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 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