We’ve heard of stupefying stories about people who go for a trek in the Himalayas, but here’s a man called Ben Saunders who is trekking across Antarctica to fulfil a dead man’s wish.
The deceased in question is Saunders’ friend, Henry Worsley, a British explorer, who fell ill when he had to cover only 30 more miles to complete a 1,000 mile-long trek across Antarctica in 2016. Had he not succumbed to the illness, he would have made history by being the first person to finish the trek all alone without any help.
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He will course through Berkner Island to reach the South Pole and then make way for the Ross Ice Shelf via the Leverett Glacier. Ben Saunders’ Antarctica expedition will put him on his mettle when he will have to put up with minus 60 degrees Celsius temperatures. Furthermore, withstanding loneliness throughout his 60-day-long journey in a no man’s land will be another harsh test that Saunders will take. On his part, 40-year-old Saunders has ventured quite prepared: he is travelling with around 300 lbs of ration. To honour Worsley, Saunders will wear the same set of clothes as his friend for the arduous journey, which comprises a pair of trousers, a park, shell and vest.
Thankfully, Saunders is already a trained athlete and even holds the record for the longest ever solo journey to Arctic completed by a British. Plus, he ranks third among the persons who could ski singly to the North Pole. He has trekked almost 4,000 miles of snow-laden earth in the past 16 years. He is not just a record-breaker in polar exploration, but a successful keynote public speaker, a published author, fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and a brand ambassador for Canada Goose and Land Rover. No surprises for guessing that this shall be his biggest trekking expedition ever!
