Word of the Day
Furnish (v., FUR-nish)
To provide what is needed or wanted, whether an object, a trait, a piece of information, or a piece of furniture.
Gif of the Day
AnimalsLizardsOh haiPurple chairsPlease, tell me moreGreen with envy?Stop, drop, and roll?
Link of the Day
Ben Saunders begins his trans-Antarctic solo trip
Almost three years ago (!), we featured an article on this site called "Resupply." It's the first-person account of how Ben Saunders and Tarka L'Herpiniere nearly died while trying to recreate the ill-fated Scott Expedition of 1912. The two survived, and Saunders' retelling of the events is a gripping piece of writing.
Saunders is a polar explorer and motivational speaker. He's made it to the North and South Pole multiple times. Now, he's starting a journey to travel across Antarctica solo—something that has never been done before. And, as is his custom, he's blogging about it:
If there’s one thing Antarctica seems to abhor, it’s a rigid plan. The update just after breakfast today was that I’d potentially be flying tonight. Two hours later, I was loading my sledge on to the little Twin Otter ski plane that would take me to my drop-off point on Berkner Island.
I made a couple of rushed satellite phone calls to Vicks Nicholson, who is managing the expedition’s logistics and communications for me, and to my fiancée Pip, had a couple of Antarctic bear-hugs (down here with everyone wearing oversized down jackets, you can only get your arms halfway round) and then clambered up the red ladder into the back of the aircraft.
Best of luck to Ben. You can follow along at bensaunders.com. If you want to see some of how he prepares, check out this video showing his preparations for a 2011 trip:
Ben SaundersAntarcticaSoloLet's go exploring!TripsAnd I would walk five hundred miles?