Polar Update: Ulrich and Ousland Reach Cape Flora!


It seems odd to be posting on an “Arctic Update” at the end of July, but here we go none the less. ThePoles.com is reporting that Thomas Ulrich and Børge Ousland have completed their epic quest retrace the trail taken by Norwegian explorers Fridtjof Nansen and Hjalmar Johansen from the North Pole to Cape Flora on the Siberian Coast. The trek took them 85 days, starting at the North Pole, making their way across ice fields, open water, reaching Siberia’s Frans Josef Land, and continuing South from there.

Yesterday, the two legendary arctic explorers, Ulrich and Ousland, reached the point that the other two legends, Nansen and Johansen, first spotted another living person after months out on the ice. Upon reaching Cape Flora, the latter team knew they would be rescued at long last. As for Thomas and Børge, they’ll now take a much need, and self imposed, rest while they wait for the Athene, a sailboat that will arrive on August 10th to retrieve them. The pair aren’t quite done yet however, as upon arriving at the northern post portion of Norway, they intend to trek on foot to Oslo.

Congratulations to these two incredible Polar explorers on a job well done. I think we can finally close the book on this year’s North Pole expeditions.

Kraig Becker

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