North vs. South

Sometimes interesting phone calls come my way. This week I received a call inviting me on an expedition to the North Pole, leaving in a little less than two months time. Quite a short time line for a trip of this magnitude. None the less it is one of those once in a lifetime opportunities that comes along.....that I hate passing up. Walking 500 miles from Ellesmere Island to the North Pole, in 48 days, dragging a 300 pound sled over some of the most formidable terrain on the planet...in -40F weather....sounds like the perfect vacation. Plus the team would be filming for a future show on Animal Planet.

The trip that I already had in the works........Five weeks island hopping around the South Pacific....kitesurfing, diving, surfing. Despite this, the North Pole, just by the very nature of it, required very serious consideration.

After several days, weighing all the factors and tradeoffs. I made the difficult decision to NOT go to the North Pole. With too many variables at play and such a short time frame, I didn't feel I could pull it off with a reasonable safety margin. It never was a decision about going North or South, it was a decision about going to the North Pole or not. Though I'll miss the experience, I wish the boys success and a safe return.