impossible2Possible's Expedition Bolivia Underway

As I mentioned last week, the impossible2Possible crew have launched another adventure, this time to run across the salt flats of Bolivia with several youth ambassadors. They've dubbed this journey Expedition Bolivia, and it got underway yesterday with a 30km (18.6 mile) run through an amazing, yet desolate, landscape, as you'll be able to see from the video below. The video also shows the six young runners, who come from the U.S., Canada, and Bolivia, officially starting the run and then again at the 5k mark, where they admit that their adrenaline put them off to a bit of a fast start, but they fell into rhythm later.

All told, when they've finished the expedition this weekend, they'll have covered 250km (155 miles) and beamed their adventure back to hundreds of classrooms, where students of all ages are getting the opportunity to interact with them while they go. One of the key elements to any i2P expedition is their educational outreach opportunities, and this one is no different. In this case, Expedition Bolivia celebrates the International Year of Chemistry and much of the interaction with the classrooms will reflect that. They also hope to inspire students with a healthy dose of adventure along the way.

Looks like another great program.



i2P Expedition Bolivia - Day 1: 30 KM from GOi2P on Vimeo.

Catlin Arctic Survey 2011: Explorers Off The Ice

The 2011 Catlin Arctic Survey came to an official end last week when the Explorers Team was finally picked up from the ice. That team, consisting of Ann Daniels, Tyler Fish, Adrian McCallum, and Phil Coates, had been traveling south from the North Pole towards Greenland for the past six weeks.

Last Wednesday, the team had nearly given up on finding a suitable landing area for a plane to land to complete the pick-up. The ice was thinning and there were more and more open leads of water, which made travel problematic for them on foot, let alone allowing a plane to land. While they would, on occasion, find patches of ice long enough for a landing, they were often not thick enough to support the weight of an aircraft.

Eventually they did find a proper piece of ice, and the evacuation plane was able to locate them and pluck them off the ice. From there they were flown to Eureka weather station for a brief overnight rest, before continuing on to Resolute Bay, and eventually home. After two months of travel in the Arctic, they were no doubt ready to get back to the comforts of their own beds.

Their evacuation from the ice officially brings to an end the 2011 Catlin Survey, which focused on the health of the pack ice this season. In addition to the Explorers Team, there was also an Ice Base Team, which consisted of scientists and researchers, who stayed at a permanent base for the length of the study. Both teams collected a variety of data and measurements, which will now be turned over to climate scientists to study. The hope is to get a better understanding of how the loss of ice in the Arctic Ocean can affect the weather in both North America and Europe.

To my knowledge, the Catlin team was the final group that was still out on the ice when they were picked-up. It was a long and very challenging season in the Arctic, and it is clear that climate change is altering the place dramatically. I honestly believe the days of skiing to the North Pole, at least in the classic sense, may be behind us. Yes, we'll continue to see Last Degree journeys for some time, but the big polar expeditions to the North Pole may be behind us. At the very least, their days are numbered.

Michael Ferrara Aborts Attempt To Ski Across Alaska

Over the weekend, Michael Ferrara ended his attempt to cross Alaska, south to north, on skis, citing dry weather conditions and a nagging injury as reasons for pulling the plug. Ferrara, who had launched the expedition to raise awareness of the issue of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder amongst emergency response personnel, announced his decision in a blog post on the Born Out There Blog.

Michael's journey began back in March when he, along with his dog Lhotse, hit the trail on their cross country skis. Along the way, he ran into a number of challenges, including a lack of quality snow, difficult routes, ever changing weather, and more. In mid-April, Ferrara suffered a sprained knee while in town, of all places, and that put him on the shelf for a few weeks. During that period, he watched what little snow there was in the southern region of Alaska dwindle further, and his recovery time seemed to lag on.

Still, if you read Michael's post, you see that he got a lot out of his journey, even if he didn't come close to reaching the geographic destination at the finish line. He found new friends along the way, re-discovered how much he loved the Alaskan wilderness, and had a great time on his skis for a few weeks. What else could anyone ask for out of their adventures?

Catlin Arctic Survey 2011: Heading Home!

The 2011 Arctic Season, what little there was of it, is quickly grinding to a halt, as the Barneo Ice Station closes for another year, and several last minute expeditions had to be scrubbed. As anyone who follows these polar adventures know, this was a particularly strange and challenging year, with no one making the full journey to the North Pole. But the severe, and at times odd, weather conditions didn't prevent the Catlin Arctic Survey teams from doing their job for a third straight year.

For the past two months, the survey teams have labored away in the Arctic. One of those teams stayed at an ice base that was constructed specifically for the project, while the other team traveled by skis from the North Pole to Greenland. Both teams spent time collecting important data on how climate change is affecting the Arctic and the healthy of the ice there. That data will be used in research that will potentially give us insights into how changes at the North Pole can have an effect in Europe and North America as well.

According to their latest blog post, the Catlin Arctic Survey team is now packing up their gear and preparing to head home. The scientists and researchers at the Ice Base expect to be evacuated from the ice this weekend, provided the weather cooperates. With most of their work done, and their ice core samples and other data packed away, the group took time out to celebrate the Royal Wedding today.

Meanwhile, the Explorers team doesn't quite have it so nice. Over the past few days, they've been struggling with finding a route towards their final destination, and as they go, they're encountering more and more open leads, that is to say, large sections of open water. That has required them to don their immersion suits, climb into the frigid waters, a swim across the water, pulling their gear in inflatable rafts behind them. As you can imagine, this is a time consuming, and tiring, process that has left them physically drained at this stage of the expedition.

Despite the conditions, which have included nasty weather and total whiteouts, the team remains strong and focused, with good spirits. They're still heading south of course, and hope to reach their destination soon.

Elephant Ivory Project Update: Samples In Hand, Team Heads For Home

It has been a couple of weeks since we had any kind of update on the Elephant Ivory Project, the expedition that is being conducted by Trip Jennings and Andy Maser, who are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in an effort to put a halt to the illegal ivory trade. Trip and Andy went to the Congo to venture deep into the bush, where they hoped to collect plenty of samples of elephant dung that they could use to build a "DNA map" of the region. That map could hold the key to shutting down poachers, as DNA samples could potentially allow us to trace the ivory trade route.

When we last checked in with the boys, there were having a hard time finding the samples they were looking for. They team had ventured deep into the jungle, and while they found evidence that elephants had been in the area at one time, there were no recent signs of the herds. Fortunately, a second team had managed to collect five samples from distinct elephant families, but at that point, Trip and Andy hadn't collected anything yet.

In their latest update however, it seems things have changed. While it was indeed looking grim for a time, the two young explorers, with the help of the chief a local tribe, managed to track down some elephants and collect some dung themselves. In fact, at one point, they had more opportunities to collect samples than they could handle, passing up on some to ensure that they were getting unique DNA for their project. With these new samples, along with ongoing collections from the other team, Trip and Andy now have enough DNA to begin the next phase of their project.

But, there is still one major hurdle to get over before they can move on, and that is getting those samples back to the U.S. Apparently they have all the paperwork they need to bring them through U.S. customs, but getting them out of the DNC and into Rwanda, where they catch their flight home, could still be an adventure.

If you haven't been following this project, than I'd urge you to take a look at the team's journal. Even if you couldn't care less about protecting the elephants (You should care!), the reports from the field are pretty eye opening. They really do give an interesting perspective on what it is like to live in remote and rural sections of Africa, where bandits still roam the countryside and governments struggle to maintain order. The occasional cholera breakout can't be good either. It is a real look at how many developing nations are struggling to move forward into the 21st century.

[Photo courtesy of the Elephant Ivory Project]

Adventurer Prepares To Circumnavigate The Globe Via The Poles

South African adventurer Ray Chaplin hopes to circumnavigate the globe, under his own power no less, in just 80 weeks. But even more impressive is that he will do so via both Poles, and not traveling around the planet in a east-west direction as is typical for these kinds of expeditions. If successful, he'll be the first person to circle the globe in this direction and manner.

Ray has named his expedition SHOVA360, and plans to get underway in August from Table Mountain, in Cape Town. He has broken down the journey into stages, with the first stage covering Africa as he travels north. From there, it is on to the Middle East, then Europe, before moving into the Arctic. If all goes according to plan, he'll pass through the North Pole and begin heading south once again at long last. The next stage of his journey will take him across North and South America, then a crossing into the Antarctic, followed by a traverse of that continent. When he's done there, he'll cross the Southern Ocean back to South Africa, and return home. Remember, he wants to do all of this in 80 weeks, which is fairly ambitious all things considered.

Since he's also doing all of those miles under his own power, that means he'll either be trekking, skiing, or pedaling while on land and paddling, either in a kayak or boat, while at sea. Along the way, Ray hopes to stop at more than 200 World Heritage Sites, while covering more than 66,000km (41,010 miles).

Update: For those wondering the source of this story, I came across it in a link from the Explorers Club tweets yesterday. The original article can be found here. Obviously there are a few discrepancies on Ray's website, and as I've noted, his scheduled of going around the world in 80 weeks seems rather ambitious, but I wanted everyone to be aware of where I found this story.

Equatoria: The Walk Across Africa Begins Tomorrow!

A couple of months back I posted a story about American explorer Julian Monroe Fisher, who was deep into the planning stages of his Equatoria expedition. The plan is for Fisher to start at the Indian Ocean and travel more than 4000 miles (6437 km) across Africa, completely on foot, until he reaches the Atlantic Ocean. He'll take the first steps on this arduous journey later this week.

Julian will begin his long march in Pemba, Mozambique and will continue heading west until he arrives at Lobito, Angola. Along the way, he'll pass through the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, and Malawi as well. This adventure is being undertaken to not only explore the landscapes of the region that is being crossed, but to also raise awareness of the work of the Mines Advisory Group, an organization that works on a global level to dispose of land mines and other explosive devices left behind from a conflict.

The official website for the expedition lists Fisher's departure time for this Friday, and as you can imagine, he is hurriedly finishing up his preparation for the trek. You can read more about that preparation and what is going on in these final days before he begins on the expedition's Facebook page. That is also the same place you'll find update once he is underway, although Julian tells me he isn't carrying satellite communications gear or a laptop with him, which means we'll only get updates when he arrives in a town that is sizable enough to have Internet access.

The expedition is expected to take months to complete, with most of that time spent in the field, where Fisher can expect to face endless miles of challenging terrain, turbulent weather conditions, and the possibility of coming face-to-face with one of Africa's more dangerous animals, such as lions or elephants. But the experienced explorer has faced those things before, and is more than ready to make this walk across the continent.

Stay tuned for updates.

Trailer For Todd Carmichael's Race To The Bottom Of The World

Back in 2008, adventurer Todd Carmichael made a solo, unsupported journey to the South Pole, setting a speed record in the process. At the time, we has a glimpse of the hardships that he suffered on his journey, which lasted for more than 39 days, but we really never had a chance to learn his full story.

That is until now. A new film entitled Race to the Bottom of the World is making the rounds, and it appears to offer a very personal look at the struggles that Todd had to over come to reach his goal. You can check out the trailer for the film below and catch two upcoming screenings of it at the following dates and locations:

May 2nd at 2:45pm - The Newport Beach Film Fest - Costa Mesa, CA

May 12 at 7:30pm - First Person Arts Fundraiser - Bryn Mawr, PA

The trailer offers some strikingly beautiful landscapes intermixed with Todd dealing with the challenges of his expedition. As he nears the Pole, his situation became increasingly desperate as food and supplies dwindled, his outside communications tools stopped working, and his stove went out of commission. Dire conditions indeed, and it appears the film will definitely offer an inside look at what polar explores must endure while out on the ice.

It should also be noted that Todd is donating 100% of his proceeds from the film to the Charity:Water foundation, an organization dedicated to bringing clean and safe drinking water to developing nations around the globe. A great cause indeed!

Adventurers Complete 1400-mile Tandem Bike Ride From Vancouver to Vegas

Adventurers Dave Cornthwaite and Sebastian Terry, 29 completed a 1400-mile cycling journey this past weekend when they reached Las Vegas on Saturday. The journey began two weeks ago, when the pair set out from Vancouver peddling a tandem bike for roughly 100-miles per day.

For Cornthwaite, this was another leg of his Expedition1000 Adventure Project during which he is traveling the world, making 25 separate journeys of 1000 miles or more, using a non-motorized mode of transportation. He has already completed a 3621 mile journey by skateboard across Australia and another 1540 mile expedition by kayak. The trip was another adventurous experience for Terry as well, who has spent the last two years circling the globe and checking off items from his 100 Things list.

The motivation for this bike ride came when the two men were both invited to take part in a conference on adventurous motivations that was taking place in Vegas. Rather than simply hopping a flight to the city however, they decided to make the trip a bit more interesting and challenging. Neither of the two men had ever ridden a tandem bike before they set out on this journey. 

Through their efforts, Dave and Terry are also hoping to raise as much as $1.5 million for the cancer charities of Camp Quality and CoppaFeel, as well as the African aid organisation, AV Foundation.

Next up for Dave? A 2400-mile journey down the length of the Mississippi River on a stand-up paddle board. If successful, that will set a world's record as well. 

Catlin Arctic Survey 2011: Ann Passes A Milestone On The Ice

Up north, in the frozen environs of the Arctic, the Catlin Arctic Survey team continues to plug away at their mission, despite incredibly bad weather and sub-zero temperatures. While the Ice Base Team conducts their research and takes readings of the environmental conditions there, the Explorers Team is heading south towards Greenland, checking the health of the ice on the Arctic Ocean as they go.

One of the members of the squad, Explorer Team leader Ann Daniels, has just passed a significant milestone. Yesterday marked Ann's 365th day on the frozen Arctic Ocean. She has been a member of the Catlin Survey team for each of the past three years, spending weeks out on the ice, assisting in the imporant research that the organization has conducted each Arctic season. But prior to that, she had already made a successful journey to the North Pole (and South Pole for that matter!) and she still longs to complete a solo expedition to the top of the world. Spending a full year of her life on the Arctic Ocean is quite an impressive feat however, and one that deserves a tip of the hat. Clearly, Ms. Daniels has a thing for cold places.

A few weeks back the Explorers were dropped off at a point not far from the North Pole and they have been traveling south ever since. Their mission this year is to take measurements of the ice and see what impact global climate change is having on the region, and how those changes are effecting weather in North America and Europe. So far, the team has traveled about 120 miles over 25 days in the Arctic, with -42ºC/-43ºF as their coldest temperature to date. This post that lists their stats say that they've also burned a combined 800,000 calories and shot about 28 hours of footage for a documentary on their journey.

The team is now approaching the half-way point of their expedition, and still has a long way to go before they reach Greenland. They'll also probably face more open leads of water as they travel south, but so far everyone is feeling good and progress has been strong. At least while they're traveling south, the drift is usually working in their favor!

Pole2Pole Update: Heading South And Fighting Frostbite

Last week I posted a story about the launch of the Pole2Pole expedition which will see Swedish explorer Johan Ernst Nilson travel from the North to the South Pole in 12 months time. When I wrote that introductory article I was only able to link out to PR sites from expedition sponsor Audi, but now I have the full website where we can follow Nilson's progress online.

The year-long journey officially got underway last Tuesday, with Nilson setting off from the North Pole. During this first leg of the journey, he's attempting to kite-ski to Greenland, but according to updates to his blog, things have not been easy thus far. The ice walls that are common in the arctic do not make it easy to use the kites, and dragging the 110 kilo (242 pound) sleds has made for slow going thus far. The Swede has already broken (and repaired!) one of his skis, but is also suffering from frostbite on all ten fingers, although that seems to be a holdover from previous polar expeditions.

Still, Nilson seems determined to forge ahead with his expedition, and upon reaching Greenland he'll transition to dogsleds for a brief run to the northwest coast. From there, he'll sail across the Atlantic to Canada where he'll begin a long bike ride south to Patagonia, eventually reaching Tierra del Fuego. After that, it's back in the sailboat for a jaunt across the Southern Ocean, and then one final leg by kite-ski to the South Pole. When he's done, he'll have traveled more than 28,000km (17,000 miles) in a completely carbon neutral fashion without using any fossil fuels.

Be sure to follow along with Johan's progress on his website and check out the video below for more i

nformation on what he's up to and the polar history that he is paying homage to.

North Pole 2011: Parker Liautaud Completes North Pole Expedition

16-year old polar explorer and environmentalist Parker Liautaud completed his last degree expedition to the North Pole yesterday and in a stunningly quick time. He was accompanied to 90ºN by his guide Doug Stoup, who was with Parker last year when the duo endured terrible weather conditions and came up 15 miles short of their goal.

It took Parker and Doug just 4 days 2 hrs and 27 minutes to cover the 112km (69.5 mile) journey from his their drop-off point on the ice to the Geographic North Pole at the top of the world. That put them at their destination a week ahead of schedule, which was already a challenging pace considering they were delayed for three days awaiting the opening of the Barneo Ice Station.

While on his mission to the North Pole, Parker also collected data on the thickness of the snow pack along their route. Each day, he took 100 measurements, and the data will be handed off to the University of Alberta, where it will be used to aid in the study of how climate change is impacting the health of our polar regions. The collection of that data adheres works in tandem with Parker's goal of spreading the word about climate change and how it is affecting our planet.

A hearty congratulations are in order to both Parker and Dough on a job well done. Not only did they reach the Pole in a very fast time, they also managed to meet the goals of their expedition along the way as well. Excellent work!

North Pole 2011: Update On Prince Harry

Yesterday I posted the scary story of the runway, located at the Barneo Ice Camp, had broken under the weight of a landing plane, which has caused all kinds of trouble in the Arctic. For now, there are no planes getting in or out, and the Russians are trying to find a suitable ice patch on which to build a replacement landing strip. As I noted in that update, Britain's Prince Harry was scheduled to be picked up from the ice yesterday, but he remains with his Walking with the Wounded team as they make their way to the North Pole.

Harry is in no danger of course, but he was expected to be plucked from the ice via helicopter yesterday, and flown back to Barneo, where a jet would take him home. He had hoped to go all the way to the North Pole with his mates, but military obligations, not to mention family obligations, require him back in the U.K. That won't be happening for at least a few days however, despite what the video update below says.

Building a new runway is going to take a bit of time, and the last we heard there was a blizzard hitting the area. That means very little work has been done in the past 24 hours, likely delaying the Prince's departure even further. There are high hopes however that he can at least be on his way home this weekend.

The story of the runway cracking simply further underscores the challenges of traveling in the Arctic. The pack ice is getting increasingly thinner and there are more and more open leads of water these days. If things continue at the rate they seem to be going, we'll all be able to visit the North Pole on a cruise ship soon.

Update: It seems the prince is headed home after all. According to this Reuters story, he was picked up by a helicopter and returned to Barneo late today. The article says that the cracked runway was "repaired," but doesn't offer much detail beyond that. Hopefully they can avoid any further incidents like the one that occurred yesterday, and the base can remain safe through the next few weeks.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Elephant Ivory Project Update: Work Begins In The Congo

Work on the Elephant Ivory Project continued this week, explorers Trip Jennings and Andy Maser forging ahead with their work. As you may recall from previous posts on this expedition, Trip and Andy have made their way to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in hopes of collecting samples of elephant dung from a number of distinct herds in the country. When they've completed that collection, they hope to build a "DNA map" which will help them to better understand the movement of the animals and the impact that poaching is having on the herds. The ultimate goal of the project is to be able to trace the spread of illegal ivory trade and shut it down completely.

When we last checked in with the team, they had left the city of Kisangani behind and were traveling to the remote research station of Obenge, located on the Lomami River. There, they hoped to begin their research in ernest by collecting samples from 30 unique elephant herds that roam the area. But this week's journal entry, posted on the team's website, indicates that the work is going slower than expected.

Andy, Trip, and their guides arrived in Obenge last week following two days of travel by motorcycle from the nearby city of Kindu. Once there, they began a four-day hike through the jungle in search of the elephant scat that is so important to the project, but unfortunately all they found were massive amounts of insects and poachers. The insects were so bad at one point, that the travelers didn't leave their tent at night, as a massive number of army ants had invaded their campsite, and it wasn't going to be pretty if they strayed out too far.

Unfortunately, after four very long days in the bush, they returned to Obenge empty handed. They didn't find any elephants at all, but did discover a clearing that was once used be the creatures for grazing for food. They estimated that it had been a number of years since the herds were in the area, but considering the forest they are exploring is approximately the size of West Virginia, they weren't too worried about where the elephants were located.

Trip and Andy were however happy to find that a second team, working in conjunction with them, had more success on their excursion into the jungle. That group returned to camp with five samples of elephant dung, far below the 30 they're hoping to find in the region, but a solid start none the less.

Also of note in the journal entry for this week is that the Congolese military had a clash with poachers in the TL2 forest region as well. The poachers were most like there to collect ivory, and a shootout ensued that left one of them wounded and all three taken into custody. The team encountered poachers of a different kind when they were on their four-day hike as well. They came across a camp that was occupied by a man who was illegally collecting bird species to sell on the open market. The man had a permit to capture the birds, but not in the protected region of TL2. Officials have been called in to shut down the operation, but both of these incidents give you an indication of how wide spread and problematic poaching can be in Africa.

To get the full effect story on the expedition, you really should read the journal entries, which are found by clicking here. They give you a great sense of what it is like for Trip and Andy on the ground in the Congo, and what they are dealing with in terms of living conditions and local attitudes. This is quite the adventure that is playing out at this very moment.

Photo courtesy the Elephant Ivory Project

Alaska Ski Crossing Delayed

Last week I told you about Michael Ferrara, who planning to ski the length of Alaska, south-to-north, in an effort to raise awareness of the high numbers of emergency response personnel who suffer from of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Michael, along with his dog Lhotse, were hoping to get underway at the first of the month, but it turns out there have been some logistical delays that are preventing them from making progress.

In a blog post to the First Ascent Born Out There Blog, Ferrara indicated that he has been stuck in Talkeetna in part due to bad weather in the area. While the calendars may say that it is spring for most of the rest of the Northern Hemisphere, in Alaska, it is still quite cold and wintery. The path ahead of him is a bit problematic as well, with a river that has just opened up, and a challenging path through the wilderness. Michael is also plagued with a broken stove at the moment, and he doesn't really want to set out until it is fixed. The problem is, getting it fixed in Talkeetna this time of year isn't an easy prospect.

But, things are looking up. A couple of locals have given him some route advice and he currently scouting an alternate path that may allow him to get underway more quickly. He still has to deal with the broken stove, but at least he has a potential plan for moving ahead. With more than 800 miles of wilderness to cross, you can bet he's anxious to get underway.

As for Lhotse, he seems to be a bigger attraction than his owner. The dog will follow along on every mile of the expedition, and he seems to be quite the hit with the ladies, both canine and human, in Talkeetna. In his dispatch, Michael has this to say about his best friend:

"As we walk around town the ladies all come out from the backyards and alleys to greet him. He’s got about three girl dogs who follow him around town. Brad Pitt, I tell you."

Sounds like someone is having an adventure in Alaska!

Pole2Pole Expedition: 12 Month Journey From North to South Pole Begins Today!

Swedish explorer Johan Ernst Nilson is about to embark on an epic and ambitious expedition that will see him travel from the North to the South Pole in under 12 months. If that wasn't challenging enough, he'll also be doing it in a carbon neutral manner, making the entire journey without the use of fossil fuels.

The projected is called the Pole2Pole Expedition and it is being sponsored by Audi. The journey officially gets underway today, with Nilson being dropped off at the North Pole, where he'll make the first stage of the journey on skis, heading south to Greenland. Once there, he'll begin the second stage of his journey, which will take him to Thule Airbase, located on the northwest side of the country. He'll make that trip by dogsled. The third stage of the expedition will be an aquatic one, as Nilson will then board a sailboat and cross the Northern Atlantic to Ottawa, Canada. Once there, he'll embark on the longest leg of the trip, during which he'll make his way from Canada to Patagonia on a bicycle. After that, it's back in the sailboat for a quick crossing of the Drake Passage, arriving in Antarctica late in the year, where he'll start the final leg of the journey, kite-sledding to the South Pole.

If all goes as planned, it'll take Nilson less than 12-months to complete the expedition, but it certainly won't be easy. He may be cutting it close on the far end, as we all know that the Antarctic season is quite treacherous after mid-January or so. But that is probably getting well ahead of ourselves, for the moment, he should be concerned with just getting out of the Arctic in one piece.

For their part, Audi is taking an active role in their sponsorship of the expedition. They've helped Nilson design a lightweight, yet durable, sled that he'll be puling behind him in both of the polar regions, and their vehicles are being used by a support team and documentary film crew that are following the explorer on his journey. Nilson will also be stopping at various Audi dealerships along the way to help cover that all important sponsorship.

In order to arrive at the South Pole by April 6, 2012, Nilson is going to have to average roughly 62 miles per day. Obviously that's not out of the question on a bike or kite-skiing, and certainly not in a sailboat. Skiing from the North Pole to Greenland will be the biggest challenge, which he may be finding out at this very moment.

It should be fun to follow along on this expedition. Stay tuned for updates.

Universal Sports Network Declares April Adventure Month!

The Universal Sports television network, which is owned and operated by NBC, has declared April Adventure Month, and has scheduled a whole host of great outdoor oriented programing to celebrate. If you're luck enough to live in a market that gets the channel, you'll have plenty of great television to enjoy over the next few weeks.

Amongst the great shows that you can enjoy throughout the month of April are a series of documentaries from our friend Jon Bowermaster. In fact, the entire collection of Jon's Oceans 8 project, as well as his Terra Antarctica film, will be available for viewing. Oceans 8 chronicles eight amazing sea kayaking expeditions to a number of unique and diverse locations around the globe, while Terra Antarctica returns Bowermaster and his team to Antarctica, a place he knows very well, where they explored the effects of climate change on the Antarctic Peninsula. Each of these films is excellent, and will give you a great perspective on the environments they explore, from one of the best vantage points possible – the seat of sea kayak.

To find out where you can watch Universal Sports in your market, click here and to see a complete schedule of programming click here.

On a personal note, if you haven't seen Jon's films, you really should grab this opportunity to do so. They are extremely well done, inspiring, and informative. I have all of the DVD's, and thoroughly enjoyed the all of them. They'll make you want to buy a kayak of your own!

North Pole 2011: Prince Harry Begins Polar Trek

Way back in January I posted a story about Britain's Prince Harry possibly making a trek to the North Pole.  At the time, he was training to do so as part of a fund raising effort for the Walking with the Wounded organization, but it was unclear whether or not his military obligations, not to mention his brother's impeding nuptials, would allow him to join the expedition. Yesterday, the team set out on their journey at last, and with Harry in tow, but the Prince won't make it to the Pole after all.

Four of the members of the team are disabled vets who were injured in the war in Afghanistan. Two of those are amputees. The group is hoping to raise as much as $3.2 million on their trek, which will go to the Walking with the Wounded foundation, an organization the helps wounded soldiers recover and get back on their feet, both literally and figuratively. Harry serves as the Patron for the foundation.

Unfortunately, the Prince won't be able to complete the entire journey with his companions. Instead, he'll spend five days in the arctic with the team, and then he'll get picked up and returned to the U.K. where he is training to be an Apache helicopter pilot. He felt so strongly about the expedition however that he wanted to join them for at least a small part of the journey.

The expedition had been delayed due to bad weather. The entire crew was in Spitsbergen last week, and were waiting for a flight to the Barneo Ice Station. The runway there was finally opened yesterday, allowing flights in for the first time this year. Now, they'll be making the 200 mile journey by skis to the North Pole, completing a "last degree" expedition to the top of the world.

Update: Just a brief clarification on this story. It seems this isn't a "last degree" expedition at all. The team was actually dropped at 87ºN after arriving at Barneo yesterday, which makes for a longer, more challenging journey. The 200 miles quoted above is still the proper length, but wanted to give credit where it was due. The team is actually finishing the final three degrees to the North Pole.

Catlin Arctic Survey 2011: 4 Day Storms And Moments In The Sun

The 2011 Catlin Arctic Survey continues to press ahead with their mission, despite the fact that the weather in the arctic is proving to be quite challenging this year. The team has suffered through plenty of snow and ice, as you would expect, but the scientists at the Ice Base got more than they bargained for recently when a blizzard raged for four days straight. Meanwhile, the Explorers Team are off at last, but not before conducting the most northerly interview ever with CNN.

As you probably recall, the Catlin team is in the arctic for the third straight year, where they are conducting important research on the impact of global climate change on the ice there. The project is privately funded and broken down into two teams. The Ice Base team is made up of scientists and researchers who stay at the base to take samples and measurements of the conditions there. Meanwhile, the Explorers Team have flown to a point near the North Pole and will now travel on foot to Greenland. Along the way they'll be checking the health of the arctic ice to better determine what impact the changes in the polar regions have on other parts of the world.

Life at the Ice Base is always a challenge of course, but last week it was made all the more so thanks to a storm that went on for four days. That storm brought sustained winds of 30 knots and temperatures that plummeted to -35ºC/-31ºF. Whiteout conditions were the norm, and the combination of those conditions made it difficult for the crew to conduct their experiments and take readings. Those conditions are not great to live in when you have a permanent shelter, but when you're in a tent, they really become exasperating.

The Explorers on the other hand, have made their way to their starting point, thanks to quite an effort to find them a suitable landing zone for the drop off. Before they got underway however, they took a little time for the media, conducting what is believed to be the most northerly interview in television history with CNN. You can check out the video of the interview below. Now the team, which consists of Brits Ann Daniels and Phil Coates, American Tyler Fish and Australian Adrian McCallum, will begin their 300 mile journey across the ice. It took awhile to get there, but the real work is just getting started.

Sarah Outen Launches London2London Expedition

Back in December I posted a story about ocean rower Sarah Outen's plans to circumnavigate the globe under her own power. Sarah, who had successfully rowed solo across the Indian Ocean in 2009, had made it known that she would be riding her bike and paddling her way around the planet, an ambitious endeavor to say the least. Last Friday, she kicked off that journey, setting out on what she calls her London2London via The World expedition.

Sarah started this latest adventure by paddling under the London Tower Bridge, which serves as both the starting and finish line. From there, she's now traveling by kayak down the Thames River and then across the English Channel, where she'll get out of the water and hop on her bike. Over the course of the rest of this year, she'll be pedaling across Europe and Asia, where she'll eventually reach the Pacific Ocean. When she does, she'll get back into a boat and row her way across the Northern Pacific to Vancouver. That stage will be followed up with another leg on her bike, which will take her across the U.S. and Canada, eventually ending in New York City, where she'll get in her boat one last time, and row across the Northern Atlantic. If all goes according to plan, she'll be paddling back under the London Tower Bridge sometime in 2013.

It has been an eventful first couple of days for Sarah, mostly due to the media attention surrounding her launch. Examining her expedition tracker however, shows that she has completed the first paddling leg this morning, and has successfully crossed the Channel. She'll now be climbing aboard her bike for the first really long and difficult stage of the trip. It'll be several weeks before she's out of Europe, and once she leaves those friendly confines behind, the real challenges will begin.

You can follow Sarah's progress on her blog, and if you read her updates from the Indian Ocean a few years back, you no doubt recall how interesting her reports can be. I'm sure these updates will be no exception, and I look forward to keeping track of how many Mars bars she consumes along the way. They're her favorite source of fuel on these calorie burning adventures that she keeps finding herself on.

I'll posted updates as Sarah makes progress on what is sure to be a long, yet amazing journey.