Pragmatically it might not make much sense, but emotionally it does, and James can certainly understand it when put this way. He's a little concerned about the idea of trying to move during the dead of winter, so close to the weeks of polar night, but surely they're going to be careful about this and so James won't argue.

"One would think that Mr. Hickey wouldn't test his luck so thoroughly, particularly so when he has the opportunity to avoid attention almost entirely." And considering he claims to be simply focused on practicality and survival, purposefully doing something so needlessly inflammatory sounds counterintuitive. Of course, James doesn't really believe Hickey's claims when it comes to his motivations anyway, but complaining about Hickey is always a little cathartic, especially after his own recent ordeal.