Video: Mission Antarctic Trailer

Last year, snowboarders Xavier de Le Rue and Lucas Debari visited Antarctica to search for mountains to climb and ride. At the time, we followed their expedition as closely as possible, although there weren't a lot of dispatches sent back. Now, the documentary film of that adventure is available on iTunes and the trailer below will give you a taste of what to expect. The film was made in collaboration with Camp 4 Collective, so as you would expect, it looks like great stuff.

mission antarctic trailer from TimeLine Missions on Vimeo.

Antarctica 2013: South Pole In Sight For Allied Challenge Team

It has been a busy week at the bottom of the world. The South Pole skiers have been putting in a lot of time and effort on their way to the finish line, and for most of them that point is still quite a long way off. But for one team, the end is now in sight and they should reach 90ºS later today.

The first ski team to arrive at the Pole this year will be the South Pole Allied Challenge squad. You may recall that this team actually started as three individual units that were racing the final three degrees to the South Pole, but that race was suspended over concerns of safety. At that time, all the teams merged into one and continued on together. Now those efforts will pay off, as the combined squad will arrive at the South Pole today. This team includes Prince Harry, as well as actors Dominic West and Alexander Skarsgård, who are the celebrity patrons of the expedition.

Elsewhere, Richard Parks continues his efforts to break the speed record for skiing to the South Pole from Hercules Inlet. He has definitely started to hit his stride and is knocking off more distances as he goes, but he still faces quite an uphill battle. Yesterday he covered 40.6 km (25 miles), which leaves him with an estimated  897.4 km (559 miles) to go. The sobering truth is that that means he'll need to average 59.8 km (37.1 miles) per day for the next 15 days in order to achieve his goal. While he continues to increase his speed and distance, that seems like a herculean task over the days ahead.


Aussie Geoff Wilson is back on the trail and speeding towards the South Pole. He is kite skiing to 90ºS and has some momentum behind him now. At the moment he's heading towards a Russian research station, where he'll drop off some gear and say hello to the people living and working there. He is now under 900 km (560 miles) to the Pole and he is hoping the winds will help him get there by Christmas Day. That seems achievable, provided the weather cooperates – something that hasn't happened much so far this season.

Daniel Burton achieved a milestone yesterday on his attempt to ride his bike to the South Pole. He managed to cross the 81st latitude, which means he has crossed his first degree. He's also hitting a solid 15.1 miles (24.3 km) per day, which should allow him to complete one degree every four days. If he can stick to that schedule, he feels like he can finish the expedition. He ask feels that even though he has only crossed one degree, the worst is behind him. He's no longer struggling up hill and the largest crevasse field is now behind him, which should help him to pick up the pace in the days ahead.

The Scott Expedition has finally reached the top of the Antarctic Plateau, after nearly 50 days out on the ice. That means that the terrain has leveled out and moving takes less effort, but the temperatures have gotten colder as they are now at 2652 meters (8700 ft) in altitude. The boys are quite tired, but they continue to move ahead. I suspect from now on they'll cover more distance and pick up their pace. After dropping another supply depot a few days back, their sleds are the lightest they have been since the start of the expedition. Ben and Tarka still have 1182 miles (1902 km) to go before they are done – remember they're going to the Pole and back to their starting point – so there is a lot of distance to travel, but they'll be heartened by the fact that they long climb is now behind them.

Finally, 16-year old Lewis Clarke is starting to pick up speed in his attempt to become the youngest person to ski to the South Pole. He now has just over 600 miles (965 km) to go but he seems to be finding his groove and covering increasingly longer distances each day. He is still days away from reaching the Pole, but he is doing all the things he needs to do in order to be successful.

There will be more news from the Antarctic next week and soon we'll see climbers on Vinson as well.  Stay tuned for more very soon.

Gear Closet: SPOT Satellite Messenger Gen3

When it was released a few years back the SPOT Satellite Messenger was a revelation to the outdoor community. Not only did it allow us to call for help in case of emergencies, it allowed us to send preset messages back home to let the know everything was okay, even while we were in remote areas. On top of that, it shared GPS coordinates online, giving friends and family the opportunity to see where we were located at any given time. All of that was rolled up in a small, lightweight package with solid battery life and an easy to use interface. The device was later updated with some evolutionary changes that slimmed down the Satellite Messenger slightly and added some measures that made it more difficult to inadvertently set off the SOS button.

This past summer, SPOT released the Gen3 Satellite Messenger which brings more substantial improvements to the Messenger. The device did get a bit larger in size but it made up for it much improved battery life. The new model is capable of running for twice as long as previous Satellite Messengers, which is an always a welcome upgrade. That improved battery life is put to good use, allowing the new device to be much more active. Two new GPS location sharing setting are available, allowing users to post updates every 2.5 or 5 minutes, in addition to the standard 10, 30 and 60 minutes. Sharing coordinates that often is probably overkill when backpacking in the backcountry, but it is nice to know the capability is there should you need it. In a further battery saving mode, the new SPOT unit will even shut itself off when it detects that you haven't moved for an extended period of time. That puts it into battery saving mode to conserve power. As soon as you're back on the go, it'll resume sharing data at the usual rate that you've set.

The new model also has multiple ways to keep itself charged as well. In addition to the standard, long life, rechargeable battery pack, the Gen3 is also capable of using off the shelf AAA batteries, which don't have the luxury of lasting as long as the rechargeable pack, but they are inexpensive, easy to find, and small enough to easily carry. The device can also be powered directly from a USB port, which can come in handy when wanting to use it to track a vehicle for instance and you don't want to run the batteries down completely.


Of course, the Gen3 still does everything the old models did in terms of sending pre-canned messages and having the ability to call for an emergency evac. Those features are often what owners most want out of the device, eschewing the tracking abilities in favor of at least being able to travel more safely and confidently in remote places.

I've had the good fortunate of testing the Gen3 for several months now and feel that it is a solid update to a device that was already quite good. It remains lightweight and durable, it tracks accurately and its ability to communicate with others back home, remains solid and reliable. Essentially, it is everything that we've come to know and love about previous SPOT devices, just improved in some important and useful ways.

The Gen3 also remains very affordable. It carries an MSRP of $169.95, which is a low cost of entry for a device that provides some excellent safety measures for our adventures. Of course, the Satellite Messengers itself isn't very good without service, and in order to use it you'll need to sign up for a monthly plan. Basic service runs $149.95 for the year, or about $12.50 per month, with extended tracking abilities adding more expense to the price tag.

With the holidays just around the corner, the SPOT Gen3 would make a great Christmas gift for your favorite outdoor enthusiast. It gives them the ability to travel in the remote corners of the globe without worry, and it'll give you peace of mind knowing that should an emergency arise, they'll be able to quickly and easily call for help. I can't think of a better gift for them or you.

The SPOT Gen3 is a solid update in every way, giving first time buyers the best device the company has ever created. The Gen3 is so good in fact, that it should entice owners of previous models to upgrade as well. The improved battery life is worth the update alone, but the other features are certainly icing on the cake.

Duggars in D.C.

The Duggars are in Washington D.C., filming for the upcoming season of 19 Kids and Counting, which premieres in 2014. TLC hasn't nailed down a date, but when they do, we will announce it.

 Duggar family meeting in Josh and Anna's living room

Josh Duggar does an interview for 19 Kids and Counting

Mackynzie, Josie, and Jordyn Duggar (all 4 years old for the next week)

Remembering Jubilee Duggar

Two years ago on November 8th, the Duggars announced on NBC's Today Show that they were expecting their 20th child. On December 2, 2011, Jubilee Shalom Duggar entered into the presence of Jesus. She was stillborn at 11:46 p.m. on December 11, 2011, weighing 4 oz and measuring 6 cm in length.

In memory of Jubilee, Caleb, and all the other infants who have been stillborn, we have embedded the audio version of Michelle's letter to Jubilee and a YouTube music video of a song that helped her cope with her miscarriage.

Jubilee Shalom Duggar from WMtek Inc on Vimeo.

"I will Carry You" by Selah

Lyrics:

There were photographs I wanted to take
Things I wanted to show you
Sing sweet lullabies, wipe your teary eyes
Who could love you like this?

People say that I am brave but I'm not
Truth is I'm barely hanging on
But there's a greater story
Written long before me
Because He loves you like this

[Chorus]

I will carry you
While your heart beats here
Long beyond the empty cradle
Through the coming years
I will carry you
All my life
And I will praise the One Who's chosen me
To carry you

Such a short time
Such a long road
All this madness
But I know
That the silence
Has brought me to His voice
And He says ...

I've shown her photographs of time beginning
Walked her through the parted seas
Angel lullabies, no more teary eyes
Who could love her like this?

[Chorus]

Another Milestone for Josie Duggar

You shed tears along with the Duggars when their little girl was born via emergency C-section, weighing just over one pound. You rejoiced with the family when they celebrated her homecoming six months later, her first steps, and her first words. Every year on December 10th, we remember what a miracle she is and how her survival was an answer to millions of prayers from across the globe.

Wishing Josie Duggar a Happy 4th Birthday!

Take a look at these photos to see how far this little Duggar has come...

Josie Duggar Sings A Tune

With snow on the ground and her fourth birthday coming up tomorrow, Josie Duggar can hardly contain her excitement. Can you tell what song she's singing in the video below?