Twin Adventurers To Cross Greenland On Foot

Twin British adventurers Hugo and Ross Turner are preparing to set out on a grueling expedition across Greenland that will not only test their resolve, but also aid scientific research, while simultaneously celebrating one of the greatest stories of survival in history. They'll also bemusing the expedition to raise funds for a charity they have supported in the past that has played a crucial role in the health of one of the twins.

On April 26, Hugo and Ross will begin a 340 mile (547 km) journey on foot across Greenland. That journey is expected to take 30 days to complete as they battle tough terrain, inhospitable environments and unpredictable weather. They'll travel on skis while pulling sleds filled with all of the gear and supplies necessary to survive behind them at all times. And if that wasn't challenge enough, one of the men will be doing the expedition while using vintage gear from a century ago.

The twins will be part of a research project that will study how modern gear protects and aids the human body while on an extreme expedition. In this case, Ross will use vintage gear from the early 1900's, right down to pulling a sled from that era. Meanwhile, Hugo will be outfitted in the latest and greatest equipment. They two men will then keep track of how they perform, including taking saliva samples to test for stress hormones, to see how modern gear improves performance. Having a set of identical twins as your test subjects should help to mitigate most of the genetic difference that two other adventurers might have.


The Turner twins are no strangers to physical challenges. Back in 2011/2012, they competed in the Trans-Atlantic Woodvale Rowing Race as part of a 4-man crew, finishing third in the event, but raising £300,000 (about $495,000) for spinal research. That is a topic that is close to their hearts since Hugo was injured in a swimming accident at the age of 17 and nearly lost the ability to walk. It took him six months of intensive medical treatment and therapy to recover, and now the men do what they can to support that cause.

As if all of this wasn't motivation enough for their expedition, they have also opted to wear the vintage gear as a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Ernest Shackleton's Endurance expedition. As you may recall, Shackleton and his men were on a voyage to explore the Antarctic when their ship, the Endurance, became trapped in the ice off the coast of the frozen continent. They managed to survive for months on end, before making a daring sea crossing in life rafts in search of help. Shackleton and his men survived that crossing, and not a single member of the crew was lost. It remains one of the greatest stories of leadership and survival in history.

Ross and Hugo have launched a crowd funding page as they seek assistance for getting their expedition off the ground. Considering the ambitious nature of their plans, it seems they can use all the help they can get. They've already managed to collect a couple of corporate sponsors, but they're still seeking volunteers, promotions, and other assistance to their cause.

Good luck to the twins on their adventure in Greenland.

Shackleton Epic Update: Expedition Complete!

Over the past few weeks I've written about the  Shackleton Epic a couple of times, sharing news of the expedition's progress as the men attempted to follow in the footsteps of history. When last we checked in, the crew had completed the open-ocean crossing between Elephant Island and South Georgia and were waiting for the weather to change so they could begin the final stage of the journey – a trek across the mountainous and largely unexplored island – just as Ernest Shackleton had done nearly a century ago.

In that last update, we were told that weather had stalled out the planned trek and the three men who would be making that journey, team leader Tim Jarvis, Baz Gray and Paul Larsen were waiting for conditions to improve. That didn't happen until the evening of February 8, which is when they set out to complete the final leg, something that Shackleton and his men did in just 36 hours. Unfortunately, the crew of the Shackleton Epic weren't out in the wild for very long before the fickle weather took a turn for the worse.

On February 9, while crossing through Shackleton's Gap on South Georgia Island, winds began to pick up and rain and snow moved into the region. The weather was so bad at one point that they could barely make any progress at all and the winds were so strong they could knock the men over. They decided to take shelter in a tent and wait for it to pass, but they ended up losing another day of travel in the process.

The following day they struck out again, even though the weather hadn't improved all that substantially.   Progress was still slow but they managed to press forward. They wouldn't reach the finish line at Stromness until late in the evening on February 11, but they did complete the expedition at last. Exhausted, hungry, wet and chilled to the bone, they men celebrated their accomplishment on a beach along the north side of South Georgia. They had become the only team to ever follow Shackleton's amazing odyssey while also wearing the vintage gear that was used on that expedition.

You can read a full account of the journey on the Shackleton Epic Blog, where you'll find a lot more details of what went down. Now, with the mission accomplished, the entire crew is heading back across the Drake Passage for South America and eventually home. It'll be a few days before they arrive in port, most of which I'm sure they'll spend sleeping, recovering and eating.

Congratulations to everyone who took part in this fantastic adventure.

Shackleton Epic Update: Landfall!

A few weeks back I wrote a post about the Shackleton Epic expedition, a daring attempt to recreate Ernest Shackleton's open-sea crossing between Elephant Island and South Georgia, followed by a traverse of that island on foot. At the time of the original story, the crew – led by Australian explorer Tim Jarvis – was just about to embark on the first stage of their voyage which was an 800-mile journey through some of the coldest and most treacherous waters on the planet. Yesterday the crew finished up that leg of the expedition, arriving on South Georgia at last.

The team made landfall Sunday afternoon, arriving 12 days after they had set out from Elephant Island. Their travels were not easy however as they were routinely pelted with bad weather, stayed soaked for much of the trip and faced regular bouts of sea sickness while out on the open water. Even their last push to South Georgia was challenging, with foam-capped swells and hidden rocks all conspiring to put an end to their plans. Fortunately they survived all of those challenges and arrived at Peggotty Bluff in one piece, just as Shackleton and his men did in 1916. Check out the video of their arrival below.

For some of the crew, reaching the beach at South Georgia marks the end of the adventure, but for three of the men there are still challenges to be overcome. Jarvis, along with Barry Gray and Ed Wardle will now attempt to trek across the island through rugged and mostly uncharted terrain. This was the second leg of Shackleton's journey as well, as he went in search of help for his stranded men.

Cold rain, snow, hail and high winds have descended upon their position however, delaying the start of the trek. Once conditions improve, they'll hit the trail for what will be a roughly 32 mile (51 km) hike through very mountainous and unforgiving terrain and they'll do so wearing vintage gear that is not unlike that which was used in Shackleton's era.

Congratulations on the team for completing the 800 mile open-water crossing. That was an impressive bit of navigation using just the stars, a compass and a sextant. Good luck to Tim, Barry and Ed as they embark on the next phase of the adventure.

Shackleton Epic Expedition Set To Begin

For my money, the greatest story of survival in history is that of Sir Ernest Shackleton and the members of his crew on the Endurance expedition. In a nutshell, Shackleton and his men sailed for Antarctica where they hoped to make a traverse of the continent. Upon their arrival, their ship, the Endurance, became trapped in the pack-ice and the crew became stranded, before losing the vessel eight months later.  Abandoning their ship, the men then set up camp on a floating iceberg, where the mostly stayed for another five and a half months before loading up life rafts and setting out for the nearest land. That happened to be Elephant Island, which took them five days to reach by sea.

Elephant Island was the firs solid ground they stood on for more than 497 days but it was hardly a hospitable place. Shackleton knew that they couldn't stay there for long and that he needed to go for help, so after two weeks on the island he and some of his crew, set off for South Georgia – 800 nautical miles away – in one of the lifeboats. Two weeks later they reached the remote island where they knew the could find help, but first they would have to traverse a mountainous region that had never been crossed before. Shackleton and two of his men hiked 32 miles in 36 hours to get help and eventually they were able to save the men left behind. Most amazing of all in this tale is that not a single member of the crew lost their life during this ordeal that lasted more than 18 months.

I'm not the only one who finds this story fascinating and at the moment there is a team of adventurous souls who are preparing to reenact a portion of the harrowing tale. The crew of the Shackleton Epic expedition has spent the past few weeks preparing to take on the challenges of the Southern Ocean as they follow in the British explorer's footsteps, sailing in a small boat from Elephant Island to South Georgia and then traversing the island just as Shackleton and his men did.


The crew of six will depart for Elephant Island on Friday where they hope to become the first crew to fully complete the same journey as Shackleton, using vintage gear from the ear no less. They'll not only attempt the 800-nautical mile crossing of open ocean, but upon arrival at South Georgie, they'll also trek the same route through the mountainous interior that Shackleton faced upon arriving as well.

You can follow their progress and read updates from the field on the Shackleton Epic blog. So far, in addition to to sailing across the Southern Ocean in a support vessel, the team has busied itself with sea trials of the small boat they'll use in the crossing.  That boat is named the Alexandra Shackleton, in honor of the explorer's granddaughter who came up with the idea of this expedition.

Once underway in a few days time, the real challenges will begin. They'll face ice cold water, freezing winds and miles of open ocean on their way to South Georgia. After that, they'll have to cover rugged, mountainous terrain to reach their endpoint – the location of an old whaling station that was fully operational when Shackleton made the same journey nearly a century ago.

This should definitely be a fun adventure to follow. Good luck to the entire team.