Author to share Arctic experiences with new students

Author and explorer Alvah Simon will share lessons he learned while trapped in the Arctic at a presentation Wednesday, Sept. 1, to new UW–Madison freshmen at the 1999 Chancellor’s Convocation.

Simon’s best-seller North by the Night: A Year in the Arctic Ice, chronicles his five-month, harrowing expedition high above the Arctic Circle.

The free event, scheduled at 2 p.m. at the Kohl Center, is intended for new students; seating will be reserved for them. Other students and the public are also welcome. No tickets are required.

Regarded as one of the great explorers of our time, Simon says that “only by testing the borders of human potential can we expand them. Yes, there are inherent risks, but there are greater risks in not doing it.”

For Simon, the Arctic journey was the fulfillment of a lifetime dream. Had he known what lay ahead, however, he would not have gone. Before reaching his intended destination, Simon’s boat became trapped in crushing ice, leaving him to face minus 65-degree temperatures, deadly blizzards, and marauding polar bears. He withstood five months of isolation, sudden blindness, and the perpetual darkness of the polar winter.

“It was a life-changing experience,” says Simon, who still believes in the importance of daring to dream, then the need to do the dream, “always erring to the side of action.” Yet Simon also will discuss the need to prepare personally through education, focus, fitness, and meticulous planning.

The Chancellor’s Office and the Dean of Students Office are sponsoring the presentation, which also will feature slides taken by Simon’s wife and co-adventurer, Diana Simon. Simon’s appearance is made possible by a generous gift from the UW Credit Union.