The thermometer read 48°C below zero. My left thumb was in pain from frostbite, my eyes were bloodshot and my vision was blurring. For the past nine days, I had been consuming food contaminated with kerosene. The decision was painful but necessary: evacuation. There was no other choice. Proceeding in this situation would only mean jeopardizing my life.
I needed some space to think about what had happened. Back on the drawing board, I figured out what went wrong. That’s the easy part. The question is: what next? Give up on the North Pole idea altogether? Try something easier? Even the thought of going back to the corporate world crossed my mind. Perhaps it was really stupidity after all to have left a secured job? Doubts assailed me.
I searched for courage within. The thought of returning to the freezing Arctic brings back unpleasant memory. But, somehow, deep inside me, I knew the answer. I know what to do if I do not want to end up a miserable old man at my deathbed 40 years later, full of regrets. The time is now. With the first hand experience, I know better what to do. Success could be just round the next corner. I must try again.
The following year, I went back to the Arctic. Though I was better prepared, it was far from smooth sailing. My partner Paul and me had to endure the same freezing Artic temperature. We broke so many skis that at one stage, we were each skiing on one ski each. On one incident, I nearly fell through the ice as it broke away under my feet. Later on, I sprained my ankle to the point it was too painful to ski. I was hobbling. As we neared the North Pole, the ice floe drifted south at an alarming speed. In one instance, we didn’t make any progress for two days. It was terribly demoralizing.
But after 45 days and 771km, we finally reached the illusive North Pole. On top of the world, literally. Success was so much sweeter. My gamble had paid off.
Never Say Die. There is no substitute for experience. There is no such thing as failure, only invaluable lessons necessary to bring you to a greater height.
