Polar explorer hits his deadline. Will we?
Adam Bradbury
10 January 2012
Around midnight last night I eavesdropped on a conversation between Mark Wood and one of his technical team. I'm not sure where the latter was but Mark was at 90 degrees south, 0 degrees east - the South Pole.
Listening to that conversation was an amazing thing.
For one, here's someone I've actually met and he's at the South Pole. His words are being transformed into digital soup, piped via satellite through who-knows-how-many bits of computer hardware to the phone system in my house which is linked via a little white plug to my electricity network. And out of the speakers of my laptop comes a strangely comforting Midlands accent.
For another, the ex-firefighter from Coventry has just spent 50 days, on his own, skiing more than 600 miles to the pole. And he hit his deadline.
I confess that when we first got wind of Mark's plans last year I was a bit sceptical about the point of it all. Seemed like another in a line of huff-and-puffer-jacket escapades.
But listening to the crackling broadcast last night - eerily reminiscent of the moon landings - it suddenly made sense.
Beyond highlighting the impacts of climate change Mark's achievement says something about humanity's capacity to take on awesome challenges.
There's the physical - pulling a sledge 17 miles a day for 50 days. There's the courage, determination and organisation.
And then there's the deadline. Maybe it's because I work in publishing, but think how much can go wrong in 50 days. And yet he arrived on the day.
Scientists say we have a deadline to meet for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Surely Mark has shown again that as a species we're smart enough to meet it.
When we interviewed Mark back in the autumn he said he wanted his expedition to inspire. Worked for me.
Adam Bradbury, Publishing & New Media team
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