When I was a child at the age of 6 years old, my family moved to Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean, to live for 3 yrs. This was such a fantastic stage of my life, as it was incredibly fun and adventurous to say the least. We were always outdoors going off on crazy little adventures and on the weekends, my Dad would take us off into the jungle to explore the remotest parts of the island. One day, an Australian Navy boat came into port and it just happened to be one of the boats that my father used to work on so we were allowed on board to have a look around and meet up with some of his old friends. This was incredibly exciting to me as we were shown around the engine rooms and later through the cabins and galley.
In the following weeks, I would picture myself sailing around the world and going to some of the remotest places on the globe. I used to imagine what it was like to go to Antarctica and the North Pole and have the craziest thought’s of being a polar explorer. As, I later grew up, the same thoughts were always in the back of my mind. In 1994 when I finished my apprenticeship as an airconditioning engineer I applied for work in Antarctica. Sadly, and quite comically, my application was rejected as they felt they didn’t need airconditioning engineers where it was so cold. Funnily enough I now find myself working in Eastern Russia where last winter it was -35′C. But the point of my story is that I have recently moved to Somerset in the UK and low and behold, in the next village to where I live, is the South West head quarters for the ICE WARRIOR team. For some reason this polar theme has come back into my life again and I live for the day that this dream will one day be fulfilled. Ice warrior is a scientific project led by Jim and Lori McNeill. They are fully supported by Julian Morgan as operations manager and a team of dedicated staff who are helping to gather research data on global warming. They also realize that like myself, many people want to visit the Polar regions and they have devised a way to achieve both goals at the same time.
“In this modern age, our discoveries are more about subjects such as the reality of global climate change, changes to flora, fauna and topography and as we come across these experiences we deliver them into the many homes, schools and businesses that follow us.
These are truly life-changing experiences and demonstrate that with the right attitude, preparation and training, ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things; like walk to the North Poles.”
Unfortunately, at the moment, the timing is not quite right for me to go on such an expedition. But I know, that deep down, one day soon, I will. In preparation of keeping this goal in focus, I have recently joined the Langport Runners Club. I am certainly not built like a runner so by stepping out of my comfort zone, I have decided to work on my fitness and try to maintain a level that will help me when the time arrives.
Once again the North Pole is a personal goal. It is listed on my goal poster at home and I know that it is something that I will focus on in the next 5 years. For what ever reasons these thoughts have come back into my life, it is a great reminder to me that I need to take daily action to achieving my goals. Life is about adventure and the fun that you have. Living your dreams and the smile on your face. For me, getting to the North Pole, is a childhood dream. One that I always thought impossible. I guess deep down, I never really believed I would ever get to the North Pole, but now a very achievable solution has presented itself.
Soon, when the time is right, I will make the commitment to this achievement. Obviously, there are a lot of other factors to consider, like time and money, family commitments and fitness levels. But these will not be excuses to stop me from achieving a goal. Just things that need to be managed as part of the journey.
I once dreamed of being a polar explorer and now that reality is just a mile down the road!
Take care and have a most outstanding day.
Yours sincerely,
Stuart.
Tags: adventure travel, Antarctica, australian navy, christmas island, everest, expedia, expedition, extreme, ice warrior, jim mcneill, julian morgan, langport runners club, lori mcneill, low temperature, north pole, polar explorer, ranulph fiennes, solo journey, somerset, south pole, south west, sta travel
October 23, 2008 at 9:12 pm |
It will be a pleasure to mentor you through your life-changing “journey” to becoming a modern-day polar explorer.
Hopefully meet you soon.
Jim