December 29, 2015
In Punta Arenas. Next stop Antarctica!
My three year-old son has gotten in the habit of putting his favorite things from the day next to his bed before he goes to sleep. The other day it was an old hand warmer he used during his first ski lesson. Last week, it was the long snaking foam edge protector that was supposed to be installed on the hard bricks of our fireplace to safe guard his eight month-old baby sister. Sometimes, it's a large stuffed guerrilla. For a while it was a green balloon, but that's deflated and forgotten now. It's always interesting to me what will be chosen next.
I left Colorado the day after Christmas with a few of my favorite things. Most notably - a Trek Farley 9.8 Fat Bike that I will be using for a short expedition to the South Pole. It is so new and so amazing that had I been my son, I would have stored it at the foot of my bed for the past four weeks. But I'm not my son and I stored it in the garage. I'm sorry Trek Farley. The intention was there.
The goal of my Antarctic adventure is fairly simple and fairly complex. I am working for Adventure Network International (ANI) / Adventure Logistics and Expeditions (ALE) as a guide. I will be leading a Japanese client on a 'last degree' fat bike adventure to the South Pole. The simple part is that I will be in Antarctica for a relatively short period of time. The more difficult part is that no one has ever guided a trip like this. While there have been various attempts and successes - the whole formula for guiding here is a bit of an unknown.
Enter yours truly.
For the next two weeks, I will be working as an ALE guide with the sole purpose of figuring out the best way for Yoshi and I to ride our bikes 60 nautical miles to the bottom of the world. We will spend nearly a week in Union Glacier, ALE's base camp on mainland Antarctica. Once we have our systems dialed, we will fly to the 89th parallel and start pedaling... South!
I haven't been to Antarctica since 2012, when I tried to bicycle to the South Pole. I didn't make it. But I did learn a thing or two about biking in Antarctica and I hope to employ my insights this year. Prior to my Cycle South expedition, I worked three other seasons for ALE guiding South Pole expeditions. This will be my fifth journey to Antarctica and I can't even begin to describe how excited I am to be back in all that snow, ice and cold.
Unlike my son however, there will be no need for me to pick up any extra snow and place it next to my sleeping bag. I will be camping in a small tent surrounded Antarctic snow and ice for as far as the eye can see.
Image: Fire Brigade sign in Punta Arenas.
I left Colorado the day after Christmas with a few of my favorite things. Most notably - a Trek Farley 9.8 Fat Bike that I will be using for a short expedition to the South Pole. It is so new and so amazing that had I been my son, I would have stored it at the foot of my bed for the past four weeks. But I'm not my son and I stored it in the garage. I'm sorry Trek Farley. The intention was there.
The goal of my Antarctic adventure is fairly simple and fairly complex. I am working for Adventure Network International (ANI) / Adventure Logistics and Expeditions (ALE) as a guide. I will be leading a Japanese client on a 'last degree' fat bike adventure to the South Pole. The simple part is that I will be in Antarctica for a relatively short period of time. The more difficult part is that no one has ever guided a trip like this. While there have been various attempts and successes - the whole formula for guiding here is a bit of an unknown.
Enter yours truly.
For the next two weeks, I will be working as an ALE guide with the sole purpose of figuring out the best way for Yoshi and I to ride our bikes 60 nautical miles to the bottom of the world. We will spend nearly a week in Union Glacier, ALE's base camp on mainland Antarctica. Once we have our systems dialed, we will fly to the 89th parallel and start pedaling... South!
I haven't been to Antarctica since 2012, when I tried to bicycle to the South Pole. I didn't make it. But I did learn a thing or two about biking in Antarctica and I hope to employ my insights this year. Prior to my Cycle South expedition, I worked three other seasons for ALE guiding South Pole expeditions. This will be my fifth journey to Antarctica and I can't even begin to describe how excited I am to be back in all that snow, ice and cold.
Unlike my son however, there will be no need for me to pick up any extra snow and place it next to my sleeping bag. I will be camping in a small tent surrounded Antarctic snow and ice for as far as the eye can see.
Image: Fire Brigade sign in Punta Arenas.