Patience
Firstly, my apologies for the recent radio silence. I'll start with the big news: Tony and I have decided to postpone SOUTH by a year.
Rationally, I know that we did the right thing. "Delay is preferable to error" said Jefferson, and while he probably didn't have crevasses, whiteout and katabatic winds in mind when he said it, it's a valid point. Especially when you're trying to go further than anyone's ever gone before in a place that, as Robert Swan laconically put it, "wants you dead".
Emotionally, however, it's been a strange few weeks. I know now that the challenge of organising an expedition is every bit as tough as actually doing one. Tougher in fact, because when I'm out there on the ice, I don't think there's anywhere I'd rather be. The same can't be said of the time I spend behind my desk. I've been itching to get back out there since 2004 and our two recent Greenland expeditions have only gone part-way to satisfying that desire. Friendly knock-abouts rather than Grand Slam tournaments.
So, a little longer to wait, but ultimately it can only improve our chances of success. And in the meantime, I'm weighing up a couple of Arctic plans for early next year. Watch this space…
{ Filed under SOUTH on Monday, September 11th, 2006. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site. }
Ben Saunders is the youngest person to ski solo to the North Pole and holds the record for the longest solo Arctic journey by a Briton.
Paul wrote:
Don’t sweat the extra 12 months, Ben. In the big scheme of things it is but a drop in the ocean - or in your case, a snowflake on the glacier. The Tao reminds us:
“Push and it is too early,
Hold back and it is too late.
At the right time there will be no stopping.”
I am certain that your time will come in 2007.
September 12 2006 · 4:07 am
chris wrote:
Will there be any Antarctic left in another years time :P
September 12 2006 · 12:55 pm
Ben wrote:
Thanks Paul. Chris - hopefully! I'm more worried about the state of the Arctic Ocean - from my layman's point of view, things seem to be changing pretty fast up there…
September 12 2006 · 4:56 pm
Nik wrote:
No worries! Gives me some more time to save up for my mile and rally round some more investors in what is still an awesome expedition! :)
September 12 2006 · 5:30 pm
Dustin wrote:
Oh man! I was so terribly excited to be reading of your daily experiences on that continent. One more year of anticipation is nothing for me if it buys you a safe return to civilization. So that will be time well spent.
September 12 2006 · 7:41 pm
Pete Barr-Watson wrote:
I can appreciate how you must be feeling Ben (and Tony et al) but even this turn of events is interesting to us, the readers, I think.
Seeing how an expedition is planned, adjusted, trained for etc is a very cool thing. We're getting to see things almost as they happen and we have the opportunity to become involved at a number of levels. This is something that a documentary put together after the event and endlessly repeated on A1 simply cannot give.
Best of luck to you all over the next year - as ever, if there is anything I can do to help you know where I am…
September 12 2006 · 11:50 pm
Craig Jamieson | Digiguru wrote:
Ben I think it's better you delay your plans, and respect to you for puting it on hold. I followed your last trip with great enthusiasm and know how hard it must have been to not complete your journey. Take your time and be confident and of course you will reach your goals. Pete has a good point, keep on communicating with us, it's fascinating to the average Joe how your prepare yourself for such an amazing adventure.
September 13 2006 · 7:18 am
Declan Elliott wrote:
The trails of the world be countless, and most of the trails be tried; You tread on the heels of many, till you come where the ways divide; And one lies safe in the sunlight, and the other is dreary and wane, Yet you look aslant at the Lone Trail, yet the lone trail lures you on.
Ben / Tony - the above is an edited version of 'The Lone Trail' as recited by a fellow south journeyman of yours in a recording describing Nimrod. It was Sir Ernest Shackleton whose ranks you will join in a years time. Looking forward to following your progress as and when the time is right. Have you made contact with the Woz / Buzz / Hummer expedition yet? Given you both are now planning to be on the ice in 2007 it maybe be worth doing so.
September 13 2006 · 3:38 pm
Jon Willis wrote:
Hi Ben (and Tony),
I'm sorry to hear about the delay - it takes as much courage, or even more, to say "no, not right now" as it does to say "yes" - and this might sound trite at the moment.
Give yourself plenty of time to let this out of your system before stepping into the renewed vision for 2007.
September 13 2006 · 10:59 pm
Stef wrote:
Ben-wise move. Looking forward to the next one. In the meantime you can now come to my wedding-Oct 15! Call me.
September 14 2006 · 9:22 pm
Alan M wrote:
Ben,
Sometimes these things happen and ultimately we know when it is the right decision.
Take it easy and I will be following progress closely (or at leat until prep for the next race hits overdrive ;-))
Al
September 15 2006 · 7:58 am
Richard H wrote:
Wise move. Does this mean you're up for next year's Twentyfour/12?!
September 16 2006 · 7:55 am
Ben wrote:
Thanks everyone. Declan - I hadn't heard that before. Stef - bloody hell, you're right! I'll call soon… Richard - quite possibly. I'm still deciding what events to have a go at in the next twelve months. I'll probably start with the Ballbuster in November :)
September 16 2006 · 11:44 am
azka wrote:
helo ben,
awesome! reading your amazing story.
i can't imaging your endure for this expendition.
azka, malaysia.
September 20 2006 · 4:14 pm
Dustin Barbour » Blog Archive » wrote:
[...] Ben Saunders, adventurer and athlete, has, along with his equally capable teammate, has decided to postpone his Antarctic expedition one full year. Instead of setting out this coming October, the beginning of Antarctica's spring season, they will instead wait until October of 2007 quoting Thomas Jefferson and saying that "delay is preferrable to error." [...]
September 21 2006 · 7:35 am
Koos Mathews wrote:
Ben, just a word of thanks for sharing your experiences with us yesterday at the Liberty launch in Pretoria. I have taken your words to heart, your courage and determination proved to me that if one has the heart, one can do it! It was amazing to me that just a few days after having read Richard Branson\'s book \"Screw it, let\'s do it\" I meet you and hear of even more amazing tales. I would have never thought that my second kick in life would come from two Britons in one week!! You now have support from South Africa as well - I will follow your preparation and eventual (successful, for sure) expedition in 2007, going SOUTH!! Regards, Koos Mathews.
September 27 2006 · 8:53 pm