Just like clockwork, the 2013 Antarctic season appears to be ramping up right on schedule. We already know that the Scott Expedition is off and running, but soon they'll have company out on the ice. Veteran adventurer Richard Parks will soon embark on a solo expedition to the South Pole and he hopes to do so in record time.

Parks left the U.K. on Monday of this week and should be in Punta Arenas now. He is no doubt resting, sorting his gear and preparing for the flight to Union Glacier for the start of his speed attempt. He will be taking on the daunting task of trying to beat Christian Eide's speed record for traveling 1150 ki from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole, a distance of 1,150 km (715 mile), that was set in 2011. At the time, Eide managed to make that journey in an astounding 24 days, 1 hour and 13 minutes. To do that, he had to average 47 km (29 miles) per day, which anyone who knows anything about Antarctic travel will tell you is an insane pace. Parks hopes to go faster.

Richard has set a goal of completing his journey to the South Pole in 23 days. That means he'll have to average 50 km (31 miles) per day, which doesn't sound like a lot more but those extra kilometers it can really wear on someone day in and day out, particularly when they are dragging a heavy sled behind them the entire way.

If all goes as expected and the weather cooperates, he hopes to begin the expedition in mid-November. That means he has a couple of weeks to rest and prepare before heading out on the ice. I'll certainly be following his progress once he gets going.

Meanwhile, the aforementioned Scott Expedition continues to make progress, albeit at a slow pace. They boys have been on the trail for just five days but pulling the heavy sleds have made it tough so far. Their pace has dropped to as little as 1 km (.6 miles) per hour as they slog through powdery snow when they would prefer to be on hard pack. On top of that, the weather has taken a turn and gotten colder (-40ºC/F this morning!) and windier. They're now getting a real taste of what it is like to travel in Antarctica.

This was all to be expected of course and that's the reason Ben and Tarka set off early in the first place. It is also not uncommon for polar travelers to struggle early on, then find their groove once they've had a chance to acclimatize to the conditions. I suspect that will be the case here as well.

That's all for today. I'll update the progress of both of these expeditions as we get word and I'll post more starts as they come.

Ultrarunner Kilian Jornet continues to demonstrate that he is amongst the best endurance athletes on the planet by once again setting an impressive new speed record. This time he made short work of the Matterhorn, crushing a record that has stood for 18 years in the process.

This latest test of Kilian's athletic abilities also marked the final phase of his Summits of My Life project. The speed attempt started and ended at the Church Square in Cervinia, Italy with the turn around point being the summit of Mount Cervino, which sits at a height of 4476 meters (14,685 ft). The round trip journey covered 17.48 km (10.86 miles) with a total ascent of 2469 meters (8100 ft). Kilian was able to cover that distance in a time of 2 hours, 52 minutes and 02 seconds. That easily beats the previous record set in 1995 by Bruno Brunod, who finished he same route in 3 hour, 14 minutes, 44 seconds.

As always, Kilian never fails to impress. The guy is simply an incredible athlete. This latest record comes on the heels of him setting a speed record on Mont Blanc in July when he ran up and down that 4810 meter (15,781 ft) peak in 4 hours, 57 minutes and 40 seconds. That was 13 minutes faster than the previous best time set by Pierre-André Gobet in 1990. I guess it would be an understatement to say that he's had a busy and productive summer, huh?

Congratulations to Kilian for another amazing run. Thanks for reminding the rest of us that we are just mere mortals.

Yesterday I posted a story about Josh Garrett closing in on the end of the Pacific Crest Trail and a new speed record for the hike. As expected, Josh did finish his journey yesterday, clocking in with a time of 59 days, 8 hours and 59 mintutes. That shaves more than five days off the previous record and is certainly an impressive feat.

Little did I know that when I posted that story I was actually wading into a bit of a controversy that has been going on in the thru-hiking community. You see, while Josh was busy chasing his record on the 2655-mile (4272 km) PCT another hiker was just a day ahead of him and in pursuit of a record of her own. The way these two hikers went about their journey is now a source of debate amongst other long-distance trekkers, creating a controversy of sorts around these speed records.

On Wednesday of this week, Heather "Anish" Anderson wrapped up her own end-to-end hike of the PCT. Her official time was 60 days, 17 hours and 12 minutes, which would have been good enough for a new record as well, although it was beaten by Josh the following day. So here is where the controversy comes in. Heather was making her trek unsupported in that she had to do everything on her own, while Josh had a single-person support crew who brought him food and other supplies to the trail. He was also sponsored by John Mackey, the CEO of Whole Foods, who helped fund the adventure.

The lines between what is "supported" and "unsupported" start to get blurred a bit however as there are reports that Heather also had a few people with good intentions delivering her supplies to her on the trail as well. She often posted about her hike on the Internet as well, sharing the details of where she would be on certain dates, which prompted some people to gather at access points along the trail to offer words of encouragement while also offering food and drinks to keep her going. Whether or not that still qualifies as "unsupported" is entirely up to you to decide.

Thru-hikers are a resourceful, independent bunch and I personally feel that some of them didn't appreciate the fact that Josh had a sponsor that assisted on his trek. This resulted in a bit of a backlash within that group for how he went about the attempt on the speed record. Either way, I'm not going to wade into the middle of this debate because quite frankly I think that both Josh and Heather accomplished something very cool. They may have taken slightly different approaches to their PCT speed hikes, but they both covered all of those miles at impressive rates.

I want to congratulate both Josh and Heather and leave it at that. They are both inspirations.

Back in early June I posted a story about vegan hiker Josh Garrett who was about to attempt to set a new record for thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. At the time, Josh was just starting out on his adventure and still had most of the 2655-mile (4272 km) route still ahead of him. Now, nearly two months later, he is nearing the end and a new record for this epic hike is now in sight.

According to Josh's support team he should be approaching the finish line at the border between the U.S. and Canada later today. He is expected to wrap up his journey in the early afternoon local time. While we'll have to wait to see what his official time will be, he will complete the hike in under 60 days. The previous record was 64 days, 11 hours and 19 minutes. That means that for the past two months, Josh has been averaging more than 44 miles (70 km) per day, on foot, through some rather rugged terrain. That is an impressive stat to say the least.

The 30-year old Garrett is a college track coach who has hiked the PCT before. Back in 2009 he did it a more leisurely pace (at least for him!) completing the route in 88 days. This time out he not only wanted to set a new record but he was also raising funds for Mercy For Animals, a nonprofit dedicated to stamping out the cruel treatment of animals.

For updates on Josh's progress, watch his Facebook page. It should be updated shortly after he completes the trek and hopefully provides us with an official time.

Not a bad way to spend your summer. Take a little hike on one of the world's best long distance trails, maybe set a new speed record in the process. Congrats to Josh on a job well done!