| Ice Cap Journeys |
IceCap JourneysMy goal - to traverse each of the world's four largest icecaps - South & North Poles, Greenland & Patagonia About 4 years ago I set myself a goal - to do a significant journey to each of the world's four icecaps. I had given myself a taste of doing one - a 56 day journey to the South Pole. It was a huge journey and a wonderful one. Many people expect that doing a sustained, sled hauling trip for 2 months in -20C temperatures in the Antarctic would change me. That didn't seem to be the case, though it had certainly added a new script to my life - First Australian Woman...., Icy pole Lady....., That mad woman who........ What has changed me more is the process to complete the goal that was subsequently set - to do three more amazing trips. I've called this the Icecap Journeys and it involves doing a major expedition on each of the four major icecaps of the world - Antarctic Greenland, South Patagonia and Arctic. This journey is hard - to organise these trips takes years, to raise enough money seems impossible. The process impacts on relationships with friends and family. It requires creating and maintaining a public profile. It leaves little space for other goals. This journey has me questioning 'why?' - though I know that when I get back out on the ice again I'll know why. The Greenland trip took 2 years to organise and went as planned, complete with challenges we could manage and a great sense of awe at the icecap and feeling of accomplishment. An attempt to get across the South Patagonian Icecap failed as weather and perhaps a lack of preparedness for an icecap that lay within humid mountains came with a really different set of conditions to deal with and meant we turned around in order to get out while we still had food. Not that I mind having tried, nor the feeling that I have more to learn about this particular goal. I will try again but in the meantime am focusing on what I think will be the most challenging icecap journey of them all - the arctic trip to the North Pole. I have been trying to get the North Pole trip going for a few years now. A small team of 3 (two Aussies and a Kiwi) went to northern Canada to train in January 2008, hoping to be off on an expedition the following spring. That goal was deferred due to lack of funds. The trip to the North Pole in 2010 is a bit of a compromise as it is not the self-contained Aus and NZ trip I had envisaged. With funding remaining the key barrier I decided to join a group that was already going rather than try to take my own team. While I would prefer to go unguided I am delighted to be joining Sarah McNair Landry - an extremely experienced expeditioner and one of the youngest guides around - and Antony Jinman who originally set this expedition up. It's fantastic that Rob, my husband, will join the group also so that we can share yet another huge adventure. He has now joined me in Greenland and Patagonia and, by default, the icecap journeys are also becoming his experience as well as mine. The Icecap Journeys goal is an arbitrary one, a choice I've made to generate momentum and challenge in my life, to maintain my link to adventure and to extreme wilderness landscapes. It's made me think about the politics of adventuring, of fundraising and of working with sponsors. It's prompted a huge amount of my energy going into working in schools and with community groups - giving talks, answering questions and seeking change that will preserve the places I've been privileged to visit as well as those close to home. The Icecap Journeys goal has prompted me to do more than I ever though possible and its not yet over. Linda South PoleOn December 28th, 2004, Linda became the first Australian woman to ski from the edge of the Antarctic to the South Pole. During the epic 56 day, 1100km quest, Linda endured treacherous conditions, including blinding snow storms and minus 50 degree temperatures. Linda's love of wilderness was confirmed during the journey and the spark lit for further ice cap journeys. Find out more about the Antarctic Journey Greenland IcecapA journey across the Greenland Icecap enters TUNU - the land at the back - as the route rises from the coast up over the 2 mile thick icecap. When: April/May 2007 Distance: 580 kms Duration: 35 days Read the dispatches sent by the team North PoleThe Arctic Ice is melting at a rapid rate, posing significant challenges to expeditions, many of which failed this year as ice became sticky or simply disappeared. Linda has a goal of doing a long haul to the North Pole but may have to limit the trip to a last degree (shorter trip) if global warming continues to melt ice. When: Feb/March/April 2010 Distance: 870 kms Duration: 60 days View the video prepared for students who will follow the expedition South Patagonia Ice CapThe immense ice cap of southern Patagonia remains one of the least explored mountain areas in the world. This will be the most technically challenging journey, throwing greater terrain hazards into the mix with storms and low temperatures. When: First attempt occured in July 2009. We'll have to try again - not sure when. Distance: 220 kms (we only managed to do 7 kms, though it was 75 kms of gear hauling to accomplish that) Duration: 19 days Our blog entries tell the story of the rain, and the vegetation and the reason we turned around. Click here for a brief description. Exploring human potential....
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