{PDF EPUB} North to the Pole by Will Steger North to the Pole by Will Steger
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Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} North to the Pole by Will Steger North to the Pole by Will Steger. A formidable voice calling for understanding and the preservation of the Arctic, and the Earth, Will Steger is best known for his legendary polar explorations. He has traveled tens of thousands of miles by kayak and dogsled over 50 years, leading teams on some of the most significant polar expeditions in history. Expeditions Steger led the first confirmed dogsled journey to the North Pole without re-supply in 1986, the 1,600-mile south-north traverse of Greenland (the longest unsupported dogsled expedition in history) in 1988, and led the first dogsled traverse of Antarctica (the historic seven month, 3,741-mile International Trans-Antarctica Expedition) in 1989–90. Educator & Entrepreneur Will Steger is also an educator, author, entrepreneur and eyewitness to the effects of climate change. With his ability to blend extreme exploration and cutting-edge technology, Steger pioneered online education – reaching more than 20 million students via online daily journals and even delivering the first ever transmission of digital photography from the North Pole. Based on his unique eyewitness experience with climate change in the Polar Regions, he established Climate Generation: A Will Steger Legacy in 2006 (formerly Will Steger Foundation), a Minneapolis, MN based nonprofit that educates and empowers people to engage in solutions to climate change. Drawing on his knowledge as an expedition leader, Will Steger designed the Steger Wilderness Center in Ely, MN, dedicated to solving the problems of our age at a place that inspires clarity and break-through innovation. It is built to be a living example of ecological stewardship, a demonstration center for devising new solutions to the seemingly intractable issues we collectively face. Recognition and Awards. 1995: Steger joined Amelia Earhart, Robert Peary and Roald Amundsen in receiving the National Geographic Society’s prestigious John Oliver La Gorce Medal for “Accomplishments in Geographic Exploration, in the Sciences, and Public Service to Advance International Understanding.” This was the first time the Society presented these three categories together and this award has not been given since. 1996: Steger became the National Geographic Society’s first Explorer-in-Residence 1997: Received the Explorers Club’s Finn Ronne Memorial Award 2006: Steger joined Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Dr. Thor Heyerdahl and Neil Armstrong in receiving the Lindbergh Award. Steger was given this award for “numerous polar expeditions, deep understanding of the environment and efforts to raise awareness of current environmental threats, especially climate change.” 2007: National Geographic Adventure presented him with their Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on climate change. 2009: Steger received a Conservation Leadership Award from the Conservation Minnesota Voter Center. 2014: Received Minnesota Senate Resolution honoring his incredible leadership and accomplishments for raising awareness of the urgency of climate change and the opportunity for solutions. 2015: Steger received the Canadian Governor General medallion in recognition of his expeditions in the Canadian Arctic (2004, 2007, 2008) and educational efforts to raise awareness of the Canada-Minnesota relationship. Speaking Each year, Steger gives more than 100 invited presentations. His recent audiences have included Goldman Sachs, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, SUPERVALU, Target Corporation, United Health Group, Toro, Great River Energy, and Xcel Energy. Steger has been invited to testify before the United States Congress, as well as advising world leaders on the environmental protection of Antarctica. Education Steger holds a Bachelor of Science in geology and Master of Arts in education from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota, in addition to five Honorary Doctorates. Author Steger is the author of four books: Over the Top of the World, Crossing Antarctica, North to the Pole and Saving the Earth. Remembering the North Pole trek of 1986 — and looking forward to the anniversary celebration. ELY, Minn. — The epic ski and dogsled trek with its eight-member, 49-dog crew was a deliberate throwback to the days of the early explorers — and deemed by National Geographic “a landmark in polar exploration.” ELY, Minn. — Twenty five years ago this month, an expedition team reached the North Pole after enduring 56 days and 1,000 miles across fractured, shifting sea ice in temperatures that dipped below -70 degrees Fahrenheit. The epic ski and dogsled trek with its eight-member, 49-dog crew was a deliberate throwback to the days of the early explorers. This accomplishment, the first confirmed trek to reach the Pole without resupply, was deemed by National Geographic “a landmark in polar exploration.” To commemorate the achievement during this anniversary year, the Will Steger Foundation, together with the Canadian Consulate and Minnesota Historical Society, will host two public events at the Minnesota History Center. These include an Expedition Family Day from 12 to 4 p.m., Sunday, May 15, with team members, a sled dog and arctic clothing and equipment (open to the public with museum admission), and, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 17, a Team Member Reunion presentation (reservations required at 651-259-3015 or tickets.mnhs.org). In addition to Minnesotans Will Steger, Ann Bancroft and me, team members attending the reunion will be Richard Weber and Brent Boddy from Canada, Geoff Carroll from Alaska and Bob McKerrow from New Zealand. In the meantime, I’d like to share a few memories. In the early 1980s during the team’s training and preparation, public interest mounted rapidly for this home-spun project, which was based from a sod-roofed log “homestead” near Ely and supported initially by sales of buttons and T-shirts. Then, during the two-month traverse of the Arctic Ocean in spring 1986, TV and newspaper updates from sketchy radio communiqués kept Minnesotans apprised of the expedition’s progress — as well as its many setbacks — which included Ann’s plunge through thin ice, a tent fire triggered by a faulty stove, the devastating loss of a lead dog, a team breakdown over diminishing supplies and a malfunction of their sole navigation device just days from their goal. The expedition’s ultimate success triggered a collective cheer across the state and resulted in a National Geographic cover story, a best-selling book and film, both titled “North to the Pole,” and commendations from President Ronald Reagan and the World Center for Exploration. Hailed as a “triumph of the human spirit,” the group’s success reflected the conviction of Will’s diary entry the day the journey began: “The faith that moves mountains would take us to the Pole.” Stories to be shared, and a time capsule unveiled The accolades were deeply gratifying for the team members. Now 25 years later, stories from this trip continue to be remembered and will be shared by team members at the upcoming anniversary events. The team will also be unveiling the Polar Time Capsule, a sealed container we left at the North Pole with mementos of the trip. We never expected to see it again, but against all odds it was found years later washed up on a beach in County Donegal by an Irish carpenter and is now on its way to Minnesota to be displayed at the events. Many of our stories involve the sled dogs, on whose herculean efforts the expedition depended. The team mascot, Zap, distinctive with one blue eye and one black, was remarkably personable and worked the crowds at pre-trip fundraising events. Folks would chant ‘Zap to the Pole!’ as he made his way up and down the aisles greeting everyone and as I attempted to give my speech. But I could just as well have been reading from the dictionary. No one would have noticed since Zap kept them completely engaged. On the way to the Pole, Zap sported a red velvet cape emblazoned with a big gold “Z” that team members draped over him on cold nights to supplement his thin coat. Another favorite was a dog named “Sam.” A wild dog who had taken up residence at a radar station in the Canadian Arctic, he followed along with the team when they sledded past there on a 1985 training trip. Team member Richard made it his mission to befriend the timid animal and when, just for fun, he slipped him in harness, he found to the team’s amazement that Sam was a voice-command lead dog, probably a long-lost member of a Yukon trapper’s team. A year later Sam was on his way to the North Pole with the team and, in 1989, he was part of Will’s South Pole expedition as well, thus making canine history as the one and only dog on expeditions to both ends of the earth. Sadly, another one of the team’s lead dogs, Critter, did not make it the Pole. He was the loyal companion of team member Bob Mantell and led Bob’s team with power and precision. But Bob was one of two team member who sustained serious injury — frostbitten feet– and was evacuated by airlift. (The other was Bob McKerrow, whose ribs were broken when he got caught under a runaway sled.) Upon departing, Mantell opted to leave behind his dog team in hopes they would help the team, and a part of him, reach the Pole. But in Bob’s absence, Critter immediately went into a slump and soon was so despondent that team members cradled him in a dogsled as his rigor faded. His death, the team surmised, resulted from a broken heart. The darkest moment — and more difficulties Burying Critter behind an ice block seemed the darkest moment of the journey, but more difficulties followed. After a month on the trail, an inventory revealed we had used up well over half of our supplies but had covered only a third of the distance.