Why?

Why do I want to walk to the North Pole?

Most people when you tell then that you are doing something like this often make the assumption that you are a bit crazy, but on the contrary, making a decision of this magnitude is a disciplined and thoroughly researched one. For as long as I can remember I have tried to find ways to challenge myself through personal and professional endeavour. I look to discover the limits of my own potential and the potential in others. I believe that in life we, as individuals, merely scratch the surface of what we are capable of. Through these high demands that I put on myself and researching the great achievements that others have experienced, I realised that an expedition to one of the planets most hostile environments would be a good way to do this.

From the beginning I wanted to learn what it took to set up an expedition of this nature. I wanted to learn how I would cope under the pressure of endurance activity in this kind of environment. I wanted to personally tackle the daily/hourly challenges of discipline, focus and above all motivation. In addition to this I wanted to share my findings and apply them to illustrate how to over come difficult challenges to others.

During my time in the Arctic I will be largely focusing on the discipline that is required to maintain my health and progress. This involves strict routines in nutrition, kit maintenance, motivation and physiological monitoring. If you neglect these due to tiredness or lapse of focus you can put yourself at risk. I will be recording my progress and reporting back to the website for others to follow my progress and, in part, share my experiences.

Whilst setting up the Polar expedition the main obstacles I have had to over come have been in developing the relationships with the right people to enable me to achieve my goal. There is so much research and validation to achieve before you even get in front of these people. This was achieved when it was acknowledged I was going to achieve my goal despite the obstacles (some people call it stubbornness!). Once this is achieved you can start making those all important casual phone calls to Russia to discuss helicopters and logistical support. What methods have I taken to do this? – Persistence, determination, self awareness and most important of all, patience.

The most enjoyable aspect of my journey so far has come from working with the students – exploring personal development. I feel privileged to be working in this capacity. As for the expedition, I have enjoyed enormously the challenge of explaining how and why I am doing this expedition. This inevitably leads to discussions about values, following dreams and searching for potential, which isn’t a bad thing really!

Surprisingly there isn’t much that I haven’t enjoyed. I enjoy the challenges the expedition and development programmes create. If I were to choose something that I have found hard to manage then it would be running the expedition and educational development along side the leadership and development work. Naturally there is only so many hours in a day, however I have a great team of friends and colleagues whom which I rely on and they show tireless support, for which I am thankful.

The training has gone well. There have been a few minor injuries along the way but nothing major. There have been the inevitable struggles with getting out of bed early to train before work! I have largely been involved in ‘resistance’ and ‘strength’ training for a period of time now. This has been great (dragging around large tyres through the woods etc). I am moving now into the endurance phase. This is the hard stuff. It’s all about developing cardiovascular fitness and stamina. Eventually I will be spending unreasonable amounts of time on the move. Luckily I am able to do this in beautiful surroundings near my home, in the Brecon Beacons, the Wye valley and Snowdonia. There are worse places to spend your days!

The training is interesting though, on one hand:

...dragging a tyre around a muddy field in the pouring rain makes you take stock of your sanity. It occurs to you that there aren’t really many other people doing this (and there’s a reason for that)!

On the other hand:

…when you are sat alone on the summit of a mountain, in morning sun, you look out at the stunning panorama around you. It is a truly magnificent experience. Seeing only your own footprints in the snow shows you that you are the only person on the mountain at that time. It is a moment to cherish.

Following my Polar expedition and after a period of recovery I will be putting together plans for my next adventure which I am currently researching. I intend to climb a mountain in the Himalayas (Tibet/China) called Cho Oyu.

Cho Oyu is the 6th highest mountain in the world at 8,201 metres (26,906 feet).

In many ways I have learnt a great deal in my two year journey to get this far in reaching my goal, though I guess the reality is that my journey is just beginning.

– Duncan Kenny