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Going the Distance

Spanish Translation

Kathryn Satterfield

Polar explorers Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen have scaled mountains and journeyed to the ends of the Earth. In 1993, Bancroft became the first woman to cross the ice to both the North and South Poles. The following year, Arnesen skied alone to the South Pole, accomplishing what no woman had before. In 2001, the pair made history together when they sailed and skied across Antarctica. And in 2005, they explored the Arctic.

Now they are back in the Arctic. Bancroft and Arnesen pulled tires, swam and hiked in preparation for frigid temperatures, icy waters, treacherous expanses and unfriendly polar bears. They plan to ski and swim across constantly shifting ice and frigid water while pulling 260-pound sleds. But the two are not out to make history. They want to inspire change.

A Mission on Thin Ice

Their target departure date was March 4. If all goes as planned, Bancroft and Arnesen will trek 530 miles from Ward Hunt Island, Canada, to the North Pole. Then they will travel about 120 miles more, until they reach the Tara, a research ship that is drifting in the Arctic ice (see map). They expect to reach the ship in mid-May. The explorers' trip was timed to start around the beginning of the International Polar Year (see "A Time to Explore"). Arnesen and Bancroft plan to use their journey to get kids thinking about global warming and the effect it has had on the Arctic.

Bancroft first visited the area 20 years ago. She will be able to observe firsthand how the landscape is changing. The explorers will share their experiences on their website, bancroftarnesen.com. "The Arctic Ocean is the most exciting classroom you can be in," Arnesen told TFK. "We will have new challenges and new stories every day."

Bancroft and Arnesen's experience in the Arctic in 2005, combined with satellite images of the region, has convinced them that there is much less ice, and that the ice is thinner. They anticipate having to swim across long expanses of water, where ice once lay. Specially made swimsuits will help them survive the icy dips.

The behavior of polar bears has also changed. With their food supply and habitat shrinking, the big white bears have become more aggressive. Bancroft and Arnesen have packed noisemakers and other gear to scare away the bears.

An Arctic Education

Bancroft, 51, is from Scandia, Minnesota. Arnesen, 53, is a native of Oslo, Norway. Both women are former teachers. They hope their journey will inspire kids to help save the planet. "We're going to share what's happening on the ice," Bancroft says, "and guide some of those discussions back to kids' homes and neighborhoods--that's where their expeditions are." The explorers' website gives simple suggestions on saving energy. The way humans generate power often involves releasing gases into the atmosphere that contribute to global warming.

At the end of their adventure, the polar pair will have trekked more than 600 miles and met countless challenges. Reaching the finish will be rewarding, they say, but the true reward will be touching the lives of the kids who follow along on the website. They hope to "empower young people to be a part of the solution," Bancroft says.

"We would not be on this expedition without the kids," Arnesen says. "That's our motivation."

Next: Life After the Ice