Into the Cold: A Journey of the Soul Page #2

...and l"m confident that

his skills will complement mine.

For someone like myself, who is

enamored by polar travel and...

...polar history, the opportunity

to get out there and experience...

...the environment that those

explorer are travelling in...

...was the highlight for

my young adventuring career.

Keith and l are the only ones here

to plan for the five to six weeks...

...needed to cover over

the 300 nautical miles,..

...or the last five degrees North.

ln the years since Peary,

less than 150 people...

...have traveled that

distance on foot.

Within the next few years, no one

will likely be able to travel...

...that distance any longer...

...unless they"re willing to

travel partly by night.

For the ice will get too thin and

fragmented during the spring days.

Up early to feed the kennel

of sled dogs...

...we find unusually mild

temperatures and rain.

Breakfast of champions, yes.

Five class accommodations.

Courtesy of Mr Rick Sweitzer.

Rick, the owner of Polar Explorers

later tells me that the shakedown...

...is designed to dissuade all but

the most committed adventurers.

ln a flat, matter of fact tone,

he announces that...

...the week had been designed to

"shakedown" the less than super fit.

lt's really beautiful around here.

Conditions are a lot milder than

they will be in the Arctic.

As far as the effort of pulling the

sled, it's a little harder here.

The snow is sticking to the sled;

it makes it a bit heavier.

lt's about 300 pounds

as it is, this one here.

And that'll be my lifeline

for about six weeks.

All these lakes in Minnesota'd be

very difficult to travel and hike...

...around in the summer because all

those trails that we're walking...

...would be filled with marsh

so you can cut trails...

...in the winter and that's

what we're doing.

lt's gorgeous around here.

The mild temps and the rain make

for very slushy conditions...

...and l have some trepidation

pulling my 200 pounds of weight.

As it turns out, the sledge

starts gliding in the slush and...

...before long my body temperature

rises to a steady sweat.

This will be the biggest

challenge in the great North.

Sweat can be deadly. The game

hinges on how to regulate the...

...systems to maximize performance,

while minimizing body heat.

Tomorrow will be the

first test of endurance...

...with eight full hours

of skiing.

My body aches, and as l lay to

rest l am contemplative...

...of my limitations which silently

scream from the depths of my soul:

"What type of man are you to think

you will succeed at this?"

The countdown has begun;

l will set off on March 23rd.

March 1 7th, 2009.

Tonight we'll be honoring Sebastian

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