"I'd rather be a live donkey than a dead lion," -Earnest Shackleton

I'm writing this email with a heavy heart and tired legs. I have been pushing South toward the pole for three weeks now and have, unfortunately, reached the end of my ability to continue.

In planning for this adventure, I made an "all or nothing" decision with my supplies. I would bring 23.5 days of food and fuel that could be stretched to 26 if need be. Even with my miserly saving on rations over the past week to extend that timeline even further, I don't have enough to reach the pole. It would be close, but it would also be outside the realm of what I consider safe.

The weather this year has been my biggest adversary. The constant snow (Antarctica is a desert ironically) has impeded my progress significantly. For the last three days, I was making 1.5 nautical miles per hour. My slowest rate of travel to date. While I know weather and surface conditions change. The weather and snow this year are exceptional - not to mention the whiteouts - life sucking voids of nothingness. Surprisingly, it has been relatively warm (which is the reason for the snow and whiteouts). I don't have much wiggle room in my schedule and already I had cut my sleep down to four hours a night hoping to make up distance. For the past two weeks, I have been skiing for 15 hours a day.

There is Michael Phelps who won all the gold medals and "the other guy" our culture doesn't celebrate second place or almost and so in that regard I feel like a failure... And I have cried long and hard over this. Still in comparison to the rest of the world and the struggles that plague our society my small defeat is insignificant really. Of course, that doesn't make it hurt any less.

I am a firm believer in failing forward. To me any great undertaking is a process not a singular destination and I have come up short on grand adventures many, many times before. (It never gets easier). The insights gained here and now will, in the not so distant future, provide valuable insights into overcoming the next difficulty I encounter.

To all my sponsors, thank you for your support. Simply me being here is no small part due to your efforts as well. Thank you again.

To friends, family and other supporters another huge ThANK YOU. I have felt the positive encouragement over the past month.

To my wife Maria and my kids... you have born the biggest brunt of my passion at the ends of the earth, yet you continue to love and support me. For much of my life, I have never really felt "comfortable" in my place in the world, but for the first time now feel that I have a home which completely overshadows any expedition- successful or not.

For now, I am turning around to ski back to the Thiels skiway to await a pick up by either a twin otter or DC-3. It should take me two days to ski there but after that it is hard to say what the weather will do so my overall timeframe is uncertain. Luckily, there is an emergency stash of food and fuel there so I won't go hungry.