In 1997, Norwegian Børge Ousland completed the first solo crossing of Antarctica via the South Pole.

Since 1915 adventurers, explorers, and polar travelers have dreamed about crossing Antarctica alone. Many tried, and just as many failed. Norwegian adventurer Børge Ousland had tried once in 1995 and had failed. Undeterred, Ousland returned to Antarctica in 1996. He was joined by polar travelers from four other nations. But in 1997, Ousland stood alone as the only man to successfully travel the 1,675 miles across the South Pole. Four years later, Ousland made a complete North Pole crossing, becoming the first man to cross both poles completely solo.

In explaining why he crossed both poles alone, Ousland said, “It must be the hard, strong nature, and the back to basic feeling I get when I am out there. When you do unsupported expeditions to the poles, there is no way to cheat; it is your own ability, strength, and preparations that will decide if you make it or not.”

For Ousland, the hardest aspect of either trek was overcoming the mental obstacle—knowing that he was completely alone. “I had to break a lot of mental borders before I even could make the decisions to start. No one had even tried it before, and not many believed I would make it,” he recalled.

Doing anything solo is much harder than having someone by your side. King David knew that firsthand. Many times in his life David felt completely alone and abandoned. Many of his psalms reflected his feelings of loneliness. In Psalm 25, David wrote, “Turn to me and have mercy on me, for I am alone and in deep distress” (v. 16). But during his deepest times of distress, David remembered who was walking beside him, ready to comfort him at a moment’s notice.

Read the familiar verses of David’s most famous psalm. These are good words to remember when you are going solo.

Even when I walk through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me (Psalm 23:4).

To Do

Read Psalm 23 aloud. Memorize it and recite it to someone in your home.

Also on this day . . .

Today is Winnie the Pooh Day (author A.A. Milne was born in 1882).

1896—The X-ray machine was exhibited for the first time. It cost the public 25 cents to see the machine.

1943—U.S. bakers stopped selling sliced bread. Only whole loaves were sold until the end of World War II.

1944—The first jazz concert was held at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. The stars of the concert were Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge, and Jack Teagarden.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.