ThePoles.com has an update on Ben Saunders today with the word that he is currently at Eureka Station en route to Ward Hunt Island where he will officially begin his attempt at a speed run to the North Pole. For the moment however, he's stranded there, as his plane developed mechanical problems when it it stopped to refuel at Eureka after departing from Resolute Bay yesterday.
Ben is about to begin his solo, unsupported trek to the North Pole and hopes to break the speed record set back in 2005. The current record is 36 days, 22 hours, but was achieved by a team on dog sleds, who also had the benefit of resupplies along the way. This British Adventurer will have no supply drops, and will challenge the record on foot.
Now that Hannah McKeand has been plucked from the ice following her injuries, Ben will have the entire region to himself. For the next month or so, he'll have 5.4 million square miles of wilderness with no one but the Polar Bears to share it with. Talk about isolation.
Hopefully the plane will be fixed soon and he can finish his journey to Ward Hunt and get his real journey underway. For now though, he'll get to enjoy a little more time in a warm bed before braving the arctic Spring. Good luck Ben travel safe.
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