We
had a pretty lively discussion the week before last about Ryan Jordan’s
Arctic 1000, the 600-mile trek that will take him and two fellow adventurers
to the remotest place in the United States. In describing what he and his team
would be up to, he left out one small detail: how come? Word of our back-and-forth
got back to RJ, who read through various posts musing on his motives, sprinkled
among commentary in which somebody was accused of spreading commie propaganda,
provoking and an allegation of McCarthyism in reply (that’s as good as it gets
on the Internet!). RJ weighed in as thus:

Good points made by all.

I’d like to clarify, since it is not clear from the website or press release
about the trek. I’m doing this trek, first, for deeply personal reasons that
have far more to do with wilderness engagement of my own soul rather than
public acclaim. I simply want to know what I will become when faced with stress
in such a remote place.

Second, I hope to use this experience to keenly illustrate some of the hypotheses
in my upcoming book, which is related to wilderness fragmentation in the lower
48, and to come, probably also in AK.

As one poster said, we’ll finish with a healthy dose of luck, and I won’t
be arguing that point at all.

Best,
Ryan Jordan

My latest mantra is that you never learn anything about yourself walking on
flat ground. Having hiked all the masters-level hills in his neighborhood, Jordan’s
heading to the Alaskan tundra for his doctoral studies. Well, the guy is a college
professor, so it makes sense.