Through my younger years, I saw many photographs of remote parts of the world and thought that it would be nice to one day go and experience them in person. But, the polar regions and Mount Everest were really the ones that stood out and spoke to me… there was an allure that was strong and ever present.
Having worked for way too many years [8 and a bit] in the IT game, I decided enough was enough and it was time to chase my dreams… it was time to let that pull take effect and get me into those remote parts of the world. My original idea was to ski to the two poles, then climb Mt Everest… which soon changed to travelling from one pole to the other, over the summit of the Big E. But, having read about Jason Lewis [see below], I decided that if I’m thinking of going half way round the world I may as well drop over the other side and finish the great circle 🙂
So, it is with great pleasure that I announce that, on Sunday 15 May 2011, I will start the first human-powered, vertical circumnavigation of the world. Yes, it’s a mouthful… but it’s a pretty long expedition too! 75,000km long to be a little more specific!
So what all does that entail? Well, here’s some basic information:
* Human-power: use only my own body to propel me forward [eg: swim, walk, pedal, paddle], so I cannot sail, let a donkey carry my load or use a motor
* Vertical: I’ll be travelling via the North & South Geographic Poles, which will serve as my antipodal points
* Circumnavigation: travel in one general direction around the world, crossing all lines of latitude, covering a distance of no less than 40,000km and reaching antipodal points [as laid out by Guinness and supported by ExplorersWeb and other organisations]
Because I classify myself as “crazy, but not stupid”, I’ll be tackling this in a staged approach… with Africa being first on the list of course. I’ll depart from Cape Agulhas [the southernmost tip of Africa] at 8am on Sunday 15 May 2011, and head north towards Mt Kilimanjaro, which I aim to summit. From there, it’s down down down to Lake Assal in Djibouti, the lowest point in Africa, before proceeding north to Ras ben Sakka in Tunisia, the northermost tip of our gorgeous continent.
The majority of this distance will be covered on a bicycle, simply because of its efficiency! I will be able to carry a fair amount of weight while covering large distance in relatively short spaces of time, with only limited damage to my body. Hey, I even aim to cross the water masses by pedal power 🙂
My journey will not purely be about going around the world and being the first to do it, as I have some exciting projects lined up too. There are three core themes, which can be abbreviated to WH.E.ST…
* World Heritage: I will be visiting about 200 UNESCO World Heritage Sites along my route, documenting and showcasing our heritage, and hopefully motivating many to work towards better conservation and preservation of them
* Education: Together with global organisations, I aim to provide valuable educational material to schools across Africa, while building a model IT lab that can be rolled out at schools around the world. This ‘lab’ will be self sustainable IT centre, running off solar and wind power
* Sustainable Transport: Climate change, road congestion and health conditions are just some of the things we need to consider when looking at transport, and I hope that by cycling such vast distances that I will not only get people to think twice before turning the key in the ignition, but also get governments to relook their strategies.
With just 230 days until departure, there’s no time for sitting back and watching the world go by! As with everything else in life, procrastination is the enemy… and one can’t let it slip in for one second!
Expedition360, by Jason Lewis:
To date, only Jason Lewis [UK] has completed a human-powered circumnavigation of the world. Jason set off from Greenwich in England in 1994 and followed a westerly route, crossing the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in a purpose built pedal boat named Moksha. Jason cruised into the record books when he arrived home in 2007, and it was reading about his expedition to convinced me that I wanted to circumnavigate the world. You can read all about Jason’s expedition at www.Expedition360.com.
Trans-Globe Expedition, by Sir Ranulph Fiennes:
Sir Ran and his team completed the first circumnavigation of the world via the poles during his TransGlobe expedition between 1979 and 1982. Using 4×4’s, boats, animals and every conceivable means to travel, Sir Ran added yet another first to his impressive list. More information about the expedition can be found at www.Transglobe-Expedition.com
Companies that have already committed their involvement are:
- Tracks4Africa
- First Ascent
- Ebony Optical
- UTrackit
- Flexopower
- Suunto
- Mulebar
- Outward Ventures
- Adventures Global
* Click here to see the route that Ray will be following
