The very active week in the Antarctic continues today with teams making slow, but steady, progress across the frozen continent. Everyone seems to be falling into a rhythm now and even the weather seems to have improved. But, as with all extreme environments, that can change quickly and no one seems to be getting too complacent with the current conditions.

As expected, Richard Parks relaunched his bid to set a new speed record for skiing from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole yesterday. He reports that he faced a strong headwind for most of the day, and of course he is skiing up hill at the moment. Still, Parks managed to cover 31.5 km (19 miles), which is a solid start for his speed attempt. He'll need to pick up the pace in the days ahead, but for now he seems content with his progress. Just 1118.5 km (696 miles) to go and the clock continues to tick.

Jumping over to the Beardmore Glacier, the Scott Expedition has been forced to abandon their skis for now and don crampons instead. They've hit a large expanse of blue ice, which is incredibly hard and smooth, leaving no traction for the skis. It has made pulling the sleds a lot easier, as they effortlessly glide across the ice at the moment. The team started at along the coast at 43 meters (141 ft) above sea level, but have now climbed up to 1014 meters (3326 ft) as they continue to make their way up to the Antarctic Plateau. They've now been out on the ice for 43 days and still have about 2092 km (1300 miles) to go on their round-trip journey to the South Pole and back to the coast.


Aussie Geoff Wilson was dismayed to discover the promised winds have not appeared as predicted. You may recall that he is kite skiing to the South Pole and had hoped to be making great progress on that journey, but unpredictable winds have stymied his attempts so far, leaving him no choice but to ski along like everyone else. The doldrums continued today with practically no wind to assist him, which is disheartening for Wilson, who may not reach his goal if the winds don't turn in his favor. Sadly, the forecast doesn't look great in that regard for the next few days either. Geoff also reports that he had a call on his sat phone from Faysal Hanneche, who was also attempting to kite to the Pole. It turns out Faysal has injured his knee in a fall during the high winds of a few days back and won't be able to continue his expedition. Details are scarce at the moment, but it seems he'll be evacuated from the ice as soon as possible.

The three teams racing in the 2013 South Pole Allied Challenge get a much needed break today. This is their first mandatory rest day in which all teams must take 24 hours off before resuming their race to the South Pole. This is day 5 of the expedition and they still have 10 or 11 days to go before they are done. They happen to be well ahead of all of the other skiers because they started their journey at the 87th degree, rather than along the coast. Still, they are making good time and progress has been steady, if exhausting, for the skiers so far.

South Pole cyclist Daniel Burton continues to struggle. Yesterday he was battered by katabatic winds that made it nearly impossible for him to make much progress. With that in mind, he set up camp early and tried to stay out of those winds as best he could. Later in the day, when they had died down, he resumed his ride, albeit at a painfully slow pace. Once he hits the plateau, things should improve somewhat, but until then it is an uphill battle.

Finally, 16-year old Lewis Clarke has been making steady progress on his attempt to become the youngest person to ever ski the full length to the Pole. He and his guide, Carl Alvey wont' be setting any speed records, but they are putting in the miles they need to complete the journey in a reasonable time. So far they've been covering 21 km (13 miles) per day as they struggle up to the plateau as well. They should pick up the pace nicely once they reach that point and again as they get closer to their destination. Good weather has been on their side so far though and we all know that won't last for long in Antarctica.

That's all from the frozen continent for today. I'll update again next week as the news merits it.

The 2013 Antarctic expedition season continues to ramp up as expected. As we near the end of the November, the number of teams that are preparing to hit the ice continues to grow as well. It is beginning to look like it will be another very busy season at the bottom of the world and soon there will be numerous teams skiing across the ice. For now though, there remain just a few in the field as weather continues to be the key factor as to when these teams can officially get underway.

The one man who is watching the weather very closely is Richard Parks. He updated his blog yesterday, sharing some insights into what he is planning for his attempt at a speed record for skiing from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole. At the moment, Richard remains at Union Glacier where he is watching the weather very closely and plotting his next move. The weather for flying to Hercules looks to be improving, but he is also hoping for good conditions for the start of his expedition so that he can pass through a dangerous crevasse field without battling the elements along the way. Right now he is estimating that he'll fly to his starting point on Friday or Saturday of this week, then assess the weather again before deciding when he'll get underway. Patience is the name of the game at the moment, but waiting is not always easy on a person both physically and psychologically. 

There are a host of other adventurers who are waiting to start their expeditions as well, but most of them are still stuck in Punta Arenas, Chile. That includes the likes of Chris and Marty Fagan, who have spent their first few days in the warehouse at ALE getting their gear and supplies organized. Veteran polar explorer Antony Jinman is now in Punta as well and will be going through the same process before he begins his expedition to 90ºS. South Pole cyclists Daniel Burton is there as well and waiting for word on when he can begin. His bike was expected to arrive yesterday and it'll take some time to get it rebuilt and set-up for the expedition ahead. After that, he'll be ready to get underway. Daniel is hoping to become the first person to ride a bike to the South Pole. 

Ben Saunders and Tarka L'Herpiniere of the Scott Expedition are experiencing some good conditions at the moment. They continue to knock off solid mileage each day as they continue their journey to the Pole, and eventually back to their starting point along the coast. They report warm temperatures (relatively speaking of course), low winds and a smooth surface right now, which is making their progress much smoother. They've also passed through the third week of their expedition, which is often when teams begin to hit their stride. To put things in perspective however, they still have 1588 miles (2555 km) to go before they are done. 

Aussie Geoff Wilson is off and moving as well. He's actually kiting to the South Pole and not simply skiing as previously reported. So far conditions have been challenging for him but he is now starting to make progress. Early on, the winds were too high to be safe and as a result he ended up spending four days stranded in a tent. He's eager to get back on the trail today however and hopefully start to make some real progress. Using a kite to catch the wind can be very effective and it is possible for kiters to knock off large chunks of mileage in a given day. Without the wind however, they are reduced to skiing just like everyone else. Lets hope Geoff can really get going now. 

It is an exciting time in Antarctica at the moment. There are so many teams lining up right now that we will soon have a steady flow of news and progress reports. It looks like it'll be a good year at the bottom of the world with lots of exciting action to follow. More to come soon. 

Yesterday was a milestone day in the fledgeling 2013 Antarctic season. After being grounded for 13 days due to bad weather, the first Ilyushin aircraft was able to touchdown at Union Glacier bringing supplies and support staff to that camp. More importantly however, that plane delivered Richard Parks to the ice, where he'll soon begin his attempt to break the speed record for skiing to the South Pole.

Parks has been in Punta Arenas, Chile for a couple of weeks now, biding his time for the start of his journey. He's now on the frozen continent at last and I would expect that he'll spend a day or two organizing his gear before hopping another flight out to Hercules Inlet for the start of his journey. Ahead of him sits 1130 km (702 miles) of frozen expanse which he hopes to cross in just 23 days. That would be one day faster than Christian Eide's record, which stands at an astounding 24 days, 1 hour and 13 minutes. Whether or not he is successful will largely be determined by his preparation, fitness and the weather. It'll be tough going for sure as Richard will need to average more than 49 km (30  miles) per day to accomplish his goal. That is blistering pace to be sure.

With weather improving across the continent, Geoff Wilson is hoping that he can launch his "Pink Polar Expedition" soon as well. Wilson is skiing to raise funds and awareness of breast cancer and has had to wait out poor conditions before he can start too. He'll be flying from South Africa to the frozen continent and expects to get underway today, provided everything goes as expected.

The Scott Expedition, consisting of Ben Saunders and Tarka L'Herpiniere continues their long march to the South Pole and back as well. They were the first team to hit the ice as their intention is to follow Robert Falcon Scott's route to the Pole and back, covering more than 2896 km (1800 miles) in the process. Their journey has already been a tough one as they lug very heavy sleds filled with gear and supplies for a 4+ month journey behind them. But whiteout conditions and bitter cold have made the adventure a trying one, even in the early days. Ben and Tarka have already been out on the ice for nearly three weeks and yet they still have a long way to go. For now, they just take one day at a time and focus on skiing ahead as best they can.

Other teams will soon join the chase for the Pole and in a few weeks time the first teams on Mt. Vinson will start to arrive. It looks like it will be a very active season in the Antarctic once again with lots of skiers and mountaineers to cheer on from afar. Stay tuned for more updates soon.

It was another eventful weekend in the Antarctic where teams continue to struggle with their individual goals. For some of the South Pole skiers it marked a shift in goals and expectations, for others it was a reaffirmation to stay focused on the tasks ahead. For everyone it was reminder that Antarctica is a beautiful, yet harsh and demanding place that will test you at every turn.

The biggest news to come out of the weekend is the end of the "race" that was an important aspect of the 2013 South Pole Allied Challenge. As you may recall, three teams of skiers – Team UK, Team USA, and Team Commonwealth – were all racing one another over the last three degrees to the South Pole. Each of the teams had experienced polar guides leading the way, but for the most part they were made up of men and women who were injured in the line of duty and were now attempting to raise funds and awareness for the Walking With The Wounded program. On Saturday, the teams reached their first checkpiont and had a mandatory 24 hour rest period. At that time the decision was made to put an end to the race in order to ensure the safety of those participating. For those uninitiated to the Antarctic, the pace of the race was grueling and was making things more difficult than anyone had anticipated. So, the leaders agreed to end the competition. That doesn't mean the adventure is over however, as they will all continue to ski on to the South Pole. They'll just do so at a more measured pace that will hopefully ensure that they all reach 90ºS in a timely and safe manner.

Richard Parks remains in his race against the clock however as he struggles to attempt to set a new speed record to the South Pole. He's now five days into his restart, and while he's  making good time, it hasn't been easy. Soft snow is causing him to make slower than expected progress and as of Saturday he was still 1051.9 km (655 miles) from his goal. Obviously since then he has managed to knock off more distance, but just how much remains to be seen. Parks hasn't updated us on his progress since then, but he has been covering about 33 km (20 miles) per day, which quite frankly isn't fast enough to break the record. Things should get better once he tops the Antarctic Plateau however, and if he can put the soft snow behind him it'll help too.
Parker Liautaud and Doug Stoup have  launched the skiing portion of their Willis Resilience South Pole expedition. After spending the first week and a half of the journey driving around the Antarctic in a specially modified vehicle, collecting environmental data and core samples of the ice, they will now begin their attempt to ski to the South Pole with an eye on doing so in record time as well. They're hoping to complete the journey from the Ross Ice Shelf in just 22 days, although their distance will be much shorter than Richard Parks, who is making a full ski journey from Hercules Inlet. His expedition will cover more than 1150 km (715 miles), while Parker and Doug list their route as 640 km (397 miles).

Liautaud was also hoping to become the youngest man to ski to the South Pole but it looks like he may get trumped in that regard as well. Lewis Clarke, the 16-year old from the UK, continues to make good progress on his own expedition to the bottom of the world. While he still has more than 655 miles (1054 km) to go, and a lot can happen over that distance, he is doing well so far. Yesterday, Lewis and his guide Carl Alvey knocked off a respectable 15.1 miles (24.2 km), which is a solid pace for six days into the journey. It's not going to get easier this week however, as the forecast calls for gale force winds to arrive in the next day or two. That will certainly change the dynamic of the expedition.

South Pole cyclists Daniel Burton is finding it hard going, although he did manage to cover 15.5 miles (24.9 km) on Saturday, which is his best day yet. He indicated that the pace is slower than he had expected and that he'll need to pick things up soon if he wants to make a serious run at reaching the Pole on his fat tire bike. He says that his sleds are simply too heavy, but he has a plan to redistribute the weight some that he hopes will start paying dividends as early as today. There is a bit of hope that things are improving however, as Burton noted that it is getting easier to ride than to hike-a-bike, which he has done a lot so far as he works his way up to the Plateau.

Finally, Ben Saunders and Tarka L'Herpiniere, collective the Scott Expedition team, are continuing to struggle with progress on the Beardmore Glacier. They have left the snow behind for now while they deal with hard, smooth and dangerous blue ice instead. In order to deal with those conditions, they've swapped their skis for crampons, although progress remains slow. It may be hard to believe, but the boys have now been out on the ice for more than 45 days, and yet they still have a long way to go on their attempt to complete Robert Falcon Scott's route to the South Pole and back to the coast again. As of yesterday, they still had 1257 miles (2022 km) to go before they are done. Hang in their lads!

That's all for today. More from the Antarctic soon I'm sure.

ThePoles.com has a fresh Polar Update for us today as we head into the weekend. The first, big news, is that Conrad and Hilary Dickinson have successfully completed their Lake Baikal Expedition resulting in them becoming the first people to ever cross that enormous lake in the Winter. Their website was updated with news that they had reached their destination, and that more details would soon follow.

Meanwhile, Rosie Stancer-Mars continues her solo expedition to the North Pole. She ran into a scary moment when she came across an area of thin ice about the size of two olympic swimming pools and decided that rather than trying to go around, she would swim across it, in her dry suit. The whole way she had to break open the ice, that was too thin to support her weight, but thick enough to cause issues. About halfway through her swim, the hood on her dry suit opened up, and water began to get in. You can imagine her relief upon reaching the other side!! All I have to say is brrrrrrr!!!

And finally, what are the children of polar guides to do when they go off to seek a little adventure? Why kite across Greenland of course! That's just what Sarah and Eric McNair-Landry intend to do as they set out for "kiter's paradise" with their friend Curtis Jones. Sounds like a good time for all involved!

Now that the majority of the teams have hit the ice down in Antarctica, things are starting to get very busy indeed. Weather continues to be an issue of course, but most of explorers are now trying to find a groove and get into a rhythm that involves skiing (and in some cases biking!) on the frozen expanse of the coldest, highest and driest desert in the world.

One of the biggest stories of the day is Richard Parks restarting his attempt at the speed record for skiing from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole. You may recall that parks set out on that quest last week only to find that the high winds and copious amounts of soft powder were making it impossible for him to make good time. In just a few days he was already falling off the pace, so he elected to return to Hercules and wait for a better weather window to relaunch. That window is now open apparently, as he'll start his second attempt today. Parks arrived back at his starting point on Tuesday, then took a rest day yesterday, ahead of his restart this morning. He now has 23 days to try to reach the South Pole and the clock is ticking.

The other story that came out yesterday was the evacuation of Eric Phillips, who was a the polar guide for one of the teams taking part in the 2013 South Pole Allied Challenge. Phillips was apparently suffering from altitude sickness after the teams were flown to the 87th degree prior to the start of their race to the Pole. Apparently he had fluid in his lungs, so they made the wise choice to fly him back to camp for an assessment. If he responds well to treatment and shows signs of improvement, he may rejoin the team in a day or two.

Elsewhere, Daniel Burton celebrated his 50th birthday out on the ice yesterday. He is attempting to ride his bike to the South Pole and so far things aren't going particularly well. He spent 10.5 hours on the move but covered just 6.5 miles (10.4 km), well below what he had hoped for. He does say that the slope he has been climbing since leaving Hercules Inlet is starting to get less severe and the snow is getting harder, both of which bode well for his plans. Hopefully he'll be able to pick up speed soon, because at his current pace he's traveling about half the speed of the skiers. That means he'll have a very long trip to the Pole, if he can reach it at all. I give him high marks for determination however, as he has refused to put his bike on his sled and ski any distance, which is in contrast to another explorer who is attempting to bike to the South Pole as well.

Australian kite skier Geoff Wilson managed to catch the wind today and made good progress in the process. He says that by late afternoon he had knocked of about 40 km (24 miles) before the breezes dissipated once again. The forecasts call for better winds in the next few days, so he hopes to capitalize on them and cover more ground.

Chris and Marty Fagan seem to have developed a good rhythm and are already making great progress on their attempt to ski to the South Pole. The husband and wife team are already just 540 miles (870 km) from the Pole, which sounds like a lot but is actually a good number considering the number of days they've been skiing. They're knocking off a steady 11-12 miles (17-19 km) per day as they make solid progress toward their goal.

Finally, the Willis Resilience team has actually reached the South Pole, although not on foot. This expedition started with a driving tour of the Antarctic that allows them to conduct scientific research of the impact of climate change on the continent. They're also collecting ice core samples as they go, so that they can be examined by researchers back home after the expedition wraps up. After being out on the ice for about a week, the team has already driven 1790 km (1112 miles) as they cross Antarctica. In a few weeks however, Parker Liautaud and Doug Stoup will return to the Pole on skis as well.

That's all for today. More to come soon I'm sure.

ThePoles.com has posted a new Polar Update with some news on the still ongoing arctic expeditions.

Rosie Stancer continues to make progress in her bid to go solo to the North Pole. She spent much of the day yesterday in white-out conditions, gaining 8 nautical miles in the process. After 13 hours of trekking though, the conditions began to improve and the clouds lifted. Hopefully conditions are much clearer for her today. Her last reported position was at 86 54 00N 56 21 22W, which means she still has some work ahead of her.

Meanwhile, Thomas Ulrich and Børge Ousland continue their epic voyage as well, but have reportedly run into a polar bear already. The pair of arctic explorers were surprised to see a bear so far North, and it has prompted them to set up a fence around their camp at night to keep hungry bears away. They've made steady progress as well, despite their own whiteout conditions, having notched 17km over the weekend.

The Polar First Team has made it into Iqaluit on Baffin Island, where they bumped into Will Steger's Global warming 101 Team who happened to have British Adventurer (and Billionaire) Richard Branson along for the ride. Jennifer Murray reports that the record weather delay in Iqaluit is 42 days, a record they don't really want to break.

Finally, the results for the Polar Race are in and you can check to see how your favorite team did. I don't know about you personally, but I was rooting for "The Blue Tits".

A few days back I posted that the 2013 Antarctic season had officially begun with the first team departing Punta Arenas, Chile for the frozen continent. That team consists of veteran explorers Ben Saunders and Tarka L'Herpiniere who collectively make up the Scott Expedition. Over the next couple of months, the two men will attempt to complete the route used by Robert Falcon Scott on his way to the South Pole back in 1912. Scott himself was unable to finish that expedition, perishing on the return trip after discovering rival Roald Amundsen had beaten him to the Pole by a matter of weeks. Ben and Tarka will make that journey in a self-supported fashion as they look to finish what Scott started.

The team flew out of Punta Arenas on Monday and were shuttled to the Union Glacier camp for the first stage of their journey. They then spent a couple of days getting organized, prepping their gear and acclimatizing to the Antarctica. Yesterday they again boarded a plane and were taken to the Ross Ice Shelf, where they are now en route to the Scott Terra Nova Hut, the famous launching point for Scott's expedition. Even though it was built more than a century ago, the hut remains an important landmark on the continent.

When they were dropped off on the ice yesterday, the two men had to ski 32 km (20 miles) just to get to their starting point. They are expected to arrive there today and will likely take a brief rest before they start the real meat of the expedition. Once they're ready, they'll then begin moving south, pulling their heavily loaded sleds behind them as they set off across the Antarctic at last.

Once they're underway, Ben and Tarka expect to make daily – or at least frequent – updates from the field. In fact, as I write this they are a bit over due for their first check-in from the hut. Hopefully that update will come soon and we'll be able to follow them closely over the coming week. You can read those dispatches on the team's blog page.

In the days ahead I'll be following the progress of this expedition very closely. Expect to read about it regularly on the Adventure Blog. Other teams will soon join Ben and Tarka out on the ice, but for now most them look like they're a couple of weeks off yet. Since the lads are making a return trip from the Pole, they had to get a jump on the season. They'll also likely endure worse conditions in the early going.

Such is the life of an Antarctic explorer. Best of luck boys!

The Atikamekw are an indigenous people who have lived in a remote part of Quebec, Canada for more than 400 years. During that time they have developed a way of life that allows them to survive in that hostile, frigid environment. They have adapted to the harsh conditions there, learning to live off the land, hunt for food and developing tools such as snowshoes and dogsleds that have helped their culture thrive even into the 21st century.

From 1999-2001, explorers Bert Poffé and Kiki Nárdiz traveled to the Atikamekw region where they learned much about their way of life and their methods of survival, both during the winter and the summer. Visiting that region built a deep connection with the First Nations families that live there, while also instilling a love of nature and the planet in them at the same time. It has been nearly 13 years since they last visited their friends amongst the Atikamekw, but early next year that will change.

On their website, Bert and Kiki have announced plans for their Atikamekw Snowshoe expedition, which will send them back into the wilderness where they honed their survival skills more than a decade ago. The journey will take place in February, 2014 and will take approximately three weeks to complete. During that time, they'll be traveling unsupported deep into Atikamekw territory using nothing but the ancient survival methods that the indigenous people have used to survive there for centuries. That includes using traditional mukluks, snowshoes and handcrafted wooden toboggans.

Their journey will take the two explorers into one of the coldest inhabited places on the planet. They'll pass over frozen lakes, trek deep into gorges and pass into regions that few outsiders ever see. Along the way, they'll face sub-zero temperatures, high winds, potential blizzards and all kinds of other climactic challenges as they pass between the Atikamekw communities of Obedjiwan and Manawan.

For more information about Bert, Kiki and their plans be sure to check out Inuksu.be.

Way back in February of this year I wrote about two adventurers who were planning to embark on a trek along the length of the Nile River, covering some 4250 miles (6840 km) in the process. At the time, the team of Levison Wood and Simon Clarke were raising funds to support their efforts while aiming for a start this past summer.

That launch date came and went, and apparently so did Clarke, as Wood is now nearing the start of this epic adventure. He intends to leave the U.K. early next week and travel to the furthest headwaters of the Nile before officially getting underway on December 1. His starting point will be high in the mountains of Rwanda, where the Nile's earliest tributaries can be traced. From there, his path will take him into Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, and eventually Egypt. Along the way, he'll pass through mountainous terrain, deep jungles, one of the largest swamps in the world and of course the Sahara Desert.

Levison believes it will take roughly 12 months to complete the journey, which he says is inspired by Ed Stafford's amazing trek along the length of the Amazon a few years back. If he is able to pull off this expedition, the Nile walk would also rank amongst some of the greatest adventures in history as well. Wood won't face the overwhelming oppressiveness of the Amazon Rainforest of course, but he will have plenty of challenges to overcome none the less.

You will be able to follow Levison's progress on the Walking the Nile website as well as on Facebook and Twitter. This will certainly be one expedition that we'll be following closely in the months ahead. Good luck to Levison as he gets underway next week.

ThePoles.com also has an update today with news from the North Pole. It seems that a nasty storm hit the north-bound teams over the weekend causing them to drift off course, in some cases for miles, and forcing the ice to drift Eastward as well. But as of today, things seem to be improving.

Alain and Dixie were waylaid by the storm and spent the day in their tend. Ice drift pushed them to the South-East and caused them to lose as much as 5km distance.

Over on Lake Baikal the team is continuing to progress as they make the first expedition across that lake. The team reports that they are no longer counting the days on the ice nor the days they have left, but instead they dream of all the wonderful creature comforts they are missing, and think of warmer places.

Finally, two supported North Pole expeditions are also making progress. Rose Stancer is head North on a solo expedition was also caught in the storm, and reports that she lost distance thanks to negative drift, but is expected to be back on track today. Adrian Hayes is hoping for a resupply today, as long as the weather holds out.

Back in August and September I posted a couple of time about the TitiKayak expedition. For those who don't recall, that was the attempt by Belgian adventurer Louis-Philippe Loncke and Peruvian explorer Gadiel "Cho" Sanchez Rivera to become the first people to circumnavigate Lake Titicaca by kayak. The lake, which is located at 3812 meters (12,507 ft) in altitude and falls along the border of Peru and Bolivia, covers an area of 8372 sq. km (3232 sq. miles) and is widely considered to be the highest navigable lake in the world. Lonke and Rivera set out to paddle 1100 km (683 miles) around Titicaca's parameter while taking photographs if its shoreline and GPS coordinates of its current position. The hope is that the data will allow researchers to study the impact of climate change on the lake in the years to come by having baseline numbers to compare their readings to.

The expedition actually wrapped up in late September but due to busy schedules and other commitments, it has taken a bit of time to upload the photos from their journey and share details of what it was like out on the water. All told, it took Lou-Phi and Cho 38 days to paddle around the lake, staying close to the shore for most of the way. Stopping frequently to take photos and gather GPS data, the two men were meticulous in their approach and stuck closely to their plan as much as they could. They did run into some issues when attempting to cross the border into Bolivia, as law enforcement at the checkpoint between the countries were reluctant to let them pass, in part because they had never seen a kayak before. It took two days to sort out the paperwork, but eventually it came together and the adventurers were allowed to continue on their way.


Dealing with immigration officers were the least of their worries however and there were plenty of other challenges to keep them on their toes. For starters, August and September are winter months in the Southern Hemisphere and this was one of the coldest winters in recent memories. The boys faced freezing temps for much of the way and the Puno region through which they traveled received its highest amount of snowfall in the past 30 years. Cold temperatures, snow and a big lake don't always make for the best of conditions.

The primary focus of the expedition was to not just paddle around its shores but to also survey the health of the body of water. What Loncke and Sanchez Rivera discovered is that Titicaca is facing some serious challenges. The water was littered with garbage and is contaminated by chemicals and sewage dumped into into it from the surrounding communities. In short, the lake faces some major issues in the future and with no regulation or proper water treatment in place, it is going to get much worse before it ever starts to get better.

You can read more about the expedition and the team's experiences on the TitiKayak blog. You can also review the photos they took along the way in their Photo Inventory. All of the images have been uploaded and organized, but GPS coordinates have not been matched to them just yet. That is a big job that will be completed sometime early next year, completing the full data set of the inventory.

Congrats to Lou-Phi and Cho on completing this amazing adventure. Great effort on both the exploration and environmental front.

November is here at last which means the Antarctic adventurers are gathering in Punta Arenas, Chile and are preparing to set out for the frozen continent. The little village sees some unusual visitors this time of year as it is the launching point for the majority of skiers and climbers heading to the Antarctic for the season ahead. Some are already in town, sorting gear and waiting for a flight, while others have yet to depart. Of course, the Scott Expedition is already well under way as others seek to join them on the ice soon enough.

Ben Saunders and Tark L'Herpiniere, the two men who make up the team that is following in the footsteps of the legendary Robert Falcon Scott, have now been out on the trail for more than 11 days. Those days comprise just a fraction of the 110 that is expected to be required for a round trip journey to the South Pole and back to their starting point at Scott's hut, located on the Ross Ice Shelf. Still, the two men are starting to find a groove and covering solid distances despite pulling double-sleds filled with 400 pounds (181 kg) of gear and supplies. It has not been an easy start for the boys, who have already faced bone chilling temperatures and high winds, not to mention varying surface conditions.

In their latest dispatch, Ben reports that they ran into the dreaded sastrugi while skiing yesterday. For those who don't know, sastrugi are hard ridges that form as the wind blasts the snow across the frozen expanse. They can grow quite large at times and are usually detriment to South Pole skiers who lose time either going over or around them. On top of that, they can take their toll on the body as they put a lot of pressure on the hips and knees when skiing across them. Last year the sastrugi were particularly bad, causing all kind of problems for the skiers. Hopefully this is not a prelude of things to come once again this season and that the ice ridges won't be as common or as large as they were during the 2012 season.

While Ben and Tarka continue to press on, another South Pole skier is preparing to set out on the ice. Aussie Geoff Wilson will launch his Pink Polar Expedition as soon as the weather allows. He is currently in Cape Town, South Africa awaiting a flight to Novo Station where he will launch an solo and unassisted journey to the Pole to raise funds for the McGrath Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to place nurses specializing in breast cancer care into communities in Australia. Geoff's good friend Kate Carlyle was stricken with the disease and this is a way for him to help out. As a result, he's pulling a sled that is affectionally called the "boob sled" as it resembles a pair of rather large pink breasts (I'm not making this up people!). If nothing else, Geoff will at least make for an interesting site out on the ice.

The season is just on the edge of really exploding with more skiers soon starting out. In the days ahead we will likely have quite a steady stream of news. For now, it is the calm before the storm.

It looks like December is shaping up to be quite a month for unique expeditions and adventures. Take for example the recently announced Peak 2 Peak 2013 expedition which is set to get underway on December 1. This impressive undertaking will send Kiwi Grant Rawlinson and Aussie Alan Silva on a human-powered odyssey across New Zealand that will have them climbing, paddling and cycling their way across both the North and South Islands.

The journey will begin with the two men first attempting to climb Mt. Ruapeahu (2797 meters/9177 ft), the tallest peak on the North Island. After that, they'll paddle 240 km (150 miles) down the Whanganui River before proceeding 60 km (37 miles) across the Cook Strait. Arriving on the South Island, they'll next get on their bikes for a 900 km (560 miles) ride to the foot of Mt. Cook, the tallest mountain on the island at 3754 meters (12,316 ft). They'll wrap up their journey with a climb to the summit, thus complete their Peak to Peak aspirations.

Grant and Alan will make this journey completely unsupported and on a small budget. They were both drawn to this unique challenge because of its grassroots nature and the fact that it could inspire others to undertake their own adventures that don't require a large time commitment or cost a lot of money.

Both of these men are experienced mountaineers, each with a successful summit of Everest under their belts. Alan climbed the world's tallest peak from the South Side back in 1998 while regular readers of this blog followed Grant's successful climb from the North Side back in 2012. That experience will come in handy as they push themselves to the limit on this particular expedition as well.

To follow along with the team's progress, visit Grant's website at axeoneverest.com. They'll get underway in just a couple of week. Good luck guys!

I haven't posted one of these in awhile, but ThePoles.com has an arctic update for us today with all kinds of news about teams reaching the North Pole.

First we have word that Jennifer Murray and Colin Bodill of the Polar First Team reached the North Pole on Friday evening. The two helicopter pilots are attempting to set a World's Record by flying around the globe via the North and South Poles.

Those taking a more traditional route to the Pole include Adrian Hayes who at last report was at 89.27.9 degrees N, 63 W, which means he should arrive very shortly. Rosie Sancer has had a supply drop, and she continues on her solo expedition to the northern most point on Earth, while Alain and Dixie are making slow, but sure progress as well, despite some nasty weather. You'll recall that they're the team who are traveling from Sibera to Greenland by skis, via the North Pole.

Meanwhile, famed polar explorer Borge Ousland and his Last Degree Team lived up to their name, reacing the Pole yesterday. Congratulations guys! Nice work!

After the long holiday weekend I'm back with some updates from the Antarctic. While I was away there have been some developments at the bottom of the world as more teams have hit the ice at last. But the weather window to deliver them to the frozen continent was a narrow one, as storms continue to cause problems across the region. So much so that many of the newcomers are finding it difficult to make much progress.

Perhaps the biggest news from this past weekend was the start of Richard Parks' attempt to set a new speed record for skiing from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole. Richard hopes to complete that distance in just 23 days, which would be an impressive feat indeed. But bad weather and poor surface conditions caused Parks to get off to a slower start than he intended and it soon became clear that he was already losing ground, even in the early stages of the expedition. Yesterday, Richard made the decision to return to Hercules and wait out the weather for a bit longer. He hopes to get a better window for his attempt soon so that he can make a serious run at the record. In the meantime, the folks at ALE will provide him with plenty of food and water while he waits so that he'll have his full supply for when he sets out for the South Pole once again.

16-year old Lewis Clarke has begun his South Pole attempt as well. He and his guide Carl Alvey were delivered to Hercules over the weekend and officially got underway yesterday. Lewis is attempting to become the youngest person to ever ski the full distance along the traditional route. He hopes to spend this first week on the ice finding his rhythm and getting into a groove. The early days of any Antarctic expedition are always tough and much of the time is spent skiing up hill, but once those early hurdles ae crossed, teams usually settle into a routine and hit their stride. Hopefully that will hold true for Lewis as well.

Daniel Burton, who is attempting to ride his bike to the South Pole, officially began his journey yesterday although he only covered a minimal distance. He'll have his first full day on the bike today as he begins the long, slow, painful slog up to the Antarctic Plateau as well. Pulling a heavy sled up hill can be challenging enough, but doing so on a bike is even more difficult. Throw in the fact that the storms have been dropping plenty of fresh powder on the starting point, and Dan has some real challenges ahead. If he is successful, he could become the first person to ride the full distance to the South Pole. I say "could" because there are a couple of other riders making that attempt as well. We'll just have to sit and wait to see who will be the first to complete the journey.

Chris and Marty Fagan have launched their South Pole expedition as well. The husband and wife team are also skiing from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole, although they aren't attempting any kind of "first" nor are they seeking records. Instead these two endurance athletes are simply on the continent to add to their resumes and enjoy the adventure. They officially got underway today and seem to be in great spirits now that their journey has begun. Tomorrow will mark their first full day out on the ice.

Parker Liautaud's Willis Resilience Expedition gets underway today from Hercules Inlet as well. A veteran polar explorer at the age of just 19, Parker and his guide Doug Stoup will be skiing to the South Pole while also collecting samples of ice that can be used to explore the impact of climate change on the Antarctic. They have a support vehicle riding along with them that will also help take a series of scientific readings about the weather and climate on the continent as well.

Finally, Antony Jinman has launched his South Pole expedition as well after arriving at Hercules yesterday. He will now make a solo and unsupported journey by skis to 90ºS while also interacting with students from around the globe while he's traveling. Antony's goal is to teach young people about climate change and the impact it is having on the Poles, which will eventually have an effect on other parts of the world as well.

That's all for today. There are plenty of other things to report now that so many expeditions have started, but I'll save some for the next few days. It looks like it is going to be an exciting season in the Antarctic with lots of activity to cover.

It is shaping up to be another busy week in the Antarctic as the 2013 season really begins to ramp up. There are more teams en route to Punta Arenas, Chile where they'll soon catch a flight to Union Glacier ahead of their Hercules Inlet start. Meanwhile, some of the teams that are already on the ice continue to struggle with progress.

First up, one of the more high profile South Pole expeditions that we've been keeping an eye on this year is Richard Parks' attempt to break the speed record from Hercules to the Pole. He hopes to ski that distance in just 23 days but in order to do so, conditions are going to need to be just right. So, with that in mind, Richard hasn't set out just yet. He's at Hercules and waiting for a weather window to allow him to get underway. Despite being out on the ice for more than a week, Parks is being patient with his approach. Hopefully he'll be able be able to launch his attempt soon.

The Scott Expedition is now more than three weeks into their journey to the South Pole following Robert Falcon Scott's 1911-1912 route. They intend to make the round trip journey that Scott never could. So far Ben Saunders and Tarka L' Herpiniere have been battling high winds and cold temperatures, but hey are starting to find a rhythm and are making solid progress despite their very heavy sleds. The past few days they've managed to cover in excess of 12 miles (19.3 km) each day, which may not sound like much but is good progress considering the conditions.

Joining these teams on the ice soon will be Lewis Clarke (I can't make this stuff up folks!) who hopes to become the youngest person to ski solo to the South Pole at the age of 16. ExWeb has a good interview with the young man, who left for Chile yesterday and hopefully will be on a flight within a few days. It will be an impressive feat if someone so young and relatively inexperienced can manage to ski the full 700+ mile (1126 km) distance on his own.

Also setting out soon will be the husband and wife team of Chris and Marty Fagan, who left for Punta Arenas yesterday. These two endurance athletes intend to ski to the Pole in about 45 days and with a little luck, they too will be heading for the frozen continent soon.

Right now it is just a matter of weather that keeping these explorers from getting started with their expeditions. They'll sort their gear and prepare their food as best they can over the next day or two, but the hard part will be staying patient while they wait for an opportunity to fly to the Union Glacier base. Regular flights have resumed, but the weather in Antarctica remains fickle, even at this time of the year. We'll just have to wait to see when they can begin. Lets hope it is soon.

The weekend wasn't particularly kind to the teams still waiting to get their Antarctic expeditions under way. Poor weather across the region is still causing major delays and it looks like it may be another few days before things start to improve. This has left a log jam in Punta Arenas, where a number of explorers are still waiting for their flights out to the frozen continent so that they can get underway at last. The weather also continues to delay some expeditions that are already in the Antarctic but have yet to get officially started as well.

At the moment, Chris and Marty Fagan, Lewis Clarke, Daniel Burton, Antony Jinman, and various others are all waiting for flights to Union Glacier. Flights were scheduled to resume over the weekend, but the weather continued to be an issue, so they've been pushed back into this week. It is now believed that the forecast will clear up in the next day or two and these teams can finally head out. But until they are actually on the flight, no one is particularly sure when they'll get to go.

They're not the only ones who are still waiting to get underway either. It seems Richard Parks is still looking for a weather window to launch his attempt on the speed record for skiing to the South Pole from hercules Inlet. He has been at Union Glacier for nearly two weeks now and has now been radio silent for a week. I have to assume we'll hear something from him once he actually begins the journey, but for now he seems to be content to sit and wait for a clear window. That could be awhile considering how fickle the weather is in Antarctica.

Also delayed by weather are the three teams taking part in the South Pole Allied Challenge (who also appear to have let their domain expire!). They flew to the Novo base at the end of last week and were scheduled to catch flights to the 87th degree over the weekend, but are now locked in place due to storms. Once they get the clearance to get underway, the three squads will then embark on a race of sorts, with each of them covering the last three degrees to the South Pole.


Geoff Wilson was able to put the major crevasse field that he had been navigating behind him, but the winds have been a bit cruel at times. He is kiting to the South Pole and has had to alternate between dragging his sled on skis at a painfully slow pace and catching brisk winds that allow him to fly across the ice. At times his progress has been unbearably slow and at others he has seen solid progress. All in all, he was happy to make some milestones this weekend and he seems to be getting much more comfortable with his kite now. That means, if the winds are in his favor, he could potentially make good time in the days ahead.

The Scott Expedition hit a milestone of their own yesterday. Ben and Tarka have now been out on the ice for a full month and to celebrate they had a chance of underwear and a bath of sorts. That came as some relief, as they have been battling strong headwinds for the past few days and while they continue to make solid progress, they've had to work hard for those miles. According to the statistics posted on their website, the boys still face more than 1500 miles (2414 km) on their journey to the South Pole and back, which has to be a bit unsettling considering the amount of time they have spent out on the ice already. But their mood seems good despite the challenges they've face thus far. Hopefully things continue to go well in the weeks ahead. They still have as much as two more months to go before the end.

That's all for a Monday update. I know you've been hearing me say that these other expeditions will get underway soon for several days now, but once again the weather is the final deciding factor. Hopefully this week will be more kind to the teams and we'll get more updates from the Antarctic soon.

Now that the storms in Antarctica have subsided – at least for now – the regularly scheduled flights to the continent are underway and more skiers are hitting the ice to start their journeys to the South Pole. With the big Ilyushin aircraft reaching both the Union Glacier and Novo bases within the past few days, the 2013 Antarctic expedition season is in full swing at last with multiple expeditions preparing to head south, including a high profile speed attempt that should start today.

Richard Parks, the Brit who hopes to set a new speed record for skiing to the South Pole, should now be ready to begin that epic endeavor. He'll begin at Hercules Inlet and hopes to cross the 1150 km (715 mile) distance in just 23 days. Parks left Union Glacier two days ago and after a day of prepping gear and getting ready to start, he should be underway today. There has been no update yet on his official start, but I would anticipate confirmation soon. Once we get that notice, he'll have just over three weeks to reach his goal, which means he'll have to average about 30 miles per day en route. That's a pace that seems nearly impossible to maintain in the unpredictable Antarctic. I certainly wish him luck in this attempt however and will be cheering him on.

Meanwhile, the Novo Station welcomed two new arrivals yesterday. According to ExWeb,  Geoff Wilson and Faysal Hanneche were delivered to the Antarctic today and are now putting the final touches on their preparation before they launch their expeditions as well. Wilson is attempting a solo ski journey to the South Pole to raise funds for nurses that specialize in breast cancer back in his home country of Australia, while Hanneche will be kiteskiing to the Pole on his own as well. The Aussie left Novo yesterday but only went a short distance away from the base before setting up camp. I imagine he'll have his first full day out on the ice today or tomorrow.

ExWeb is also reporting that all of the gear for the upcoming Walking With The Wounded South Pole Race was delivered to Novo yesterday as well. The event will consist of three teams of wounded vets on a ski race to the Pole. One team is from the U.K., another from the U.S. and a third from the Commonwealth States. The participants will have a kick-off party in London tomorrow before heading out for Antarctica, but their gear will be flown to their starting points soon and will be waiting for them to arrive. The three teams will ski just the last three degrees on their way to the bottom of the world.

Finally, the Scott Expedition continues to press forward although it hasn't exactly been an easy start to their journey. Ben and Tarka are closing in on three weeks out on the ice and their spirits have risen and dropped from day to day depending on conditions and distances covered. Yesterday the sun came out, which made them feel better but the struggles of pulling heavy sleds, day-in and day-out, have taken their toll. Still, those sleds get a little lighter each day and as they make supply caches for their return trip, they sometimes get substantially lighter. They have a long way to go yet but the boys seem to have found a rhythm which will serve them well in the days ahead.

As a side note, if you haven't been reading the Scott Expedition blog posts, I'd definitely recommend them. Most days they answer questions from those of us who are following along at home and their answers can be quite interesting and enlightening. Many of them are about the logistics of Antarctic travel with some great information being shared directly from two guys who are out on the ice. It is hard to find better insights than that.

More to come soon.

Our friend Dave Cornthwaite has released a fun little video which is the culmination of a project that started more than 1000 days ago. Starting on January 1, 2011, Dave, who we followed down the Mississippi River on a stand-up paddleboard and on a1000 mile swim down the Missouri River (amongst other adventures), began taking a photo of himself everyday for 1000 days. He has then strung them together in the video below, which is equal parts inspiring and entertaining. That time span overlaps several of his big expeditions, so you'll see Dave in a variety of situations. The message here, as the title implies, is that we should make ever day – every moment – count.