Ben Saunders Skis Across the North Pole
The feeling of being alone is one that almost all humans can relate to. However, one man may have a better understanding than most. Ben Saunders spent nearly three months on top of the world in a desolate, frozen landscape completely alone. Ben Saunders’ story is one of hardship, endurance and pure inspiration.
It is hard to imagine the sheer vastness of being the only human being in an area almost one and a half times larger than the United States. However that’s where the journey began for Saunders. He set off with a sled of gear dragging behind; containing only the equipment necessary for survival. The one-man “dog” sled team embarked. He would travel a distance equivalent to 31 marathons back to back. The passage tested Saunders physically and mentally. The thought of his family, his girlfriend and the glamour of success drove him forward. Reaching the North Pole alone is something that only four people in the world can boast and many explorers claim that the feat is greater than climbing Mt. Everest. Saunders came to “test his limits.” He didn’t want to be one of those people “who go through life only scratching the surface of true potential.” At age twenty-three he had done something truly amazing.
Finally he reached ninety degrees north latitude. Unfortunately a journey to the North Pole finishes somewhat anti-climactically. The view from the top of the world is not much different from what Saunders had experienced over the past month of his journey. Yet, after coming all that way he couldn’t help but “ponder the weirdness of the moment that the entire planet was rotating beneath” him. The return journey went faster. He new that he had accomplished what he set out to do and this gave him peace of mind.
~”Ben lacks impetus to achieve anything worthwhile.” The Teacher’s Comments of
Saunders 4th Grade Report Card
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