Pair to Attempt 1,000km North Pole Hike

Agence France-Presse reported yesterday that South African explorer Mike Horn (39) and Norwegian explorer Borge Ousland (44) will attempt a walking expedition to the North Pole, the first-ever expedition of its kind.

So far, no one has attempted to explore the Arctic in winter because of the pitch-dark polar night that lasts all day beginning in September and ends in early March.

During the polar night period, the temperature in the Arctic falls to as low as minus 35 degrees Celsius to minus 40 degrees Celsius, which makes it hard for a person to move.

The two explorers will begin their arduous march toward the North Pole from a cape in Russia on January 15, pulling a sleigh carrying 180 kilograms of supplies. It is expected that it will take them around 67 to finish walking the 1,000 kilometers to the pole.

Horn and Ousland are both famous explorers and have known each other for 15 years. However, this is the first time that the two have set off together to conquer the Arctic.

Horn was the first explorer to remain in the Arctic for 26 months from August 2002 to October 2004. He became famous for walking 20,000 kilometers around the North Pole at 70 degrees North latitude where some icebergs melted and broke due to the differences between seasons.

Horn has also circumnavigated the Earth along the equator, traversing the Amazon jungle, Pacific, and Africa on foot, on bicycle, and on canoe and yacht, without using any type of powered transport for the first time ever in 2000.

Ousland is also well-known explorer who conquered the South and North poles alone on skis in 1994 and 1995, respectively.

zsh75@donga.com