It’s Update Monday…
Ben Saunders Polar Update: Ben Saunders was just 22 miles south of the North Pole on Sunday, and expects to get there tomorrow. Most adventurers would hop a plane and head back to the pub to start bragging. Not Ben. He’ll just be halfway home, and racing Spring as he skis on toward Canada. More importantly, Ben is also clearly racing against complete loopiness. Here’s one of his weekend offerings:
“There’s something wrong …with this picture (see below). Is the answer:
a) ‘Good grief! It’s so warm that Ben can ski along with no hat and no gloves.’
b) ‘Hahahahahaha… look at those tan lines!’
c) ‘Urgh! Look at that hair. I bet it hasn’t been washed for at least, ooh, 65 days.’
d) All of the above.
Clearly, the answer’s d, and although I can wash my hair and iron out the tan lines on the beach, the temperature issue is a tad more worrying…
Anyhow, on a lighter note, I saw one of the locals today. I swam across a lead wearing my drysuit this afternoon, and as I climbed out of the far side and turned to pull my sledge across, I saw something big move in the water, just where I’d been moments before. My heart missed a beat. Killer whale? Arctic shark? A wet, furry head popped out and looked me in the eye. ‘Hellloooooooo!’ I shouted, as if Mr. Seal was a long lost friend. He (she?) disappeared straight away. I’ve seen a few seals and they’re usually very shy, so I was amazed when he reappeared, so close that I could’ve bopped him on the head with a ski pole. I tried a bit of ‘ar ar ar’ but got no more than a quizzical sideways glance, so I took a few photos and he watched with great interest as I stripped out of the orange suit. Finally, as I clipped my skis on, he performed a few elegant tumble turns, as if he was trying to entice me back into the sea. Amazing – it made my whole week. I’m sure it blew Mr. Seal’s mind, too.”
Can’t wait to see his dispatches about a month from now…
Arctic Grooming: It’s amazing the seal stuck around (or maybe Ben looked familiar)…
The Earthist Chronicles 