancer said she was experiencing the Arctic's equivalent of trying to walk up the “down” escalator.

The EADT featured Mrs Stancer's demanding training schedule last month when she visited Colchester Rugby Club to practise pulling tyres behind her. This was to prepare her for the challenge of dragging two sleds, weighing close to 100 kilos, containing everything she needs to survive.

Progress so far has been halted because with temperatures being so cold the ice beneath the sleighs is not melting, causing friction and making it difficult to pull her essential equipment.

Mrs Stancer is expected to gather speed, covering up to 10 miles a day, as she moves further from the Canadian coast and temperatures increase a little.

Josh Greenberg, expedition spokesman, said: “It is getting slightly warmer, she is still on course at the moment.”

Mrs Stancer, 47, was the oldest woman to reach the South Pole and is using her current adventure to raise awareness of the Special Olympics, a sporting charity which organises year round sports training and competition at Olympian level for people with special needs.