AN ADVENTURER from Gwent spent ten days out in the frozen wilderness of Canada with the Ice Road Truckers.

Last March, businessman and father of two, Russell Fowler, was invited to join one of the firms featured in the cult Channel Five TV show.

He spent ten days travelling more than 800 miles across frozen swamp in northern Manitoba while truckers delivered supplies to an isolated community.

Mr Fowler, 52, originally of Lliswerry and Ringland in Newport but now lives near London, is by day chairman and CEO of Fuel Defend Global, a company that sells anti-fuel siphoning equipment.

Mr Fowler was picked up by Vlad Pleskot, who runs VP Express – a trucking company which transports freight to remote destinations.

The 10-vehicle convoy drove 620 miles to a mining town called Lynn Lake, before heading to an indian reservation another 205 miles away called Tadoule which, for the rest of the year, is only accessible by plane.

The trucks used roads over swampy bogland overlaid with logs and packed snow.

Mr Fowler spent around 15 hours a day “being bounced around” inside. En route the company encountered snow drifts, blizzards and breakdowns. The convoy was isolated from the outside world, with no mobile phones and no hot meals for six days.

“It was six to seven days out in the frozen bush – you live in the truck and there’s no personal hygiene whatsoever. “When you step outside its minus 30 at night. During the day it was probably minus 15.”

“It was like nothing I have ever done,” the businessman added.

Encounter with a charging rhino

RUSSELL Fowler’s trip came just two months after he returned from South Africa, where he almost came face to face with a rampaging rhino.

Mr Fowler was in South Africa with his wife Veronica Fowler over Christmas and after visiting Kruger National Park with his in-laws he returned alone to take photos. He was two hours into a bushwalk when his group accidentally encountered a black rhino.

After taking pictures the group started to move away when the rhino suddenly charged off into the bush at 40mph.

It was seen off by the rangers who chased it to make sure it wasn’t preparing to charge back.

“The sounds of a snorting rhino and snapping branches were deafening.

The first we realised of the charge was when it passed us ten metres to our right,” he said. “It was absolutely frightening for everyone.”