Wood is nevertheless going to the North Pole
Published on 28.03.2012 - North South Solo Expedition -Leg 2
After the comeback from his successful trip to the South Pole, Marc Wood has met some financial difficulties ; this was due to factors beyond his control -namely the requirement to provide a substantial rescue bond, up-front, to the specialist airline that operates in the high Arctic region.
But Marc Wood could not bear the idea of giving up so easily his trip to the North Pole. So he decided to think about another starting point, the island of Svalbard in the Norwegian Arctic.
But that's bringing about some fundamental changes to the expediton.
First he will be transported to the Barneo russian camp site (a camp site opened every year, run by the russians and located about 200 kil from the North Pole). Of course, here comes the first negative point : the distance he thought to cover until the Pole is by far much shorter than the trek Ward Hunt > North Pole (200 kil instead of 800 kil). Second, the time spent on the ice is also much shorter : ten days instead of more or less five weeks !
According to Marc Wood, the main objective remains untouched. Marc Wood : "Whilst this is a massive compromise on the primary aim of the expedition, it still allows me to (hopefully) effectively serve the other key objectives, including:The Schools program – My Life in a Freezer, an initiative to connect with schools and educational institutions, bringing my experiences on expedition into the classroom, highlighting the issues faced by the remote parts of the planet, through the use of innovative technologies such as Skype and Ipadio. As a platform to highlight the effects of climate change. Supported by Grant Thornton, I’ll be calling on one of the luminaries of change research – Dr Stephan Harrison – to augment some of my daily updates with scientific insight into the rapidly changing Arctic environment. Following the expedition, Dr Harrison will join me in the field to extend the climate change aspect of the expedition (he’ll also have the dubious privilege of sharing tent-space with an unwashed explorer!).
Let's only hope that the British explorer does not meet any setback on his way to the final goal of his expedition. And that the interest of such a small challenge will remain fascinating for the schools Wood is addressing to.
