While other teenagers marked the start of 2010 with hangovers, 17 year-old Katie Walter spent New Year’s Eve in a frozen tent, celebrating becoming the youngest person to reach the South Pole. She arrived at the pole on December 31, after a 112-mile trek across the Antarctic wilderness. “It’s a personal achievement and wasn’t about being 'the youngest’, it was about me challenging myself. It was hard, but if it wasn’t, more people would do it,” said Katie.Two years ago she signed up to join an expedition, led by the explorer Mike Thornewill, to reach the South Pole from the point where Ernest Shackleton had to turn back 100 years ago. She has devoted most of her free time since to a harsh training regime centred on dragging car tyres over long distances.
And she coped pretty well with spending seven hours a day dragging her 40kg (88lb) sledge uphill in temperatures that dropped to -40C (-40F).
On Monday, Katie is due back at Worksop College, where she has a music scholarship — “grade eight flute, grade eight singing, grade seven piano” — and is preparing for AS levels in five subjects. At university, she is planning to study engineering.
APA applauds Katie and all other young adventurers who want to do something really challenging with their lives. If any PAs have done something similar or would like to, please let us know.
APA applauds Katie and all other young adventurers who want to do something really challenging with their lives. If any PAs have done something similar or would like to, please let us know.
Sarah Tiddy FAPA
2 comments:
Great one Sarah, there are so few explorers and adventurers these days, its great to see that the UK still has a daring spirit. And this in the same year that we saw the first woman RAF pilot join the Red Arrows. Does it tell us something?
Hi Sarah, Gareth and APA,
‘What a great achievement for Katie Walker. It takes grit and determination in those sort of conditions to achieve this goal. Most of the hard work is done before the expedition leaves home in the training and preparation and it is getting out there every day, day after day no matter what the weather, and doing the work that helps you achieve your goal. It is the focus that you need when others are out enjoying themselves or are inside in the warm where the true work is done. We experienced - 35ºC in a ground-storm on The Nordkapp Expedition (dog-sledding) and it’s tough you cannot get away from it. Congratulations Katie, you will go far with your determination!’
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