They called him “The Boss.” His ad called for, “Men wanted for hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful, honour and recognition in case of success.” I modeled my trips on this ad. In fact, my first invitation stated, “…And as usual, please don’t send me whinny bitchy excuses. Just reply with, “I’M A BIG PUSSY” in the subj line and I will know you chose to stay at home, watch reality TV, and get fatter.” Lately the trips have become more peaceful. Treating nature not as our playground with which to prove our mettle but rather something that requires our love, understanding, and care. Even so, after 15 years of trips with zero casualties, nature will keep you sharp in spite of yourself. Funny she chose the leg of my right-hand man, whom was probably the most qualified to deal with such a predicament. We jumped at the chance to prove ourselves again, like a running back whose number gets called despite the fumble on the last carry. We had all kinds of solutions but in the end, tape, advil, and a good amount of guts prevailed. 7 miles later we all returned safe with better stories to regale ourselves with on our next adventure.
“Men are not made from easy victories but based on great defeats.” Ernest Shackleton HMS Nimrod