Polar explorer Ben Saunders and Tarka L’Herpiniere depart the UK today for Antarctica to begin their 1,800 mile unsupported journey from the Antarctica coast to the South Pole and back. The Scott Expedition, a tribute to the legendary Captain Scott’s Terra Nova expedition, will see the pair walk nine and a half hours a day for over 110 days in temperatures as low as -50°C. Good luck from all of us here at Sidetracked for this ambitious expedition that has been over a decade in the making.
In other news, British mountaineer Mick Fowler and a team of three have set off to attempt the first ascent of Kishtwar Kailash, in the Indian Himalayas. The team which consists of Paul Ramsden, Mike Morrison and Rob Smith left the UK on the 26th of September to tackle the 6444m peak pure Alpine style. Mark Allison, more commonly known on Twitter as ‘Run Geordie Run‘ will begin his run across Australia on Wednesday the 16th of October. The ultra marathon man will cover 2,600 miles on his chosen route from Perth to Sydney. The 70 day challenge is focused on raising funds for two charities; the Children’s Foundation and St. Benedict’s Hospice. Allison has already succeeded in running across America, so this 41 miles per day adventure should be no hassle for the 40 year old.
It has been a successful fortnight for completing expeditions, Paralympic gold medallist Richard Whitehead has finished his John O’ Groats to Land’s End run. The athlete, who is a double amputee left John O’Groats on the 13th of August and has since completed the equivalent of 40 marathons in 40 days. No one has swam around the Isle of Wight for almost thirty years. But Anna Wardley has broken that drought period as part of her ‘5ive Island Swim Challenge.’ The 37-year old completed the sixty mile challenge in just over 26 hours.
A team of two have become first in the world to circumnavigate Lake Titicaca by kayak. Louis-Philippe Loncke and Gadiel Cho Sanchez Rivera paddled the largest lake in South America in 38 days. Lake Titicaca sits on the Peru-Bolivia border, 3,812 metres above sea level. Altitude was the team’s biggest challenge. London2London via the world is making headway as its founder Sarah Outen successfully rows from Japan to Alaska solo. The British adventure arrived into Adak, Alaska on the 24th of September exhausted but beaming.
But of course, not all adventures have to be world firsts or epic expeditions. Northern Ireland adventurer Leon McCarron has adopted Al Humphreys microadventure concept in his latest challenge to do an adventure every day for the month of October. The idea is to fit the minor challenges around his working life in London in an attempt to; “find the same buzz in ‘normal’ life”. Already he has spent three hours exploring the back roads around where he lives via his bike and read a book in a day. The beauty of this idea is that anyone can do it, all you have to do is start.
Adventurer Sean Conway is currently attempting the first ever swim from Lands End to John O’ Groats. The crew have recently passed into their fourth month at sea and their finances are almost depleted. They have reached Scotland and have less than 150 miles between them and success. However, they are in need of a new skipper, food and fuel. In return for your kindness, Conway is offering up the wetsuits straight off his back. If you can spare a few pennies, follow this link.
Finally, the big gear news of the week is the new GoPro HERO3+ Black Edition has been released. It is said to be smaller, lighter, better quality, longer battery life, and better in low light. Sounds pretty good to us and we can’t wait to share some of your films here on Sidetracked.
Written by Orla O’Muiri