Irish duo ready to leave Canada for 784km trek to North Pole

Mike O'Shea training at Cape Discovery in Nunavut Canada, this week. Mr O'Shea and Clare O'Leary are hoping to become the first Irish team to reach the geographic North Pole by foot. They are expected to leave Cape Discovery at the end of this week, weather permitting

LORNA SIGGINS

ADVENTURERS Clare O’Leary and Mike O’Shea are preparing to leave northern Canada for their 784km trek to the North Pole.

The pair, who have been acclimatising in temperatures of down to minus 40 degrees for the past 10 days, hope to become the first Irish team to reach the geographic North Pole on foot.

It is Dr O’Leary’s third attempt, and if she makes it she will be the 13th female to have done so.

On her first and second attempts with adventurer Pat Falvey, frostbite experienced by a third team member forced a retreat, and weather played havoc with most North Pole expeditions this time last year.

If she is successful, Dr O’Leary will also become only the second woman in the world to have reached both poles and to have climbed the world’s seven highest summits – an achievement first recorded by Norwegian climber Cecilie Skog.

From Bandon, Co Cork, she is a specialist in gastroenterology and works at the South Tipperary General Hospital in Clonmel.

In 2004, she became the first Irishwoman to climb Mount Everest. In that same year, Kerry climber Mike Barry also became the first Irishman to trek to the South Pole, completing the unfinished journey of Ernest Shackleton at the turn of the last century. Dr O’Leary was part of Pat Falvey’s team that reached the South Pole in 2008, four years after Barry’s achievement.

Mr O’Shea, who provides rescue training by profession, is a seasoned mountaineer, accomplished skier, paraglider and founder of the Irish Expedition Trust.

Speaking from the training base in Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut in Canada yesterday, Mr O’Shea said the pair had completed two successful training trips.

The expedition adviser is north American explorer Matty McNair, who led the first ever all-female expedition to the geographic North Pole 1997.

“The plan is to fly to Resolute Bay in northern Ellesmere island at the end of this week,” Mr O’Shea said.

“From there, we will take a seven-hour flight north, as soon as we have a weather window and enough light for the pilot to land.”

“We are both feeling very good, modifying our clothes, lightening our loads and planning to keep enough food close to our bodies to prevent it from freezing,” he said.

Most of their supplies comprise freeze-dried and trail food, but they also have salami, biscuits, Barry’s tea and a “small” naggin of Jameson whiskey.

To date, 182 people have reached the North Pole, compared with 6,500 who have climbed Everest. An added challenge for the duo will be the southerly drift of the ice as they approach the pole. To overcome this, they will “roll the clock” to extend the working day to 26 hours.

Since leaving Ireland several weeks ago, Dr O’Leary and Mr O’Shea have been joined by a stowaway in their luggage – Tom Bear. Mr Bear, who travels light due to his extensively furry outer layer and has no food or drink requirements, will be maintaining a blog for younger followers of the expedition. He is also hosting a colouring competition for school children on the expedition website irishnorthpole2012.com

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