Wave Vidmar's training has swung into high gear as his attempt to be the first American to reach the North Pole unsupported and solo draws nearer.

According to a recent press release, Vidmar will be leaving northern Russia in early February to walk, ski and at times swim to his goal while enduring temperatures ranging from minus-30 to minus-50 degrees.

And you thought it was cold here.

One of the keys to his survival during the anticipated three-month trek is to build up body fat. On a typical North Pole expedition, explorers can lose 40 pounds or more.

In an effort to gain weight Vidmar has become an eating machine or, as he calls himself, a "calorie hunter." His average daily calorie intake hovers around 5,000.

He begins his day with a breakfast that includes up to seven bowls of cereal and two or three doughnuts or pastries. Reminds me of Jethro on "The Beverly Hillbillies."

At lunchtime, Vidmar consumes an entire large stuffed-crust pizza covered with cheese, pepperoni and sausage. During the afternoon he doesn't miss a chance to increase calorie input by munching on more doughnuts and pastries or a cheeseburger.

A typical dinner for the lifelong adventurer and athlete consists of several cheeseburgers and four servings of pasta washed down with nearly a liter of soda.

Then there are the two to three protein shakes he consumes throughout the day. I know people who weigh in the 300- to 400-pound range who could not even come close to eating this much in one day.

Vidmar is one of those unique individuals blessed with a high metabolism and claims to lose 1,000 calories in his sleep. He is one of those individuals who overweight people, and women in particular, love to hate.

Alas, there is a price to pay for his gluttony. "I constantly feel bloated, have stomachaches and suffer from horrible indigestion. It makes moving around a real effort," Vidmar said in the news release.

No matter how uncomfortable he is, though, he must continue his training, which started in July 2003.

He regularly swims up to a mile underwater in 50- to 100-yard increments in an Olympic-sized swimming pool. This would be somewhat similar to walking the length of a football field while holding your breath and then repeating the feat 176 times before stopping.

He also uses fitness equipment, hikes uphill using ski poles, scales climbing walls, completes 50 push-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups every day and works out with a giant truck tire.

"I drag the tire around a park in Fremont (California)," said Vidmar. "When people try to stop me with questions, I tell them it's a new form of exercise and suggest they give it a try."

He doesn't say if there have been any takers to his suggestion.

Since starting his training regimen, Vidmar has added nearly 50 pounds of muscle and fat to his starting weight of 152 pounds. He still needs at least 11 pounds to reach his goal, although he would like to gain more if possible.

Starting his trek weighing in excess of 200 pounds would make him a particularly attractive meal for the many polar bears he will encounter along the way. At night, he will encircle his camp with trip wires attached to flares to alert him of bears and hopefully scare them away.

Besides bears, he will also need to avoid encounters with sharks and killer whales during the swimming portion of his trek.

Complete coverage of the expedition, including daily logs, will be broadcast on the Web at www.worldwidelearn.com/northpole.

With his latest adventure yet to begin, Vidmar is already planning to do it all again in late 2004 with a similar trek to the South Pole.

I couldn't make up a story as good as this one.