My name is John Huston, I'm 32 years old and I live in Chicago. In 2005 I skied and dog sledded over 1400 miles on Greenland and last winter led a 57-day expedition to the South Pole. On March 1, my partner, Tyler Fish, and I begin what, without a doubt, will be the hardest trip of our lives, an unsupported ski expedition the North Pole.

Beginning at the northernmost point in North America, in the extreme northeastern Canadian Arctic, we will ski and snowshoe over 475 miles to the North Pole. We aim to do this expedition the self-reliant way, unsupported - no resupplies - no sled dogs - no snowmobiles and no second chances. Everything we have in our 260 pound sleds represents all of our resources for the entire 55-day expedition.

On our way to the North Pole, we'll be sending a blog to this Victorinox site every Monday. You'll also be able to follow our progress on the map through daily position updates. The weekly blog will feature photos, audio clips and a text journal from the expedition, all which are sent back from the ice via satellite phone.

Our mission is to use the expedition to inspire people to embrace challenge with optimism, humility and responsible action. The project features a climate change education program and two research projects: a physiological analysis of our mental experience and observational data collection of Arctic Ocean sea ice.

Our project will attempt to raise $100,000 and awareness for CaringBridge. CaringBridge.org offers free personalized websites that support and connect loved ones during critical illness, treatment and recovery. The goal of this service is to ease the burden of keeping friends and family updated, while also providing a way for them to send their love, support and encouragement. CaringBridge and Victorinox North Pole '09 have a strong philosophical connection of optimism and compassion in the face of extreme challenge

Since the end of last year's winter expedition season Tyler and I have been training rigorously for skiing while pulling enormous loads. In our training we pull heavy truck tires while walking with ski poles ,in order to replicate the skiing and sled hauling motion as closely as possible. This specific training not only prepares the exact muscle groups that will be used on the expedition, it also attunes our minds to the massive challenge that lay ahead.

Although the expedition is very physical in nature, the challenge is really a mental one. We know that we can never conquer nature. Our ability to adapt humbly to our surroundings and to remain steadfastly optimistic will determine the success of our mission and our day-to-day happiness on the ice.

It is this day-to-day happiness and centered-humility to which we keenly look forward to experiencing. Long-distance polar expeditions are mental exercises in patience, self-care and endurance. We are both can't wait to hit the ice on March 1 and put ourselves to the test. It won't all be enjoyable, but we're going to do our best to make it fun, even in the hard times!

While it is going to be a big relief to leave the stress of our offices and preparations behind, it is going to be a true challenge to be separated from our loved ones for 3 months. Tyler and his wife Sarah had a baby boy, Ethan, in September. He will surely feel pangs of homesickness in a way that he never has on previous expeditions. I'm going to dearly miss relaxing with my girl friend back in a warm apartment in Chicago. We both know that thoughts of our families and friends will fill our minds for hours while skiing. Expeditions always bring a person back to what it really important in life.

Tyler is truly a kind soul and a powerful skier, but he is a snoring machine! He also falls asleep faster than anyone I have ever met. We are very different people. He's the philosopher and I'm more of a doer than a thinker. He's most comfortable at home in his small town of Ely, MN, which has fewer people than live on my block in Chicago. However, because we share the same values, we always come to the same point on all team decisions.

Our equipment list is massive. Multi-use items than can be used resourcefully and creatively are key. Our Swiss Tool Spirit RS personifies this mentality. It is by far the most important piece of gear in our repair kit. We will likely use it every day, whether it is needed to fix a ski binding, trim our beards or cut a thread. We rely on it irrevocably.

There is no telling how this expedition will affect us. But we do know it will affect us and that the person at the end of the trip is never quite the same as person who started. There will be physical changes. But the most important changes will be mental; it is an mental expedition after all. Stay tuned and we'll do our best to give you a real, honest window into that experience.