Elham Al-Qasimi: North Pole expedition

I could sugar coat the dynamic and chaotic nature of the past 3 weeks quite easily. I am looking through my camera trying to pick shots to attach to this blog. There are plenty filled with laughter.

I gave endurance and strength training one last huge push.. training up to 5 hours a day. But the truth is I was already beyond physically prepared

I plowed through my shopping list, with endless hours of research on the best protein bars to fuel me while moving, the best balaclava to protect my nose from frostbite, acquiring a satellite phone, PDA, camera, flip cam, and everything else that I hope will allow me to communicate without freezing 1 day in to the trek. I would have made it with any kind of protein bars and without communication.

I worked hard at negotiating sponsorship agreements in a time when support of any sort is pretty tough to secure …

We thought long and hard about the charities I hope to help raise funds for by doing this, PEAS and PCRF, and how I could do the best I can for them.

And time was flying…

Last night friends, supporters, and fellow adventurers hosted a last supper for me. It’s a tradition of ours before an event. Objective: at the risk of becoming diabetic, make one last ditch attempt to put on a few extra kilos to fuel you along the way by eating as much junk food as possible, particularly your favorite sweet indulgences. Somewhere between the krispy kreme donuts for starters and being elbow deep in a family bucket of KFC, I inadvertently found myself mentally flashing through the most important moments of the past 6 months, moments that had fragmented in my mind in the midst of the chaos… but it then all came together. From the inspirational conversations I’ve had, be it with my sponsors or other explorers or young people, to the amount of fun that goes into planning and researching a life dream, to spending more quiet time with myself and my family… I guess it couldn’t have been any other way..

The past 3 weeks have been more challenging then than the past 5 months combined… They say completing the preparation for any big adventure, challenge, or race is the hardest part.  And indeed, flying to Dubai now looking out at the white clouds on a serenely beautiful blue backdrop, chatting to the amazingly warm crew and captain of EK 002, in my mind’s eye, I am already standing at 90 degrees Latitude. The Journey ahead, is simply a matter of executing what I know I have already accomplished over the past 5 odd months.

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