Lonnie and Eric recently made an appearance at North House Folk School's Winterer's Gathering in Grand Marais, Minn. Lonnie instructed a full day course on what he knows best - winter camping! It was a great chance for folks to learn some of Lonnie's secrets and see One World's gear like Brunton's solar roll first hand. Eric presented a short seminar on winter training tips and capped off the show with a tire pulling contest. Just wait - people everywhere will be pulling tires. It's soon to be latest fitness craze.
Of special interest was the traction kiting demonstration which Eric attended. He was able to learn more about using kites to pull heavy loads while on the expedition. With a steady wind, the team could use these large kites (or ski sails) to increase daily mileage totals. Using kites on the expedition is no easy task. Making good time only happens when the ice is smooth and there are few pressure ridges and open leads. In fact, in big winds kites can be very dangerous. The team will be testing several kites and ski sails over the next few months.
On a Midwest tour that stretched from Grand Marais to Chicago, Lonnie and Eric hit the road last week to spread the One World word. Pati Holman and Paul Mozina hosted a fundraising evening at Lapham Peak State Park located just outside of Milwaukee, Wis. Who knew that southeastern Wisconsin was an explorers' mecca? Of special note were the posters (shown at left with Pati and Paul) Great Big Pictures, Inc. made specifically for the event.Also included in Lonnie and Eric's whirlwind tour was a stop at Chicago's esteemed Adventurers Club. With honorary members like Edmund Hillary, Theodore Roosevelt and Ernest Shackleton, the One World team was definitely in good company.The list of guests was equally impressive. Lonnie and Eric met adventurers who had traveled the world. Zbigniew Bzdak (pictured right) was the photographer for the first full descent of the Amazon River. Andrew Pietowski (pictured left) led a National Geographic expedition to find the true source of the Amazon in 2000.
Lonnie and Eric were very grateful for the opportunity to speak in front of such an esteemed group. A special thanks goes out to Scott MacPherson who helped organize the event.
The Adventure Duluth race featured the worst and best of Minnesota's North Shore. The swim in Lake Superior took place despite a bone-chilling 40-degree temperature. The mountain bikers raced up Spirit Mountain Ski Area and trail runners faced unforgiving rock trails and muddy lowlands near the St. Louis River and Jay Cooke State Park.The race was organized more like a relay race than a traditional adventure race. Therefore, each member of Big Swamp Adventure was responsible for competing in two events. Eric Larsen completed the mountain bike and inline skate sections of the race. In the bike, he had the third best time out of nearly 70 competing riders. The team finished the six events with a total accumulative time of 6 hours 29 minutes 42 seconds.
This is the second year in a row that team Big Swamp Adventure has won the three-person team category in the Adventure Duluth race. So what's next, you ask? Longtime friends Eric Larsen and Eric Kemp are looking into competing in multi-day adventure races after the One World Expedition ends.
A sunny October day and unusually calm Lake Superior provided the backdrop for the One World Expedition's fundraising evening at North House Folk School in Grand Marais. The event was particularly special for Lonnie and Eric, as it was a great opportunity to give thanks for all the great community support.Festivities started with a lakeside cook out and silent auction. There were many familiar faces and lots of new ones as well. Lonnie and Eric took the stage with their One World show. New slides from Lonnie's icebreaker trip to the Pole and Rolex awards were favorites of the crowd. As usual, the gear show and tell was a big hit as well. The expedition presentations provide an excellent format for Lonnie and Eric to educate guests about the upcoming expedition, global warming and the allure of adventure.
Of course, the real highlight of the evening was a brilliant performance by Lindsay MacIndoe. With an amazingly rich voice and thoughtful lyrics, Lindsay wowed the audience. Most wondered when her first single would be hitting the charts. Lonnie and Eric were honored when Lindsay dedicated her last song to the One World Team. To learn more about Lindsay and her music, visit Lindsay MacIndoe's web site.
On September 29, Polar explorer Lonnie Dupre was named one of five 2004 Rolex Laureates in a ceremony in Paris. The Rolex Awards for Enterprise are given every two years to provide visionary men and women worldwide with the financial support and recognition needed to carry out innovative projects that expand human knowledge or improve the lot of mankind. Over 1,700 people from 117 countries applied for this year's awards, which span five major areas of recognition: exploration and discovery (Dupre's category), science and medicine, technology and innovation, the environment, and cultural heritage.Dupre will use the $100,000 award to help fund the One World Expedition, the first-ever summer crossing of the Arctic Ocean, to highlight global warming. Dupre and teammate Eric Larsen leave in May 2005 from Cape Arctichesky, Siberia, on a 100-day unsupported journey across the geographic North Pole to Ellesmere Island, Canada. No one has attempted a summer crossing of the Arctic Ocean due to the dangerous nature of the crossing because of extreme fog, hypothermic temperatures, and unstable ice conditions. Dupre and Larsen will pull and paddle specially-modified kayaks over 1,200 miles of shifting sea ice and open ocean."I am so thrilled and humbled to be chosen for this honor," Dupre said. "Over one-third of our budget is now covered. We have many wonderful sponsors and a lot of individual donors, as well. We can now begin to shift our focus in part from fundraising to getting the word out about global warming."Dupre and Larsen hope to raise awareness of the growing threat of global climate change, which affects the entire planet but has particular impact on the Earth's delicate polar regions. The amount of ice covering the Arctic Ocean has diminished by 40 percent over the last 40 years.
For more information about the Rolex Awards for Enterprise, see www.rolexawards.com.
Troubled when the Yamal stopped a few yards short of the North Pole, Lonnie decided to take the matter into his own hands. (OK, we know it's a bit of a set up. But hey - even polar explorers enjoy a good laugh every now and again.)Lonnie's journey to the Pole began on a definite low note. "Twenty-three foot waves meant that 70% of the passengers were seasick," Lonnie reported. "including me."The shipwide nausea eased considerably when the Yamal encountered the southern extent of the Arctic sea ice halfway past 82 degrees North. From his small cabin window, Lonnie watched as the ship's hull sliced cleanly through a relatively fresh set of polar bear tracks. It was ironic to see the tracks disturbed in such a manner. Lonnie reflected, "It was obvious that there is a new master in the Arctic."
The trip proved full of valuable insight. Lonnie spent considerable time scouting the ice conditions, talking with the Yamal's captain and planning with Victor Boyarski (the team's Russian logistics coordinator). With the Russian logistics and search and rescue plan in place, the team can safely make their way to the Pole next summer. Departure date confirmed: May 11, 2005.
While in Coral Harbor, Lonnie and Eric also made two new Inuit friends Sam Emiktowt and Eepah Netser. They were very generous with their time and resources and kindly allowed us into their lives. We were sad to leave, but spring was rapidly approaching and so were the snow geese. Eepah and Sam were anxious to go hunting.
Because white out conditions prohibited the arrival of a needed helicopter, the team flew back south to Rankin Inlet. There, Lonnie and Eric were shuttled out to the floe edge to paddle and pull kayaks along (and in) the ocean. Local legend John Hickes snowmachined out with two kayaks while the helicopter relayed the film crew. Along the ice edge, the team skied across very fresh polar bear tracks!
