The great, frozen abyss. The last remaining uninhabitable landmass on Earth. The word ‘Antarctica’ has a way of conjuring up so many ideas; barren, remote, treacherous, mysterious and, for a few, one of the last ‘real’ adventures left. Most of us will live our whole lives wondering what might be out there, but only a few will able to see it with their own eyes. With the recent death of solo explorer Henry Worsley a mere 30 miles from his goal, perhaps the attraction of a trip of this magnitude is not for everyone. But Mike Laird is not everyone.
Meeting Mike Laird is like picking up a well-worn adventure novel. You automatically connect with the enthusiasm and the sense of childlike curiosity. You feel relaxed and intrigued as you delve deeper into the world of this wandering Scotsman. He is keen to discuss anything about adventure. He lives for an opportunity to help his fellow man get the most out of discovering the world that he loves to explore and explore it he has. Mike’s list of destination are as exotic as they come, from hiking Danakil in Ethiopia to tagging whale sharks in Langkawi and even retracing the adventure of Christopher McCandless, the main character in the well-known book and movie ‘Into the Wild.’
Mike’s newest adventure, however, will challenge everything he has learned. It will test his physical and mental capacities to their limits. Mike Laird wants to be the first man to succeed in completing a round-trip trek through the Antarctic. Explorers that have even attempted a one-way journey have barely survived the relentless battering of Mother Nature. Mike and his team of five men want to get to where few have arrived, then turn around and do it again. Why would anyone be prepared to do this? Mike said over the last ten years he has developed an obsession with more than just regular travel. ‘I am about finding the less traveled path.’ He said. ‘It’s about finding places that people don’t generally go, it’s not about getting an accolade for me, it is often about bringing something back for people who can’t travel and who can’t see these places. Being able to speak to them, give a lecture, present a seminar. Give them any experiences that they can never or may never obtain’.
Mike Laird has definitely succeeded in finding the less traveled path. Even from a young age it seems his unusual upbringing has set the course. Raised by his adopted parents he was brought up with his twin sister and step brother in Glasgow. He said: ‘My mother and father where not from wealthy families but they were very driven people. They were very giving people.’ He lays out a picture of a rather tight-knit family that was constantly supporting and challenging each other. Mike’s parents gave him a diverse set of experiences in traveling as a youth. While he talks you can feel a deep sadness in him as he speaks about his parents and his appreciation of their loving and passionate natures. His father died before Mike turned 18 and his mother passed away only three years ago. You can feel the impact of their loss on Mike.
Most explorers have, at one time or another, been accused of having a death wish. Mike is no different. He laughs at this question. Brushing it off as a standard assumption of this life. He calls himself an ‘experience collector.’ He says: ‘No, I am not like that, I love life. You have to die of something, I can die pissing my pants in an old folk’s home. I can die of boredom. Or I might die of old age having done some fun things. I don’t really want to die in the arctic. On my website I have my top one hundred experiences. I haven’t completed 100, I have actually done about 70. This gives me room to add new things. If I already had my top one-hundred what would I have left to do?’ Mike is already looking past this trip to another exploration in the making.
Mike said ‘There is something called the Ice Canyon in Greenland.’ He plans to Kayak this windy river on top of a huge iceberg while wearing a full diving kit. He said: ‘This may be the end of Mike Laird or pretty amazing.’ It would be another world first to add to his list.
Mike is now in Russia. He is gathering resources and materials to prepare for his journey. He is attending meetings with high-up Russian officials, sending emails and filing all the documents needed for a trip of this magnitude. He still needs what is called a Federalnaya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti (FSB) permit which has proved to be as difficult to obtain. As he explains it: ‘It’s the FSB permit that is the absolute key to getting into Russia. When we come across the sea ice from America we need to enter what is called ‘A Non Legitimate Way’. They know we are coming, but there is nowhere, for example, to get your passport stamped. It’s not like we are arriving at an airport or a seaport or a rail road station. We are walking off sea ice and we don’t know where on the coast we are going to land.’
Currently Mike is hoping for the right meeting, the right handshake and the right nod of approval. The ice is calling, while Mike bides his time, so close to the border of his dream.
Photos By Annie Spratt
