Todd Carmichael Begins Quest To Become First Solo and Unsupported American To The South Pole
November 4, 2008
Todd Carmichael’s quest to become the first American to go solo and unsupported to the South Pole will begin in a matter of days. On November 2nd, Todd should arrive at the first stop on his expedition, Chile. From Chile, he will catch a plane that will take him to the frozen tundra of Antarctica where he will be dropped off for what could become a record breaking attempt to reach the South Pole on his own. No American has done it before.
Many of you will know that I will be following along with Todd during this journey. I have corresponded with him over the past few months and will continue to follow his journey with updates as I get them. Along with trying to become the first American to ever reach the South Pole, alone and with no resupply, Todd has been hinting at trying to accomplish his goal in a world record time. Not only would he become the first American, but he could possibly become the fastest person to ever reach the Pole alone. Both of these records are highly coveted in the adventure world, and each will present it’s own challenges. Todd already seems to be up for the challenge.
When Todd steps down on the ice, he will be doing so in support of two separate charities of which he is trying to bring some awareness. The first involves one of Todd’s personal passions–helping Dr. Galdikus raise funds to help protect orangutans and their habitat. If you are not familiar with Dr. Galdikus’ work, she is one of the premier Orangutan specialists in the world. Her work is based out of Borneo, where the Dr. has spent the last 30+ years trying to protect and understand the orangutan’s life and habits in their natural settings. Her studies have been featured around the world, she has been a National Geographic covergirl and feature story, and is in the process of trying to purchase 12,000 acres of Orangutan habitat. If you would like to learn more, you can visit Todd’s site, or www.orangutan.com for more information.
Todd’s other project includes the issue of Global Warming. In his journeys to Antarctica, Todd will be trying to see for himself the impact that climate change may be having on the polar regions of our world. This will be Todd’s second journey to Antarctica, his second expedition to the pole, but his first one expedition alone. Todd’s first attempt ended short in 2007 when he had to be rescued from the ice-
This is going to be an exciting expedition, and possibly one for the record books. I am thrilled to be able to bring a small part of this attempt to The Adventurist, with Todd’s consent, for my readers. Todd’s a great guy and I can only wish him the best on this journey. So how does Todd feel right before he leaves?
Training is now in neutral, no more building, only holding. Mentally I’m in that place that feels much like “going down the rabbit hole” - big parts of my normal thoughts are shutting down – and I find myself hiding away, changing in some intangible way.
In many respects this is the hardest part – not only the waiting, but also the change over to that different me. That morph from a daily guy, business owner, husband, friend, hockey fan to that person the Ice requires. Life does not allow such single mindedness - of pulling inside ones self and focusing entirely on one objective. I am at that place where those two worlds collide.
Let’s all wish Todd the best as he departs and heads out on this magnificent journey. I will be bringing you updates straight from Antarctica as I get them, and hopefully the annoncement of a new American and world South Pole record. Keep Todd in your thoughts and prayers while he embarks on this journey, and come back here for the latest updates. Better yet, subscribe to my free email updates.
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Written by Jason A. Hendricks · Filed Under South Pole |
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