Benedict Allen: The Great White Wayfarer
New York Times: November 1. 2003

The child of a test pilot and one of a long line of wanderers, 43-year-old Benedict Allen has spent the last 20 years on a solitary trek across the world's most inhospitable jungles, deserts and Arctic tundra. He thrives on the thin air of high adventure, traveling light, with only a minimum amount of equipment, and almost always alone, with a video camera for companionship. The ''diary'' of his attempt to cross the Bering Strait with a dog team of 10 during one of the coldest Siberian winters in living memory -- ''Ice Dogs'' -- will be shown Nov. 9 on ''National Geographic Ultimate Explorer.'' The noted photographer Bruce Weber has assembled this homage to his eccentric friend.
...

''Does the loneliness get to you?'' I asked.

''In the desert it's almost like a vacuum -- and suddenly snakes become companions. You feel they're on your side because they're on the side of the living.''
- posted by ARYABHATT @ 4:59 pm