In 1994, aboard the Russian icebreaker Yamal, I arrived at the North Pole, where I believe I was the first person in history to make a phone call from the top of the world and get, because my wife was out somewhere, my own recorded message telling me that I was not at home. You can read about the journey in the January 1995 Conde Nast Traveler, although this photo, a self-portrait, appeared in the December 1994 issue of Sail magazine. Those were the days before Photoshop, so the photo is all me, ice, and the Yamal. To get a sense of the scale of the ship note the crew members who have helpfully planted a sign in the snow reading “North Pole,” possibly the same crew members who painted the killer whale’s teeth on the Yamal’s bow.
Read the full story in the January 1995 issues of Conde Nast Traveler.
Bob Payne photo.
The aforementioned article about the North Pole contains, unquestionably, my personal favorite ending of any story that I’ve read in that magazine or any other travel magazine for that matter.
It’s all about having the right material, Peter.