To the Far North of Finland
Monday 2nd December 2024
Hello and welcome to my relaunched newsletter!
I’m gradually scaling back on (but not leaving behind) social media and returning to occasional blogging and news lettering. Through social media I’ve connected with like-minded people worldwide, gained a solid following, secured valuable equipment sponsorships, and advanced my outdoor writing. It’s been incredibly helpful.
However, I can’t help but feel that the tech bro billionaires have taken control of social media and in many ways ruined it, undermining the effort we put into building meaningful online communities (How many of you have recently left 'X'?). We need to reclaim our own spaces on the web, in case the next platform fades away. Additionally, in the rush to attract attention, we often end up sharing content that’s less thoughtful and meaningful. Outdoor writer Alex Roddie calls it ‘lowest-common-denominator short-form web slop’.
To address that from my perspective, here’s my first update, which is a bumper edition. In future they will be shorter. If you have your own newsletter or mailing list, let me know, and I’ll subscribe.
A Crossing of Lake Inari
In March 2025, Dan Jones and I plan to ski 200km across a frozen Lake Inari in the far northeast of Finland. Our route will form a loop around the lake, which lies above the Arctic Circle, right on the border with Russia. To read the full blog post launching the trip click below.
For those interested in cross-country skiing expeditions, I joined the legendary Chris Townsend for a You Tube discussion on our past journeys last week. Chris is considered one of the pioneers of backpacking in the UK.
A Recent Writing Highlight
“We save what we love. Seeing and listening to nature have been central to my work. But when nature speaks and we fail to listen, photography can make us hear with our eyes”
In October I spoke to Sebastian Copeland for Sidetracked Magazine. Sebastian is a photographer, climate advocate, and polar traveller. He counts influential figures like the late Mikhail Gorbachev among his supporters, and in recognition of his advocacy, Emmanuel Macron awarded him the French National Order of Merit in 2019.
The image above is from Sebastian’s new book The Arctic: A Darker Shade of White which is available to buy now at rizzoliusa.com
The Month Ahead
At ExplorersWeb, we're currently working on compiling our list of the top ten expeditions for 2024. It's always a challenging task as we strive to balance the different types of adventures across various disciplines like climbing, long-distance hiking, kayaking, and polar travel. This year, I’m responsible for writing an entry on polar travel. The list will go live later in December, concluding at the end of the year.
If I had to recommend one article from ExplorersWeb in recent months, it would be "A Look at the Next Two Billion Years on Planet Earth" by Rey Squillace, a PhD student in Astronomy at the University of Virginia. In this long read, Rey explores the future and attempts to predict what life might look like in different parts of the world two billion years from now.
What I’ve Been Reading
Paul Besley’s new book The Search is, in his own words, “a search for people, and also a search for me.” This journey is led by Scout, an energetic Border Collie that Paul adopts, and together they train to become a qualified mountain rescue dog team. They go on to find the lost, the broken, and the vulnerable.
However, the real story isn’t about the thousands of hours of training, the rescues, or the landscape; it’s about the bond between man and hound. With the support of his partner Alison, this bond helps Paul confront the early life experiences that continue to haunt him—not just mentally, but physically, as the legacy of his time in the steel industry resurfaces with terminal consequences.
That might sound grim, but The Search is far from bleak. Scout teaches Paul to live in the moment, to break free from past demons, and to embrace a life of greater freedom. The book’s message is powerful, and I think Paul shows great courage in sharing his life, struggles and all. His wisdom and humour shine through, and his writing style draws you in. You’ll feel as if you’re sitting in his living room, listening to him recount stories of characters from a bygone industry that shaped the lives of many men of Paul’s generation.
In a world full of outdoor literature, Paul and Scout’s story stands out. It’s one that deserves to be told and, more importantly, deserves to be read.