Another voice blog arrives from Patagonia! The Young Explorers tell us about their extraordinary trek across the glacial ice field.

Click here to hear the blog of the day

Mike Horn and his team of Young Explorers call from the ice in Patagonia. They are spoilt with beautiful weather and magnificent scenery and they trek a South Patagonian ice field. El Chalten – Paso Marconi – Circo de los Altares – Paso Huemul- El Chalten

Call from Mike Horn

Call from Rick Kötz

Call from Martin Anön

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The December 2011 edition of Cruising World USA features and article about Mike Horn and the Pangeaea Expedition.

To view the article click here:

We just got back from the Perito Moreno Glacier. There is some interesting facts. The glacier is Healthy although it melts at about 13m a year and slides down at about 450m per year!

Blog written by Henko and Lauren

Swimming among icebergs is a shocking and invigorating way to start the day as Henko performed an ice swim in front of the Perito Moreno glacier. We then helped Pedro gather data from the weather station in front of the glacier and learned how to analyze it and compare it to other data in the area. In the evening we had a successful presentation at the Glaciarium museum about the Pangaea project. This is a very welcoming community and we are grateful go all of those who have supported us!

I'm Tom Van Maarseveen, Im 20 years old, Australian, and have recently been selected to attend the 11th Pangaea YEP selection camp in Château-d'Oex, Switzerland. I am passionate about adventure and exploring new places as well as being a proud conservationist. Back in October I slipped a disk in my back when training in the gym, I was dead-lifting and attempted a rather large weight (200kg) and didn’t focus enough on my technique so my back gave in, which hit me hard because I was out of training for a while but since having word of being accepted into the selection camp, my spirits lifted dramatically and to tell you the truth I don’t think I would have recovered as well as I have if I didn’t get the exciting news. Now I’m back in full training, which is like coming up out of the water for a fresh breath of air. I was so ecstatic after reading the email confirming I was accepted.
 
At the moment, finding time between my full time job as a draftsman, studying part time for civil engineering and helping out on the family farm, training and working on the Pangaea projects is quite difficult but as days pass leading up to the big day of stepping onto that airplane headed for Switzerland all the time put in is well worth it.
 
Being able to have this opportunity to help the planet through this amazing project is something many of us would only see once in a life time, which is why I am giving it my all in preparation for the selection camp. Physically my training at gym has stepped up, cycling, swimming and running is almost a daily thing now. Mentally, researching the amazon and learning more about it each day is blowing me away and I can’t wait to have the opportunity to try out at the selection camp.  I personally am astonished at Mike Horns achievements and the fact that one man can start something like Pangaea, we all have the potential to do something similar.

Blog written by Soledad and Malgorzata

5.30 wake up, short breakfast, bus, boat, crampons, research equipment, PERITO MORENO GLACIER… crevasses, hot-water drilling, glacier melting, velocity, sleep 🙂

That was an amazing day! Finally we touched with our feet the object of our dreams and latest research. Pedro Skvarca, the famous Patagonian glaciologist lead us to the middle of the glacier to his research area. Our aim was to drill with a special equipment a hole-14 meters deep to put there a very long stick. After the very precise GPS measurement next year we can obtain how much the glacier moved and melted. The glacier itself is very unique – because it's one of the few glaciers in the world that does not retreat!!

Seeing the beauty of the glacier, listening to the numerous meltwater streams and cracks of the ice, we were feeling like in a different world and wondering how long this world with beautiful glaciers is going to last.

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Isn’t it strange that the preparation period for any event usually lasts far longer than the actual event? That sounds ridiculous to most people when they are reading this about the selection camp. And I can understand that, because when we speak of preparation we only tend to think about the 3 weeks leading up to the camp. But we should be thinking about the +-17 years spent mentally, physically and emotionally preparing for this selection camp.

But before we get into more theoretical preparation talk lets quickly look at some of the real world preparation that has actually occurred. For one I know I have been eating a lot of chocolate firstly so that I can compare it with the Swiss chocolate and secondly so that I have a “natural” insulating layer. I have also had a meeting in a meeting room which spanned 10555km in diameter with four of the most diverse characters I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, in cyberspace.

I seem to have also developed a nervous twitch every time I hear an email coming through on my telephone. This is partly because I have never felt so special before in my life, and mostly because I have never received so many important emails per day. This might sound like a blessing but it is a disguised blessing, because as Michael aka go-to man, organisation junky, logistics king has said so many times in his emails, “You probably want to blacklist my email address”. Luckily it has not gotten to that point, yet.

I am sure that many of you are wondering where the guy who is writing this blog is coming from, well I am from South Africa, I am 18 years old and I am an outdoors fanatic cross bred with an engineer with a small dash of socialite spice. I enjoy reading, running and raving as well as swimming, studying and shopping malls.

Every year I tend to have an experience which exposes a completely different angle of who I am to me. I have been lucky this year as it is coming early, so there is no stress anymore that what I find I won’t like. Because this selection camp preparation process has time and time again shown me how I can handle pressure, how I can handle many things at once and most importantly that I am part of an ever closer global community.

I am looking forward to meeting my fellow selection candidates!

Blog writen by Catherine and Paula

Today was dedicated to preparing for our trek on the Perito Moreno glacier, and we took great care to see that no detail went unnoticed.

In the morning we worked on the presentation we will deliver at the Glaciarium following our trek. During that time Mike received a special permit for our group to sleep on the glacier for two nights. We are incredibly lucky to have such a unique opportunity.

Afterward we met with Pedro Skvarca for lunch and enjoyed some of his exciting stories. We also discussed exactly what we needed for our trip.

We ended the day packing, food shopping and sharing our excitement for the adventure ahead.

Adios from El Calafate!
 

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Since the minute I received the e-mail from Michael declaring my successful application and acceptance into the 2012 Mike Horn Selection Camp for the Amazon Expedition, I have been on the edge of my seat thinking about the adventures and opportunities that lie ahead. With the bombardment of e-mails from Michael, sent to prepare me for this great journey, I have had little time for anything else but ready myself physically and mentally, put together my group project along with other work for the Selection Camp.

I still cannot believe I am actually going. My friends in Connecticut are amazed as well. I have also been interviewed for local websites and newspapers, made the front page of my high school newspaper 'The Rampage" and have a radio interview scheduled for January 21st! I have yet to start to pack my bags, but that time is just around the corner.

Unfortunately,  the camp takes place during my mid term exams in school, but my teachers are willing to work around this and I will be taking them prior to my departure on the 29th.

I cannot wait to meet Mike Horn, the staff and the other Young Explorers! I’ll see you all in only a few short weeks!