The last time a Collingwood player uttered those words about a pre-season training camp was when the playing group got lost in the Gippsland mountains back in 1987.
But for Jordan Russell and the Magpies of 2013, their task didn’t require assembling a search party to rescue those who were lost in the wilderness.
Watch new recruit Jordan Russell explain the trials and tribulations of the team's climb through the snow up Jupiter Peak on CTV in the video above.
Instead, it was dealing with prospect of hypothermia, a wind chill of zero degrees and wind gusts of 40 miles per hour as they hiked up Utah’s Jupiter Peak.
“On Saturday morning we had a guy come to us and have a bit of a chat about what to look forward to,” Russell explained to collingwoodfc.com.au.
“He painted the picture like we’re all fearing for our lives and that we had to ring mum and dad to say our last goodbye, so it was a little bit scary, a little bit nervous, the heart was racing,” the South Australian admitted.
“But once we got out there it was obviously snowing and it was pretty tough at the start, but it was a good day.”
Fortunately, once Russell and his teammates got into the groove, the task became bearable.
“When we got to the lodge, we arrived at about four o’clock or at a quarter to four. We were unsure whether we had to go back out into the conditions and go for another climb.
“We expected that, but we got a nice little surprise when he (Director of Sports Science David Buttifant) said we didn’t have to do it, so that was good. We all rugged up, finally got something to eat, took off the cold clothes and gloves and got comfortable.”
During the evening at the lodge at Camp Cloud Rim, Russell, who has spent only a handful of few weeks wearing the black and white, received his first taste of life with Collingwood’s resident joker Heath Shaw.
“Last night when we got into camp all the boys were quite cold and pretty knackered from the walk so we needed some entertainment and Heath Shaw provided that.
“It was sort of the first real time I saw him come to the forefront and I was laughing a lot throughout the night so he was great value and got all the boys through.”
It has been a whirlwind six weeks for Russell, who went from the brink of footballing oblivion to the No. 2 locker at the Westpac Centre when he was traded from Carlton (the club for whom he played 116 games in eight seasons) in exchange for draft selection No. 71.
Grateful for his second a new lease on life, Russell said that he was impressed by the vision and ambition of the leaders in the club’s football department.
“From the first time I met with some of the Collingwood coaches and staff members, the thing that stood out most to me was the fact that they are really pushing for success. It was the thing that grabbed me the most in the meetings and the way that Bucks speaks and the way that Geoff Walsh speaks.
“It made me want to come to this club. They’re not happy with coming second, third or fourth, they want to be at the top.”
Having only played seven games in 2012 (and only one after round eight), Russell’s primary aim is to break into and secure his place in the senior line up.
But there’s a by-product of that which he hopes will appear on the horizon in late September.
“I’ve come across into a really strong line-up. Trying to push into that is obviously going to be the hardest thing.
“At the minute I’m just trying to work as hard as possible and obviously make the most of my second chance and try and be there at the end of September with the boys holding a cup.”
