Fishing on the Net

By Bonnie Nelson

Pole-to-Pole Travelers

Rob Gauntlett and James Hopper, the youngest Britons to climb Everest, are traveling from Pole to Pole under their own steam. They are traveling a distance of 17,000 miles. As they travel down the Americas, they intend to highlight a number of environmental issues, on which they will post interactive resources and podcasts. They hope that the expedition will be an inspiration to other young people. The expedition starts in March 2007. Good luck to both.

Their challenge, called 180 Degrees Pole to Pole Manpowered, began March 2007 at the northernmost point on Earth. The pair skied towards the edge of the ice pack.  They met an icebreaker yacht and voyaged to Newfoundland. Once back on land, Rob and James cycled the entire length of the Americas, taking in 14 countries before arriving in the port of Punta Arenas in Chile.

To date the boys are in South America.  They spent Christmas in Antofagasta, Chile, lunched at McDonald’s and spent time on the beach.    When they arrive at the tip of South America, they will board another yacht and sail across the Southern Ocean and on to the Wedell Sea area of Antarctica. From there they will ski, using power kites, to the South Pole.

Rob Gauntlett and James Hopper were inspired to make the journey by three things:  it had not been attempted, the challenge of completing it and  it provided an opportunity to teach young people about climate change and what they could do about it.

“When we came back from Everest we were looking for a new challenge. We started thinking about making it completely green and carbon-neutral and as we researched it we got more and more interested,” said Mr. Gauntlett.  “Apart from the flights to and from the poles, every aspect of our travel is going to be absolutely 100% efficient - we will be completely carbon-neutral.”
Throughout their trip the young men will plant new trees, support renewable energy projects, and work with organizations that are developing sustainable technologies.

For a more detailed list of their travels, check out their website at http://180degrees.co.uk/180degrees.html.  The website chronicles their trip to date and includes several bits of information on the countries they have traveled through.

To reach this columnist,  email her at waltbon@comcast.net.

CONTACT THE WRITER • WALTBON@COMCAST.nET

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