Polar explorer Todd Carmichael sent out a dispatch today announcing that he’ll be in Philadelphia at the DownTown Club for an event entitled “Poles Apart: Trekking Unsupported to the North and South Pole”, in which Todd will be joined by Jeff Mantel who has made the journey to the North Pole. Todd will, in contrast, discuss his experiencing heading South.
The event is set to take place on Tuesday, May 26th (That’s next week!) and will cost members of the Explorers Club $40 and $45 for non-members. That price includes dinner, dessert and coffee, with a cash bar available as well. You can find out more about the event in Todd’s latest dispatch.
Perhaps of more interest for those of us who can’t be in attendance next week, is the note that Todd will announce not just one, but two new expeditions at the event. The front page of Todd’s website notes that he will next attempt to cross the entire length of Death Valley National Park, solo and unsupported, including no caches. Death Valley is, of course, one of the hottest, driest, and lowest places on Earth, and while it’ll obviously be an extreme change in condition from the South Pole with the heat, Antarctica is a dry desert as well.
I have a bit of insight into what the second expedition is as well, but I’m not at liberty to say just yet. Make no mistake though, it’s a good one. 🙂
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Would love to attend 🙁
Just had a look at the death valley again (i thought about the same trip last year) and it’s still seams a good trip, easy but certainly nice to do. I guess the job can be done in just 7 days or less for trained people like Todd.
Yeah, i thought of you when I read that he was planning the trip. I think it’s to give him something to do! 😉 You have plenty of experience in similar conditions.
I may have an update later today on his other trip. I’ve got a bit of an inside scoop, and I’ve been given the go ahead to post preliminary information with more to follow.
As far as I’m aware, Jeff Mantel’s “journey to the North Pole” was a last degree trip rather than a full-blown expedition from either Russia or Canada.
Ah… thanks for the clarification Percy. I couldn’t find much info on his North Pole travels, and that explains why.
Actually, Jeff Mantel has been on 4 North Pole expeditions, all "last degree".
He has also bee on two full blown expeditions:
1) Crossed the Kane Basin from the northeast coast of Ellesmere Island, Nunavut Territory to the site of Dr. Fred Cook's overwintering cabin in northwestern Greenland, then climbed the Greenland Ice Cap, then traversed Inglefield Land, descended a glacier to the sea ice and finally ended up at the village of Siorapaluk.
2) Was a member of a 5-man team of experts who trekked from the Inuit village of Clyde to the face of an unnamed glacier near Mt. Wordie on Baffin Island, climbed the glacier and then descended down the iother side of it to a fiord, and then trekked back to Clyde.
Thanks for the update and information on Jeff's experience. Lots of great adventures under his belt and plenty of time spent in cold places.