I have a lot of respect for Mike Horn and Borge Ousland.  They've done what no one else has--skied to the North Pole during winter, braving polar bears, frostbite, frigid waters, and sickness to accomplish their goal by the date they anticipated, March 23, just two days ago.  Their 600-or-more mile trek from Russia's Severnaya Zemlya (North Land) began on January 22, which means they made it in just over 60 days.  National Geographic News has published a story celebrating their feat.

The North Pole lies on water, not land, so when Mike and Borge skied, they were actually skiing on moving platforms of ice, called floes.  Sometimes when the duo camped for the night, the wind would blow their floe south as much as three miles, and they would have to make up the distance during the next day's march.  If that weren't exhausting enough, when Mike and Borge came to open stretches of water (as much as 1/8th of a mile), they put on drysuits and swam, a spunky procedure Borge borrowed from polar bears.

During the final days before reaching the pole, Mike began suffering from a severe stomach illness.  He reported on himself, as he did during the entire journey, through an expedition blog, updated by land-based team members:

“I have walked all day. I’m feeling weak and am having hot and cold rushes down my spine. I am wearing every single bit of clothing I own just to keep my body temperature up. My body seems to be running on shear will-power. I haven’t slowed down my pace at all and Borge and I are still keeping a very good average.”

The blog also posted plenty of photos as the explorers sent them in.  The expedition was timed so Horn and Ousland could see an Arctic sunrise--something that happens only once a year, on vernal, or "spring", equinox.  Before vernal equinox the sun is never visible, but afterward the sun remains at least partially visible in the sky at all times.  On March 21st Mike reported that equinox had arrived.  "It really is the most amazing sight," he said.