IRISH ADVENTURERS Pat Falvey and Dr Clare O’Leary hope today to start their historic attempt to navigate, walk, ski and swim for two months on a 784km expedition of endurance to the North Pole.
Hauling their sleds across the rugged, broken, melting Arctic Ocean from Canada, the pair, joined by John Dowd from Kerry, aim to be the first Irish team to reach the North Pole without the aid of dogs or any mechanical means. The journey will take them in the region of 60 days.
Traversing the ice to reach the North Pole is considered to be one of the most difficult challenges on earth due to the effects of global warming.They will also face the risk of polar bear attack.
“The journey is equivalent to 60 consecutive marathons,” says Pat Falvey, “through cold down to -60 degrees Celsius.” In December the team tested gear and equipment in Canada, returning again to Yellowstone to make final preparations in early February.
For both Mr Falvey and Dr O’Leary, reaching the North Pole will mark the distinctive completion of the Three Poles Challenge – an adventure to reach the three most extreme poles on earth, Everest as the highest pole, the South Pole, and the North Pole.
Mr Falvey is a veteran of over 65 worldwide expeditions while Dr O’Leary is a veteran of 22, and Mr Dowd a veteran of 12 expeditions. Both Mr Falvey and Dr O’Leary have already completed the Seven Summits Challenge, reaching the highest peaks on the seven continents. Mr Dowd has completed five of the seven summits to date. Dr O’Leary was the first Irish woman to climb Mount Everest when she reached the summit in 2004.