Young Explorer, Valentin Dorsaz (16 yrs, CH) recently returned from the Nunavut Expedition with Mike Horn and tells his story to Canal 9 'en direct'.

To view his interview click here…

To view the interview click here

We have rounded the northern tip of Nova Scotia. Another 170nm to go before we reach Halifax.

It's getting warmer by the day after nearly 4 months in the Arctic. Tristan and Jacek are looking for their shorts and T-shirts that have been buried underneath their winter garments for so long now.

Our planet has so much to offer with it's different climates and natural elements. One life of 30 000 days is far too short to appreciate it to the fullest, and far too long to be able to destroy it completely.

We arrived safely on the southern tip of Newfoundland, just waiting for the hurricane to pass before we sail to Halifax. My heart and soul is still in Nunavut and it will take a while to catch up with me as I'm heading down south for the next adventure. I really want to thank all my sponsors that made the Pangaea project possible, without your participation we would be like birds without wings.

Changes, changes, changes. After the last 20 days I thought that the world is constantly changing. I've realised we will never be able to repeat what has happened during the expedition: we won't have another opportunity to go back to Nunavut all together, and even if, the landscape will already be different, and even if that difference will not be that large, we are not the same people, changed by the experience. We have lived a dream, created a new world of memories, where we can always find a shelter.
It is not possible to describe all that we have done during the expedition, so I have decided to pick two memories, which are the most meaningful to me.

The happiest moment of the whole trip would be for me the evening we have all spent in Clyde River, the day before our fantastic mountain guides and climbers leaved for France. Everyone was sitting in the conference room, still tired after the intense week of glacier crossing, big wall climbing, reaching the unnamed peak, tired but happy and fulfilled. I myself was thinking about what happiness is when Luke came into the room and announced 'Luke's evening fun activities' which meant baking marshmallows over a fire from outdoor burners. Gathered around these few burners, we all laughed, smiled and lived the moment together. I knew I was a part of this family.

In turn, the moment of sorrow came just before our last hike, and it was when we started the coastal clean up. We've been walking through the Arctic for the last three weeks, experiencing its most diverse faces and haven't met a single person on our way (aside from the communities we have visited). We have learnt a lot about links in the environment of Nunavut, got to know how to understand the place we were in and yet saw a remote shoreline, transformed into a garbage dump. Trash is floating in the oceans for years, damaging the marine wildlife, to be eventually thrown on the shore by waves. We found tangles of fishing nets, plastic packages, bottles that covered all the way from Vietnam to the Baffin Island. We are influencing the shape of the world every day, no matter where we are.

This was when I realised, that the world didn't change during the last 20 days. I have spent them with people who think in the same way that I do, but there are millions of those, who don't see the need of making a step backwards and conserving the planet for future generations. And this is something we should never accept. The time has came for us, Young Explorers, to change our role in the Program, to stop taking and start giving.

The coldest summer of my life has come to an end. But… what is the end if it is not the beginning of something new?

After a brief stop-over in Iqaluit and sad 'goodbyes' to the Young Explorers who are now all back with their famiies, Mike and his crew hoist Pangaea's sails once again and head to the Canadian mainland.  Next stop-over is scheduled in a few days at St John's and afterwards to Halifax.

It's always sad to leave the Arctic behind after 3 months of adventure and emotions. As a last farewell we had an amazing display of the Northern Lights. If we want to save this fragile ecosystem that is so important for our human existence on earth, we should make decisions that benefit the planet and not the humans greed…

After a few days of strong winds, snow, blizzards and poor visibility, Pangaea arrives safely in the port of Iqaluit, the last stop for the Young Explorers. Today the team pack their bags and take their flights home to their respective countries all around the world.

Pangaea, Mike Horn and his crew will miss the hussle and bussle that they have had over the last three weeks. After a big clean-up on board Pangaea will start her trip down to the Canadian mainland and the East Coast of the USA.

Mike Horn sails Pangaea and the YEPs up Frobisher Bay on the southern tip of Baffin Island. Just one more day and the Young Explorers will disembark in Igaluit and will take their flights back home. As the expedition draws to a close the YEPs are thinking back on the amazing three weeks they have spent on board Pangaea and revel in the magical moments they have shared together with Mike and his team.

After a 2 day walk and a cold night sleep we are back on the boat. As we left the boat I spotted 3 polar bears, luckily on the other side of the fjord. We made our way up a very steep canyon and set camp nearby a mountain lake. We had no tents but we had a great sleep under the stars before we left to reach an amazing summit on the rim of an old volcano. Nature has so much to offer but we have to open our heart to be able to receive. Once received you must give back to protect.

Area: east coast of Baffin Island, Nunavut, arctic Canada
Location: North 66 degrees 17,553’ ; West 062 degrees 46,224
Distance: 1 mile (1 600m)
Water temperature : 4,6 ËšC
Time to complete swim: 26 minutes
Weather: cloudy & windy, adding to the chill factor!

Off course I must stress the importance of enough cold water training before attempting an extreme swim like this, the support of medical back-up and being mentally focused and prepared for such a swim! Although I have lots of extreme cold water swim experience and am a proud red jacket member of the IISA after completing the Speedo Africa Ice Swim (held 23 July 2011) , this swim was different. Now I was the only swimmer in the water and this certainly add to the challenges you face in these extreme conditions!

For me personally, it was amazing to do this swim with my all time personal extreme explorer hero, the famous Mike Horn, as my guide & skipper!

But why should we care about Global warming?

The Arctic region is affected by climate change about ten times faster than other region of the world. It is to scientist what the canary was to miners, an indication of poisonous gases! The whole ice shelf of the Arctic is melting, causing dramatic changes in not only the animals but also the people that live here. Melting ice is causing animals to change migratory patterns and this directly affects the lives of hunters and therefore the survival of communities.

The most frightening thing is the albedo effect. As the ice shelf melts it exposes darker colored areas such as the sea water and ground where there was previously white ice. The way the albedo effect works is that the lighter the colour of our planet is, the more efficient it is at reflecting heat. Without the precious white colored ice our planet is loosing its ability to cool itself down. And to cool the planet is one of the most important factors of the Polar Regions!

The melting of the ice and glaciers will not only affect the people living in the Arctic but we will see rises in sea levels across the world. The dramatic thing is since the year 2000 there has been a 2 degree Celsius rise in temperatures globally!!! Some areas in the world are having lower temperatures and others are having higher temperatures causing an imbalance in agriculture and many other aspects of our daily lives!

It makes you think what can you do to help our precious planet!?

The goal of this extreme Arctic swim is twofold – firstly to raise awareness and show people the reality of the effects of global warming on this fragile region. Reality is exactly what we as humans are the most afraid of – especially the reality of what is happening to the world and its climate which enables me to swim a mile in the Arctic area of Canada!

Secondly I did the swim as an athletic feat to show what the human body is capable of! And off course the power of the human mind – each person has the ability to do magnificent feats if we can apply this inner strength to every part of our lives!

I was really over whelmed by the support I got from my fellow young explorers while swimming, they even jumped in the water to see and feel what swimming in the cold water is all about.

I am over whelmed with joy by completing the swim but also so sad that I am able to swim in these waters…