How has the narrator, Robert Walton, pepared or his geat enterprise? What give him the idea?

The narrator Robert Walton prepares for his travels by reading various literature on the places that he wants to go to. He also prepares himself y gathering the approproite clothing and materials needed for a journey that will take him to the Arctic.

Walton is a well off Englishman. He has a passion for exploration, which at that time, meant sea voyages. Walton is captain of a ship entering a very dangerous voyage to the North Pole. No, it isn't to look for Santa Clause. He describes a burning desire to accomplish "some great purpose". More specifically he wants to discover a northern passage to the Pacific, revealing the source of the Earth’s magnetism, or simply setting foot on undiscovered territory.