Wait. Different guy.
Posted on 11/12/2018 12:38:46 PM PST by ETL
American adventure-athlete Colin O'Brady, 33, and British Army Captain Louis Rudd, 49, embarked on the perilous, 921-mile trek on Oct. 31 — both carrying sleeping bags, freeze-dried food, cross-country skis, hand-held satellite phones and modems, a GPS tracker and portable solar panels.
In order for the journey to be considered unsupported, the competitors cannot accept any help from the few people they might encounter, not even a cup of hot tea. They have, however, raised north of $200,000 each from corporate sponsors and private donors in an effort to help with their trip.
According to the New York Times, the last person to attempt a solo unsupported crossing was Ben Saunders, who gave in after covering 805 miles in 2017; prior to that, British explorer Henry Worsley covered 900 miles before dying from an infection only days after being rescued and a mere 30 miles from the finish line. ..."
Both men trained and prepared intensely for the journey. Rudd put in hours of powerlifting and O'Brady gained 15 pounds of muscle, the newspaper reports.
The weather in Antarctica, which according to the Times is considered relatively "balmy" at minus 25 Fahrenheit, could also see temperatures drop to minus 50, with high winds and storms possible. Each man has five days' of reserve food in case the weather keeps them inside their tents.
That's not even considering the chance of hypothermia, frostbite and a chafing condition known as "polar thigh."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
The reason the Norwegian group led by Amundson beat the American group led by Perry just over a century ago was simple. Americans were sentimental about eating their sled dogs and brought enough food for both men and dogs. The Norwegians were able to double the amount of dogs because the surplus dogs also served as food on the return trip.
Many long years ago my Explorer Scout post went on an early spring camping trip and visited the Henry Ford museum in Dearborn, MI. One night was so cold (I know, vs Antarctica a totally vile sound accompanied by middle finger salute) that the post’s adult advisor attached a string to his member so he could find “himself” underneath all his heavy clothes.
Penguin pecked?
At those constant temperatures with their bodies struggling to stay warm, and the physical activity of trudging through snow, how in the world are they going to carry with them about 5,000 calories of daily food to sustain them?
Wait a minute. The header says crossing but the map looks like going to the pole. More maps?
Colin started a few days earlier
My -7 was in Michigan about 50 miles from the Henry Ford Museum. I now live in Maryland near Baltimore where the all time low temp is a pansy 7 above zero. Winter camping isn’t nearly as challenging here.
I lead a scouting type group. I’m not sure, actually I am sure that if I ever did something as stupid as the string thing, none of the kids would ever find that out.
We just and a camp last weekend. The kids (as young as five all stayed in unheated cabins. It got a bit colder than forecast, maybe 28 or 29 one night. They didn’t seem to notice.
Winter camping is really fun. It adds a layer of complexity and you have to do it to understand that everything is slower and more methodical.
My first time winter camping was with my son. He was 12 or so. My wife dropped us off at some state game land in Michigan in 6” of snow. We hefted or backpacks on and headed back into the woods. What a blast. She was late picking us up the next day so we started hiking. Got some wild looks from drivers. Two guys with backpacks on a snowy winter day.
My kid had quite the swagger
Sorry, don't have time now to check. Try the links and/or search the web.
I read further.
Schlick: Now this afternoon we’re going to shoot the scene where Scott gets off the boat on to the ice floe and he sees the lion and he fights it and kills it and the blood goes pssssssssshhh in slow motion.
Conger: But there aren’t any lions in the Antarctic.
Schlick: What?
Conger: There aren’t any lions in the Antarctic.
Schlick: You’re right. There are no lions in the Antarctic. That’s ridiculous! Whoever heard of a lion in the Antarctic? Right. Lose the lion.
McRettin: Got to keep the lion. It’s great!
Schlick: Lose the lion.
McRettin: Great. We’re losing the lion. Rewrite. Lose the lion everyone. That’s fantastic,
Scott: What’s this about our losing the lion?
Schlick: Well, Kirk, we thought perhaps we might lose the fight with the lion a little bit, Kirk, angel.
Scott: (loudly) Why?
Schlick: Well, Kirkie, doll, there are no lions in the Antarctic, baby.
Scott: (shouts) I get to fight the lion.
Schlick: It’d be silly.
Scott: Listen, I gotta fight the lion. That’s what that guy Scott’s all about. I know. I’ve studied him already.
Schlick: But why couldn’t you fight a penguin?
McRettin: Great! (falls over)
Scott: Fight a rotten penguin?
Schlick: It needn’t be a little penguin. It can be the biggest penguin you’ve ever seen. An electric penguin, twenty feet high, with long green tentacles that sting people, and you can stab it in the wings and the blood can go spurting psssssshhhh in slow motion.
Scott: The lion is in the contract.
Schlick: He fights the lion.
McRettin: Even better. Great. Have a drink. Lose the penguin. Stand by to shoot. (falls over)
Schlick: Where do they have lions?
Conger: Africa.
Schlick: That’s it. Scott’s in Africa. As many lions as we need.
McRettin: Great!
Schlick: He’s looking for a pole no one else knows about. That ties in with the sand. Right. Paint the sand yellow again. Okay, let’s get this show on the road. ‘Scott of the Sahara.’
O-Brady looks all set for his Hasbro plastic covering LOL
I don't foresee success if they are basing their figures on such paltry and puny rations. (It's not like they can get trail magic on their trip, either.)
And heck, I need 3500 just on a day hike of 10 miles in the fall and spring.
They should have bulked up on fat reserves, not muscle. SMDH.
“Schlick: Now this afternoon we’re going to shoot the scene where Scott gets off the boat on to the ice floe and he sees the lion and he fights it and kills it and the blood goes pssssssssshhh in slow motion.”
I remember the skit, just don’t remember if it was in a movie or on TV.
Penguin pecked?
Polar penquins peck perniciously peculiar.
Wait. Different guy.
Yeah, I think it’s basically included, like an extreme travel insurance policy. They would call on sat phone and get picked up by the same outfit that dropped them off, ALE out of Chile.
Or, they could stay home, but overdose an sleeping pills then go out running back and forth through the lawn sprinkler in the nude until they pass out.
They are not together
I don’t know about the Brit, but O’Brady traversed Greenland fairly recently so that was probably a good test of his gear. And he’s been to Antarctica multiple times already.
This is pretty fascinating. I started following him on Twitter, but now he hasn’t posted in 2 days. He was even answering questions from school kids.
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