When my mom used to ask me what I want for Christmas it was always a quick easy answer, 'wool socks'. While to most, socks may not seem like an awe-inspiring present, but for me it was the perfect gift. Warm, comfortable. There are few better things than having toasty feet on a cold day.

Now-a-days, I ask for Carbon offsets as presents so my sock collection has dwindled a bit. Never fear, the sock fairy is near. I received a box of wigwam socks for the North Pole today and immediately put on a pair. My feet were pleased with my behavior - especially since I had been wearing the same pair for the last three days.

I am almost totally geared up now. There are a few last gear details but with the arrival of a second iridium phone, some palm pilot parts from Farm Logic, we are almost GTG. (Good to go). I have been working for almost three years designing gear and equipment for this trip. While much of it has been donated, we have to purchase things as well. Yesterday I ordered 70 days worth of freeze dried meals from Mountain House. I don't even want to tell you how much that cost. Still, we were able to get a very good deal. Thanks Melanie! We appreciate your support.

There are three of us going to the pole now. You haven't really met Darcy from Canada or AJ from the UK, but you'll get to know them soon enough. That is one aspect of this expedition in which time is not our enemy.

We have been passing around a 'North Pole To Do' list between the three of us and there is still much to be done. Early Monday morning, I'll leave boulder and drive to Minnesota, then pick up a few items at Tim and Elisabeth's in Minneapolis, and finally, Grand Marais. The next morning its up and to Canada where Darcy will meet me. There, we'll go grocery shopping and then drive to Ottawa. Yikes. It hurts my but just thinking about all that sitting.

The stress of all these intense preparations is getting to us. Today Darcy and I got in a bit of an argument on the phone. Nothing serious, but we are dealing with such an infinitely small margin of error that everything has to be perfect. With different styles of working and communication, there is bound to be some friction. We managed to talk through the issue and find an amenable conclusion. Later, in talking to my mom, I broke down a bit. This task is so overwhelming.

Helen Keller says that, 'life is either a daring adventure or nothing.' I'm inclined to believe her.

Picture: A box of Wigwam's from the sock fairy. Thanks Donna!

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com. For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com. For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net

The Save the Poles expedition is sponsored by bing and Terramar with major support from Goal0, MSR, Scream Agency, Sierra Designs, Stanley, Optic Nerve and Clif Bar.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com. For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com. For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net. For lecture inquires, please contact smakmaria@yahoo.com.

Wow, this stuff is really starting to get fun. And we haven't even left yet! Another day dotting I's and crossing T's. My old expedition partner Lonnie Dupre would be proud of me today after crossing so many things off my list. 'Got that done,' he would often say.

I had a brief conversation with another polar adventurer and good friend John Huston. 'Are you getting any sleep?' He asked knowingly. Last year at this time John was preparing for his own North Pole Journey.

The morning started nicely with another arrival from Clif Bar. This time it was my Builders Bars - chocoalate and cookies and cream flavors. In Antarctica, these were special treats. Tasty, crunchy and packed full of energy. I usually ate them during my first break.

I have been in contact with Dongsheng my client (and team member) from the South Pole. While we have talked about exchanging pictures, I have been too busy to send both Bill and Dong a representative selection of pictures from the South Pole. For his part Dongsheng's video camera didn't work in the cold so he was left with mostly inside the tent pictures.

How does an expedition change a person? As you can see from Dongsheng's face over the course of 48 days... Quite a bit. In an email he wrote, 'I am doing the first things on my wish list which I made on the ice. The South Pole trip has changed lots of thing in my life!'

Changes around here, are a bit more subtle. The list is getting smaller (and kind of growing too). I'm in the process of sorting out my iridium Sponsorship. New Suunto compasses should be arriving this week as well. MSR XKG stoves, a new heat exchanger, ThermaRests and more!

For better or worse, I still need to wash my terramar long underwear from the South Pole. But luckily a new partnership with Seventh Generation will make that tough job a bit easier.

Picture: Dongsheng for 48 days in Antarctica.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com. For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com. For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net

The Save the Poles expedition is sponsored by bing and Terramar with major support from Goal0, MSR, Scream Agency, Sierra Designs, Stanley, Optic Nerve and Clif Bar.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com. For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com. For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net. For lecture inquires, please contact smakmaria@yahoo.com.

Moving forward because we have no other choice... To fail now is inconceivable yet it is something that we are talking about regularly. Unfortunately, the hurdles keep stacking up. Our latest quandary: obtaining $100,000 - not to spend, just to have. Sounds confusing? Let me explain.

Our logistical safety net requires many things. First, a costly flight to our starting point to northern Ellesmere Island. Next, more money devoted to a shared resupply. Of course, there is also the pick up at the North Pole. Most importantly - we are required to have a secured accounting of $100,000 (like a bond) should some unforeseen non medical emergency arises. Know anyone interested in helping out?

Other than that small detail, it is business as usual. We are managing a nearly infinite amount of variables. One thing checked off the list - Clif bars. At the most difficult part of our journey, we expect to consume 8 different Clif bars - from mojo's to the new clif c's to just the plain tasty Clif Bar (Chocolate Chip is my favorite by the way).

I've been emailing back and forth with the people from ACR electronics. Turns out they have a new feature called for their PLB's (personal locator beacons) on 406Link.com. Basically its a non-distress messaging service that wil allows us to send "I'M OK" message with our ACR Microfixes.

Next my web superstar Tim Harincar will try to take that I'm OK message and translate it into a coordinate posting on the Save the Poles web site X-plot map. That means I will be update my position several times during the day while on the Arctic Ocean.

Q: How cool is that? A: Very!

A quick update from the Arctic Ocean - worst ice conditions reported in many years. There is talk of 'super moons' at the end of February which will increase tides and consequently make ice substantially rougher. And this last nerve wracking tidbit an unusually warm temperatures in northern Canada means lots of open water. YIKES.

It's the end of a stressful day. I'm not complaining rather just stating fact. I'll deal with all this toughness as it comes down the pipe. Moving forward now because I want to. Hope, I believe, springs eternal.

Picture: The Clif Bar fairy arrived in Boulder today.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com. For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com. For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net

The Save the Poles expedition is sponsored by bing and Terramar with major support from Goal0, MSR, Scream Agency, Sierra Designs, Stanley, Optic Nerve and Clif Bar.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com. For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com. For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net. For lecture inquires, please contact smakmaria@yahoo.com.

Wow! It's been an emotional roller coaster over the last few weeks. Coming back from the South Pole, the worst happened. Ryan Waters, team member for the North Pole leg, dropped out due to personal reasons. Understandable as he had was still in Antarctica on a 70-day expedition.

Worse, was Darcy St. Laurent's email stating that our military flights to northern Ellesmere Island were cut. 'Expletive No' was the last response in a chain of answers that had been overwhelmingly 'yes'. Ouch. That one hurt.

Panic ensues.

On my way to the North Pole in 2006, there were often many times when I wanted to give up and quit. Unfortunately, during that trip there were many times where no real option to stop existed. We were outside of the realm of rescue. I would later realize that, sometimes, the best way to keep moving forward is to not have another choice.

Sitting comfortably in a house, it's easy to decide 'not' to go to the North Pole. Everything was stacked against me going. No major sponsor, team members dropping out, logistics flushed you-know-where. It makes my brain hurt just thinking about all those hurdles. Still, I had hope. I am working with an amazing team of voluteers who are helping promote and implement the entire mission of Save the Poles. Other partners like Miquel and msnbc and Calvin at Newsvine are offering support as well. (By the way you should join the conversation on newsvine at http://ericlarsenexplore.newsvine.com/)

From the team at Scream Agency to Tim Harincar at webexpeditions (x-journal and x-plot), to sponsors like terramar and Sierra Designs (and now bing), the definition of team for an expedition like this is way more than just the few people traveling on the ice.

Amazingly, the hard work by everyone starts paying off. Through Lora's help, Discovery Channel Canada picks up the story. Tim cranks out much need web site changes and mapping updates. Elisabeth, his wife, continues to manage a lot of the overall web presence for Save the Poles. New team memebers come on board (more later). Sponsors like Goal0, Optic Nerve, Terramar and Atlas pledge financial support.

The biggest news however, was the effort of one single person. OK, maybe two. A friend from high school (in Wisconsin), Scott Bishop works at microsoft and he was able to connect me with some key marketing people several years ago and then again, last fall. In January, I met with Kristin Meldahl at Bing, who took an immediate interest my project. After several weeks of meetings and arm twisting, a sponsorship agreement was hammered out. Wow. More news on this soon! (Thanks again Kristin).

By the way and in case you missed it, the fundraiser in Golden at American Mountaineering Center... A big success. HUGE thanks go to Audrey Milton, a long time friend and supporter of Save the Poles. She even wrangled her husband Dave and two kids into coming along for the show. Of course, Lora and Zack from Scream were there to lend a hand as were Paul from Scarp and Jason, Phil, Sue and Chris from Sierra Designs. A celebrity appearance by Aron Ralston was also nice. Special thanks to Maria for being the solid overall supporter as well.

This news... And everything I've just written... it is just the beginning. We are only one-third finished with the Save the Poles story. More is to come. Our North Pole departure date looms ominously close. We are hoping to be at our starting point in northern Ellesmere Island by March 1st!

That doesn't give us much time does it? Are you packed? Are you wearing your tx2 base layers? Just because I am going to the Arctic Ocean and you are staying home, doesn't mean that you are not part of the team too. We can not do all this alone.

No one of us is as strong as all of us!

Image: Sierra Designs' Phil Mesdag fitting the 'Big Kev' polar tunnel tent with a new fly.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com. For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com. For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net

The Save the Poles expedition is sponsored by bing and Terramar with major support from Goal0, MSR, Scream Agency, Sierra Designs, Stanley, Optic Nerve and Clif Bar.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com. For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com. For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net. For lecture inquires, please contact smakmaria@yahoo.com.

I spent a few hours yesterday with Richard Ortner, a meteorologist from Denver's KMGH channel 7. We talked about our changing climate, life on the trail, polar gear and training. Richard is a great guy and I appreciate the time he spent discussing Save the Poles. There should be STP TV spot sometime this week

With only a few weeks before my North Pole departure, I am trying to reign in chaos. Not that easy. I wish I could report that everything is great and it's been smooth sailing but the opposite is true. Our military flights to northern Ellesemere Island did not get final approval and Ryan Waters a stalwart mountaineer and polar traveler backed out of the North Pole team for personal reasons. ARRRGGHH!

I am trying to prioritize in these final weeks, but it only makes me realize what I already know. Everything is important! In a polar expedition each piece is a critical component of the whole. Training, gear, proper diet (ie Clif bars), logistics, safety net, team, clothing, travel systems... I'll stop there.

I've had a string of bad luck lately that I hope doesn't carry over to the Arctic Ocean. My external hard drive slipped out of my back pack while traveling and smashed. I broke a pair of my favorite sunglasses as well. To add insult to injury, Wells Fargo made a clerical error that took four hours to straighten out (their fault not mine).

Funding is still a priority. We still need a few more dollars to make it North. If you're in Colorado or know someone in Colorado, please pass along this information: Save the Poles Fundraiser - February 4th, 6:30 pm Mountaineering Museum - Golden, CO. Find out more at http://www.cmchams.org/eric/

I have had some amazing conversations with all sorts of folks lately about polar travel, solar power, mapping and much more. I spent part of last week in Seattle meeting with REI, msnbc, stanley-pmi.com/" target="_blank">Stanley and potential partner bing. While Newsvine and MSNBC are going to be big hits, I am most excited about BING. Tim at webexpeditions has already started incorporating BING maps into our mapping program.

Much like the picture, BING could really be the unifying factor - the thing that brings all those expedition priorities into one seamless unit.

Image: BING surrounded by expedition gear.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com

For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com

For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net


The Save the Poles expedition is sponsored by bing and Terramar with major support from Goal0, MSR, Scream Agency, Sierra Designs, Stanley, Optic Nerve and Clif Bar.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com. For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com. For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net. For lecture inquires, please contact smakmaria@yahoo.com.