In March 2013 American John Huston, Norwegian Tobias Thorleifsson, Canadian Hugh Dale-Harris and South African Kyle O`Donoghue, an expedition videographer, will traverse 630 miles on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian High Arctic.
The expedition also seeks to celebrate Otto Sverdrup, the uncelebrated captain of the boat “Fram”. Sverdrup was the captain on Fritjof Nansen`s well known “Fram” expedition to the Arctic Ocean, and also led the second “Fram” expedition that resulted in mapping of 150 000 square kilometers (or 15 000 000 hectare). What makes out the northernmost parts of Canada.
“In my opinion Otto Sverdrup was the most competent and practical off all the Norwegian explorers of that era. Being both shy and humble, he was satisfied with taking a back seat and was, of course, greatly overshadowed by other Norwegians like Nansen and Amundsen. However, from my own personal experience in the Arctic I consider that Sverdrup was the greatest of the three men.” – Henry Larsen, Canadian/Norwegian Captain.
In telling the story of Ellesmere Island and Otto Sverdrup the expedition team hopes to set focus on the challenges represented in the future of modern civilization. Through their travelling blog and the film project the team will show the actual changing conditions in the Arctic and tell the story about how Ellesmere Island is experiencing climate change.
Learn more about the expedition at: http://forwardendeavors.com/
The expedition team:
John Huston – Chicago, USA – Age 36
- North Pole 2009: 1st American unsupported expedition
- South Pole 2007/08: Led 57-day, 720-mile ski expedition
- Greenland 2005, Amundsen Expedition: Team Member of Norwegian 72-day dogsled-ski expedition – BBC, The History Channel, NRK
- Polar Explorer, Motivational Speaker, Author, Educator, Safety & Logistics Consultant, Entrepreneur, Degrees in History, Anthropology, Geography – Northwestern University
Tobias (Toby) Thorleifsson – Oslo, Norway – Age 33
- Greenland 2008: Kite across ice cap, education project
- Ellesmere Island 2008: 65-day dogsled expedition, education project
- Antarctica 2007, Frans Josef Land 2007: Expedition team member
- Public Speaking: in front of over 60,000 people in the last two years.
- Arctic Explorer, Acclaimed Historian, Sailor, Public Speaker, Educator, Writer, Father, Consultant, Masters Degree in Polar History – Simon Fraser University
Hugh Dale-Harris – Ottawa, Ontario, Canada – Age 41
- North Pole 2005: World record dogsled expedition, co-leader
- Arctic Transect 2004: 155-day, 5000km dogsled expedition, educational project across Arctic Canada
- Igloolik, Baffin Island, Canada 1998-2008: Lived and taught in Inuit village
- Adventurer, Educator, Father, Sled Dog Musher, Photographer, Researcher, Educational Film Maker, Masters Degree in Education – Lakehead University
Kyle O’Donoghue – Cape Town, South Africa – Age 32
- Antarctic Peninsula Expeditions 2005-2012: Filmmaker for 2041 Project
- Seven Summits Seven Flights 2010-present: ongoing paragliding expedition film, summited Mt Elbrus, Aconcagua and Kilimanjaro
- Amazon Expedition 2004 Filmmaker on first descent of Rio Maranon, Peru
- Expedition Filmmaker, Writer, Mountaineer. Degree in Journalism and Philosophy – Rhodes University