Posted on 01/01/2005 7:52:59 AM PST by Lukasz
A Polish teenager who lost a hand and a leg in an electrical accident pulled off a double on New Year's Eve by reaching the South Pole on foot after conquering the North Pole in April.
Apart from his unique performance as a disabled explorer, 16-year-old high school pupil Janek Mela became the youngest person ever to conquer both poles within a year, Polish state television said.
Mela, injured two years ago, walked to the poles using an artificial leg as part of an expedition led by Polish explorer Marek Kaminski, who eight years ago became the first man to reach both poles within a year.
Polska BTTT
Stories like his are why I never feel sorry for myself.
Does this mean he is bipolar?
I can personally confirm this as I am here in Antarctica right now. I don't know if we will fly him out now that he is there but our folks at South Pole have pictures of him there and it is a great accomplishment for a young man with his condition.
I posted the same article just about 2 minutes later.
FReeping from Antarctica. A first? Or a regular?
Hey ICE-FLYER, has anyone ever flown from pole to pole in a single nonstop flight?
Wow. Makes me feel guilty for not to be doing more with my life.
I've been flying for the USAF here for the past 10 years and freeping all the while! Whats funny is that this place is crawling with some of the most liberal people you have ever met and they have only Armed Forces Radio and TV available to them so they get a constant barage of very positive ideas from the US Military. LOL!
Anyway, I love what I do and will be doing this for at least 8 to 9 more years.
Not that I or my peers know of has anyone flown non-stop from North to South Pole or south to north. I came close to actually having been at bot locations within a week of each other but it fell through as we did not need to go south for what we though we were being sent for.
I have been to both locations though only in the air up North.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.