I arrived in Longyearbyen with eight total bags in tow. Well, actually two 'bags' were my five new polar sleds (three in one bundle and two in the other) that I intercepted in Oslo and checked for my final leg to Longyearbyen. One of my travel fantasies is to board a plane with one carry-on and no checked luggage... But polar expedition travel doesn't afford those minimalist luxuries and while I try to reduce on all aspects, the Arctic environment requires a philosophy that I call 'Not Light but Right'. Here we can not sacrifice weight for durability and reliability. Back in 2005, we checked 21 total bags for a flight to Russia for a summer expedition to the North Pole. Two of our sled-canoes were so long that they couldn't fit in the elevators at one point in Moscow, but after stripping down some of the packaging and tipping them on end, we squeezed them in, one at a time. Needless to say, transporting and tracking the menagerie of duffels was stressful.

I got 'cart' lucky on this trip. First was in Denver when one of the airline employees was passing by passenger drop off. He shuttled me right to an open check-in kiosk where I checked in my six granite gear duffels in somewhat effortlessly (except for the cost). One of the greatest feelings is to have the stress of packing and logistics magically paused while you're flying. For the extent of the flight, there is not much to do but relax. In Oslo the stress returned as I waited for my duffles; however, I managed to wrangle another large cart which made life infinitely easier. Normally, I opt for towering the load precariously on a 'Smart Carte', but I knew that even my best Yertle the Turtle balancing act wouldn't support the sleds. Too often, the bags fall off and I am left dragging / pushing / pulling cart and duffles across the airport as sweat pours off of my forehead. This time, however, I was able to put my new sleds on top and bags underneath with little effort. Not a huge deal in the grand scheme of the bigger problems in the world, but in my small bubble of expedition travel, it was an incredible stroke of luck.

This is my third 'Last Degree' North Pole expedition that I'm leading and knowing more about the subtle details of each place in which I pass through is comforting. Much of the time, I am moving into and through 'unknowns' which require constant problem solving.

I've made some big investments on the guiding side of what I do this year so I've had to dedicate extra prep time in Colorado to making all the custom gear that goes along with this type of travel as well as modifying existing gear to withstand the harsh polar conditions. For my polar training, I bought new sleds and had custom covers made. For the North Pole this year, I purchased five new Arctic Ocean pulks from Alex at Akapulka. For both trips, I made new stove boards, wind screens, larger MSR heat exchangers and more. It's a significant amount of extra prep time.

The past week has been the usual chaos of packing balanced with family time. As my kids get older, leaving home gets harder and harder so I try to focus spending quality time with them and Maria which relegates packing to the small hours of the night. By the time, the wheels leave the tarmac, I'm generally exhausted. And then there's Jet Lag.

Now, it's one a.m. and I'm wide awake. Not that it's that late, but I actually fell asleep at 9. I used to be a pro at flying through time zones, but not so much any more. It takes me a few days to get in sync now. Hence me writing this now.

Still, I've managed to make it to Longyearbyen with all my gear. What could possibly go wrong now!

Image: Transferring polar gear in Longyearbyen.