The only person to ever make a solo and unassisted expedition to the North Pole from the Canadian side, Pen Hadow, is going back this year, and he'll be taking a high-tech device designed to measure the thickness of the ice with him. National Geographic Adventure has a great interview with the man, who is preparing to depart on his latest polar journey soon.
Back in 2003, Pen completed his epic solo expedition from Canada to the North Pole, going solo all the way. This time out, he'll be joined by teammates Ann Daniels and Martin Hartley as part of the Catlin Arctic Survey, whose mission will be to use a ground penetrating radar to take precise measurements of the ice in the Arctic. They'll be covering roughly 1,245 miles on their journey in effort to accurately map the ice at the North Pole for the first time, and measure the impact of global climate change on the region.
In the interview, Pen talks about how he mentally and physically prepares for his expeditions, and what it's like to be out on the ice for prolonged periods of time. He says that he misses good food the most. He also touches on his unusual upbringing that helped prepare him for a life as a polar explorer, and a host of other things.
According to the teams latest dispatches, they are in the final phases of packing and should be setting out on the journey soon. In fact, the countdown clock on their website currently reads a bit over six days until they get underway, and that's probably a good indicator for the North Pole season as a whole. Just like clockwork, as things quiet down at the South Pole, there are a few weeks of rest, and things crank up once again at the North.
For more on Pen, check out his website at PenHadow.com.
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