Antarctica 2041 by Robert Swan

2,041 km. 34 Days. 27 Cities. 5 Countries. 1 Idiot.

With several minutes of reassuring and informative tire kicking behind me, I decided to seal the deal and purchase my ‘hog’ for the trip off a charming lady that I met on Craigslist (not in that way). With my wheels sorted, I finally had time to focus on planning the painful part i.e. The Route...

So assuming I manage to maintain a sweaty peddling average of 62kms a day (and after allowing for the odd day of R&R) I should be licking my first pot of Guinness (and second, and third...) in the South Pole Inn in Annascaul on Saturday December 4th. Bring it on!

Ashe

2041 Website

    For more on Robert Swan, Antarctica and the Voyage for Cleaner Energy visit www.2041.com

Tom Crean Solo March

As you know, the end point of my upcoming cycle is Tom Crean’s old pub The South Pole Inn in Annascaul, Co Kerry. Some of you may remember the advert that Guinness ran a few years back (below) to celebrate this great Irish Antarctic Explorer. Here is a little background to bring the ad to life…

In January 1912, after 2 months of marching, Captain Scott selected 4 people to join him on the final 268km march to the Pole. This meant the 3 remaining men of Crean, Lashly and Evans now faced a gruelling 1,206km return journey back to base camp.

After enduring snow blindness and surviving a 60mph sledge ride down a 2,000ft ice fall, dodging crevasses of up to 200 feet wide, the 3 men had marched to within 160km of home. It was here that Evans was brought down by a severe case of scurvy.

Ignoring the risk to their own lives, Crean and Lashly immediately dropped all remaining items of surplus gear and began hauling Evans on his sledge until they reached Corner Camp. With 5 days of marching still to go and only 3 meals worth of rations left, the situation looked dire. However, despite having covered 2,500kms in the past 3½ months and knowing a blizzard was fast approaching, Crean volunteered to make the final 35km solo march back to Base Camp to seek help. With no tent, no shelter, no means of navigation and with only 3 biscuits & 2 chocolate bars for food, Crean set off.

The 18 hours it took to complete the march is where the Guinness ad picks up. In this version of the story, Crean comes close to giving up, only to be spurred on by the memory of drinking a pint of Guinness with his friends back home and the hope of doing so again.

If anybody wants to learn more about Tom Crean then Michael Smith’s “An Unsung Hero” is a great starting point. It’s an absorbing read about the life of an extraordinary Irishman. Get it here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=an+unsung+hero&x=0&y=0

Guinness ad Tom Crean

350.org Bill McKibben - Solar Panels back on the White House

Great news! In Spring 2011 Solar Panels will be back on the White House:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iMUnrmqM-z3tMC3a3JZRFIqrJKHQD9ILFH9G1?docId=D9ILFH9G1

Here's an interview the guy that made it happen...