One year later, Gauntlett and Hooper embarked on a gruelling 11-month, emissions-free expedition from the North Pole to the South Pole. The two explorers, now 20 years old, have vouched to sled, ski, walk, sail, and cycle the 23,000-mile route in order to highlight the effects of global warming. As far as Gauntlett and Hooper know, this is the first such journey ever.

Now more than 120 days after they first set out, the pair is well into their trip. After a quick stop in Dallas, Texas, they plan to cycle to Punta Arenas in Southern Chile (minus a small sailing interlude once they reach Panama).

“We're trying to send the message to people that if you really set your sights on something you can achieve anything,” says Hooper.

The going so far has, at times, been tough, with wildly fluctuating weather conditions and evidence of a climate gone awry all around.

“We've experienced flash floods in Newark, drought in Virginia and Tennessee, and I fell through the ice in Northern Greenland,” says Gauntlett, the latter an experience that led to severe hypothermia and a week-long stay in intensive care. With Arctic ice becoming ever more dangerously thin during the summer months, Gauntlett is convinced that “the effects of climate change almost cost me my life.”

The guys have seen their share of nasty conditions. Extreme bad weather delayed their departure from Greenland by two weeks, and as they entered Texas a few days ago it just happened to be the hottest day of the year so far at a scorching 102°F.

These sorts of details can be found on the expedition’s hip, interactive website, which gets over 250,000 hits a week. The guys update the site daily with blogs, progress reports, and images, as well as digestible information on changing weather phenomena.

In addition to the online coverage, sponsorship by the likes of Adidas and appearances in inspirational advertisements alongside soccer hero David Beckham have proved to be a winning formula and helped to give these two young, green campaigners a broad appeal and plenty of positive exposure.

Despite their best intentions, the explorers still need a little technological help while working toward their goal. Every night the pair camps and eats locally-grown food cooked on a portable camping stove using natural gas. Their support team’s trailer, which follows the determined duo, has been fitted with a solar panel.

Inevitably there will be “a moderate carbon footprint due to the logistics of such a large expedition” explains Hooper. But this is being calculated and offset as they go.  

“If everyone makes small changes in their individual lifestyles, then together we have a very large impact,” says Hooper, adding that these changes can range from buying a greener car to taking appliances off standby, and encouraging others to do the same.

The guys have no doubt that anyone can make a difference. Says Gauntlett, "Human beings are capable of doing a lot more than they think they can."

Posted on Aug 21, 2007 at 2:19 PM
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