Book Review: The Expedition - An honest account of the true cost of adventuring
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Disclosure: I was provided with a digital copy of the book in the hope that I would review it on my blog. What follows is my honest review. All photos are from the book.
We see it all the time. The perfect photos from all over the globe. The feet sticking out of a tent with a wonderful view beyond. The silhouette of a person at the top of a mountain, arms spread wide at the lake below. What we don’t see is the years of training and miles of sweat it took to get to that point, and what the cost is to the relationships around them.
It’s gorgeous, but unforgiving
In the book, The Expedition: Two Parents Risk Life and Family in an Extraordinary Quest to the South Pole (Amazon Affiliate Link), the author, Chris Fagan shares her fears, her struggles, and all of the sacrifices it requires to achieve the ultimate adventure.
in 2013, Chris and her husband Marty attempted to successfully ski unsupported and unguided to the South Pole, intending to be the first married couple to do so. It’s a crazy goal already, but to do it as a married couple made it all the more challenging.
It’s a compelling read, with all the trials and setbacks an adventure of this magnitude usually has. What was refreshing about Chris’s story was how honest with the reader that she gets, detailing the sacrifices made to accomplish this admittedly arbitrary goal.
Most poignant and most unique about the book is the wonderful and honest descriptions of her hard decisions to accept the time away from her son. Much time was required to train long hours pulling weight and many long months were spent in the attempt at the goal itself. Having to make that trade-off and rely upon a community of people to help raise and comfort her son is something that for me, a father, was challenging to read, and very compelling. I really understand how it is to be away from family on shorter adventures.
Chris and Marty trained for many hours, pulling greater and greater weight
Another valuable aspect of the book is the strain that the quest placed on Chris and Marty, as a married couple. Their love for each other is obvious, but 48 days in some of the worse conditions imaginable can put anyone at odds with each other. It was interesting to see how they overcame these snags in life and death situations.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and her descriptions of the trek made me feel like I was there, though I’d never attempt anything quite like that myself. Chris’s willingness to share her deepest emotional and physical challenges sets this book apart from the many adventure stories I’ve read over the years. It’s a wonderful read and I highly recommend it.
Chris and Marty at the South Pole
