“Polar exploration is at once the cleanest and most isolated way of having a bad time which has yet been devised.” -Apsley Cherry-Girard, “The Worst Journey in The World“, 1921The […]

Okay, I’ve now spent something like three days not obsessing about the Pole. That’s probably enough for now – don’t want to overdo it.Since it seems I’m going to be spending […]

One of the unexpected side effects of this whole “Pole” thing is a touch of local celebrity. Closet Antarcticans are coming out and telling me that this is something they’ve always […]

I’m back in OMG-land. Just got my deployment dates. Knowing that I’ll be heading to Antarctica “in late October or early November” leaves it vague enough that I can still […]

Okay, by now you’re all tired of watching me freak out over the South Pole thing. There’ll be more of that, I assure you, but I’ll take a break from […]

The busywork is done. All there is to do now is to wait for ticketing, when they tell me what day I need to get on a plane and go. […]

[Usual reminder: if the terms “PQ” and “USAP” don’t mean anything to you, start here, and work your way forward.] So. Maybe it’s something that distinguishes a particular kind of […]

Got back from lunch to find email from Bill, over with the US Antarctic Program, who wanted to call to ask me a question. Sure – he’s great fun to […]

“One wonders, after reading a great many such firsthand accounts, if polar explorers were not somehow chosen for the empty and solemn splendor of their prose styles – or even […]

First off, if the terms “PQ” and “USAP” don’t mean anything to you, STOP READING RIGHT NOW. Go over to my previous post and read it. That’s okay – I’ll wait. You […]