As I was boarding my first flight en route to Punta Arenas, Chile I did a quick calculation then texted my wife Maria, 'this will be my sixth trip to Antarctica'. 'It feels like more than six,' she replied dryly.

Leaving home for me is never easy. I am love with two things that are in direct opposition of one anther: my family and expeditions. I don't have any real way to square one with the other and I'm not sure the best way forward. For better or worse, I often make up the plan as I go, operating by the basic tent of 'let's just go up there and see what happens.' However, that may not be the best parenting strategy (although it does happen fairly often)

As a dad, I want so many thing for my kids... to be happy and curious, able to work well in a group but independent enough to choose their own their own path. Be confident and happy. Find success in their own measure. But more than anything, as they grow older I want them to be able to find their own passions and find ways to pursue them - whatever they may be. There is no question that what I do will have an effect on my kids. Some of it will be positive and some of it won't. On any given day, it could swing in either direction. But the bottom line, is that being away from Maria and the kids for extended amounts of time will have an impact

Still, I think there is an opportunity for my kids to at least the places in which I travel and maybe even the passion that motivates me. And it's definitely not a hard sell. Rather, it's more based on fun, being creative and playing.

To that end, I built a Mission Control station for my two kids to follow along on my Last South expedition. I bought an old CNC control panel and mixing board of off ebay. Citizen sent me a wall clock that is the exact same face as their Promaster Altichron that I will be wearing in Anarctica. That way, when they look at the clock face, they can know that we are looking at the exact same time. I inlayed an ipad, so they can pull up my Garmin inReach tracking and put a big map on as well. I think it's cool so if nothing else, I've made myself happy.

Like a lot of things I do as a parent, it's the little in between moments that have an impact. I don't think that this station will take the place of me being gone. But it hopefully, it will create a connection to me and our lives together that will hopefully sustain all of us during the next 40 days.

Image: Last South Mission Control