Interview with Inspiring Explorer Sadra Sultani
Interview with Inspiring Explorer Laurette Siemonek
Interview with Inspiring Explorer Team Leader Marcus Waters
Interview with Inspiring Explorer Kayaking Mentor Mike Dawson
Interview with Inspiring Explorer Ihlara McIndoe
Interview with Inspiring Explorer Anzac Gallate
Interview with Inspiring Explorer Owain John
After some time for reflection following the completion the mammoth crossing of the Greenland ice cap, we caught up with Brando Yelavich to get his perspective on the expedition, the biggest challenges he faced, and what he learned about himself through the experience…
Keith Parsons What was your favourite part of the trip?
My favourite part was the time it gave me to analyse my life. The first week all I could think about was the walking, the ice and the flat, but after that I was able to really get into my head and start asking myself some deep questions about who I am. Being part of a team was also a really cool experience. I’d never been on an expedition with other people before, as my other trips, walking around the coast of New Zealand, and Stewart Island, were solo. When you’re part of a team you have a leader, have to follow directions and are with people of different physical and mental abilities. I enjoyed it, and would definitely do it again.
What was the most challenging part?
Boredom, as every day we were faced with the same thing, white ground and white sky, or blue sky. The various landmarks including a massive old radar station at around the halfway point were the only things we could hold onto as a goal to reach. It was quite tough on my brain, as I am ADHD and need a lot of stimulation with physical things. Some days being on the ice was like looking at a blank canvas but having no inspiration to paint. I found the daily routine good, although it was a bit mind boggling to come home and suddenly find it’s dark at night. In Greenland we could be walking at 2pm or 2am and the conditions were almost exactly the same. Experiencing a total whiteout in a hurricane was another amazing challenge. I roped myself to a tent and took about 10 steps out in it to experience what it was like. The camp was immediately gone from sight and it made me realise just how easy it would be to disappear out there. I had no way of knowing which way was up, down, left or right. Another big challenge was the final two days of the expedition, which were combined into one with virtually no sleep.
What went through your mind when you were finally completed the expedition?
About 300m before the end I lost my ski, which skidded to the bottom of a hill, so I walked the last bit. It was a surreal, heart-warming and amazing experience to realise we had done it. There were a few tears and everyone started hugging each other. We were all so tired so we put up our tents, and the next morning walked the final 150m to a tiny piece of rock beside the sea, which wasn’t white with snow. It was party time in our heads, but there was nowhere to party.
What did you learn or discover about yourself?
Part of living with ADHD is that I can be a bit self-centred around my goals and what I want to achieve. I have been with my girlfriend for five years and on the journey I thought about how much she’s changed her life to suit my goals and what I want to do, which is absolutely amazing. I had a mind awakening experience where I realised my happiness isn’t just about me being happy – that I need to think about whether I am doing things for both of us and not just me. Life is about the ones you love and it’s important to make other people happy too.
What skills did you have that you found most valuable?
I think the big one was my navigational skills. I had no idea how to navigate across a flat, white piece of ice without a compass, but knew my intuition and deep-seated genetic instincts were strong from the times I had spent in the outdoors, relying on myself to survive. I also learned some great new navigational techniques from our master polar guide, Bengt Rotmo, such as how to use the sky, and wind to navigate on the ice. I had always thought I didn’t need a guide, but being guided by Bengt, who has crossed Greenland successfully 13 times, was like attending the university of polar ice caps. This changed my perspective on the value of having an experienced guide with you.
Any comments about the team itself?
It was great to be part of a team and having the guides made it so much easier. It was interesting for me, as in my mind prior to the experience, being in a team meant everyone sharing the load and doing the same amount of everything to get through. But this experience was all about utilising members of the team for what they’re good at. For instance I would call myself a very strong person so I carried quite a lot of extra gear on the journey. In the past I might have thought, that’s not fair, I’m carrying all the gear, but I realised by doing this I was helping the team to reach its goal. It was educational for me.
Was there anything you couldn’t wait to eat or do once you left the ice or got home?
I had countless cravings and we had so many conversations about the foods we were going to eat when we got home.
How have you settled back into normal life after the trip?
What a lot of people don’t realise is that it can be difficult to adjust when you first get home and realise this cool and memorable experience is over. The dopamine from the constant exercise and looking at the GPS at the end of the day to see how far you’ve gone has stopped. It can take quite a while for the body to get back to the real world and for the mind to accept that real life is good too. This feeling doesn’t last long, but it always happens to me, and is part being an explorer. I call it the ‘expedition blues’ a bit like when people get the blues in the winter.
Reflecting on what you know of Nansen’s crossing – what would you consider some of the similarities and key differences on this trip?
For us, the real story from the journey came from within, rather than what we were doing on the ice. I imagine it was quite different for Nansen. There were definitely no solar panels or devices to keep charged when Nansen did the crossing, and I’m sure his sled wouldn’t have dragged as easily over the ice as our plastic ones. Our gear was also waterproof and warm. Probably the biggest difference between the two expeditions was that we always had a way out. It was still an amazing adventure, but back in Nansen’s day, if something went wrong, they died. In one sense that is the essence of adventure when the outcome is uncertain.
I’m sure there were some amazing similarities between the expeditions too. I wonder if Nansen and his team thought about similar things on the ice that we did.
How have you been inspired to go out and share your story?
I was able to get a blog out every day from the ice, and had a live tracker so people could follow my journey every day on my website. That was pretty cool. Now I’m back I will start to release photographs and video footage I shot, and tell the story.
What messages will you be giving to audiences about the trip?
My main goal is to continue the work I do online, to inspire curiosity and encourage people to be explorers. By that I mean inspire people to question everything, look deeper, and be explorers in everything they do, whether that is exploring, mathematics, science, the ocean, hiking or accounting. It’s about being an explorer in your field, owning it and doing what you do because you love it. The Greenland expedition will definitely be another tool for me to continue to inspire people, and also share the message of modern and past explorers, who have always thought outside the box.
Would you recommend others apply for future expeditions and why?
Totally. I definitely recommend people apply and if they don’t get in don’t let that stop them having their own adventures. I’m grateful to Antarctic Heritage Trust for making it amazingly easy to have such an awesome experience in a place that is quite difficult and expensive to get to. People should seize the opportunity and make their own luck.
Do you have any advice for future expedition members?
As human beings we are capable of achieving absolutely anything. Ordinary people do extraordinary things every day, and we’re all ordinary.
After some time for reflection following the completion the mammoth crossing of the Greenland ice cap, we caught up with Bridget Kruger to hear her perspective on the expedition, the biggest challenges she faced, and what she learned about herself through the experience…
Keith Parsons What was your favourite part of the trip?
My most awe-inspiring moment happened in the last 21 hours of the expedition. It was a magical, fantasy-like day. We started to see mountains emerge out of the vast whiteness around us – the first real thing we had seen in 27 days. As the mountains grew into view, we skied closer to the sea and were finally going downhill. It was a lot of fun. We were giggling and having such an amazing time, feeling pumped up on good energy. As the day grew into night, the sun set over four or five hours, blanketing us in this stunning light that sparkled off the snow. The moon was rising, a huge, gorgeous firey orb. The scene looked like we were skiing down on this sea of clouds to meet the moon. It was the most beautiful evening of my life, and the images will be forever imprinted on my memory. There was a moment when we all were trying to make it down a particularly steep part, and everyone had their different methods – walking their sleds like dogs, or riding their sleds. It was pure chaos, like an outdoor circus, one you just couldn’t take your eyes off.
What was the most challenging part?
The most challenging part was the last week leading up to the end, as we were catching up lost time. It was intense for everyone as we were doing long hours and still facing crazy weather and deep snow. I had been quite sick, so my body was already exhausted, and then the long days evoked some old head injury symptoms. I find it hard to balance and to see properly when I am incredibly tired, and my personality completely disappears. I go into in survival mode while my brain just wants to shut my body down and make it sleep to recover. This was a particularly difficult time, because I had to rely so much on the help of others, even when they were tired themselves. I felt like a burden to the team at this point. I am so lucky that they were so supportive during that time, as I wouldn’t have made it through without them.
What went through your mind when you finally completed the expedition?
We had this beautiful moment at the end, where we had arrived at this non-descript point (it had started to fog up again and we could no longer see the mountain in front of us), when Keith let Hollie, Brando and myself know that we were at the end. We didn’t realise we had made it. We had just walked across a country. It was so amazing, there were tears of relief and joy; and we all just hugged each other and congratulated and thanked each other for the journey.
What did you learn or discover about yourself?
I discovered how much the body can endure and just keep going. It is the mind that falters first. What thoughts you feed into your brain completely influence your feelings and energy. Depending on what you were thinking about each hour greatly affected each leg of the day – it almost became an experiment.
In the first few weeks before we started doing huge days, we had so much time to think. It is so interesting where the mind goes, how you fill in that time and what you realise are the most important things to you. It was a gift to have this time and space to reflect on life and work through ideas and process anything that needed it.
What skills did you have that you found most valuable?
I have completed a lot of long-term journey expeditions, I think this really helped with the mindset of being out there for so long and what to expect.
A comment about the team itself?
The team was incredible. I wouldn’t have made it without such strength, support and love from them. The boys helped so much with extra weight when we were sick, and Holly was the most amazing tent mate to share the journey with. She inspired me every day with her empowerment quotes and positivity.
What was something you experienced that was different to your expectations?
The weather was much more intense than I imagined. I had completed a short training trip beforehand, which gave me a good indication of how hard this journey was going to be. I haven’t been just a participant on an expedition in almost a decade, so it was a really amazing opportunity for me to sink into the journey and allow myself to feel some of the struggles, instead of having to constantly look after others. It was a journey that well and truly put me out of my comfort zone, which was a nice thing to reconnect with. Engaging with that process again will benefit my work with others when I facilitate journeys that challenge them.
Reflecting on what you know of Nansen’s crossing – what would you consider some of the similarities and key differences on this trip?
It is unbelievable to me that a 27-year-old man decided to go to a different country and ski across an area with no knowledge of where the crevasses were (we had a GPS marking several of the big ones) and navigate through that minefield. Not only that, thinking of the gear we had to keep us warm and the lightness of the food we carried in comparison to Nansen’s team, it is absolutely mind blowing what they accomplished.
How have you been inspired to go out and share your story?
I am really excited about sharing my story with young people, especially in remote communities. I grew up in a remote area and one day, at my small school, a man came in and showed us pictures and clothing from his journey to Antarctica. It blew my mind that people could explore those places. I want to be able to give that inspiration to others. I especially want to get across the message that anyone from anywhere can go out into the world and create their own magic and explore the depths of their desires, whether it is having a curiosity about far away places or exploring a profession they never thought possible.
What did you miss most when you were away?
I spent a lot of time thinking about my loved ones but I often spend time cut off from civilization. It is the small things you miss the most – being able to go to the bathroom without risk of getting more frostbite, having the wind blast at you and snow drip down your back as you go about your business, being able to eat just one piece of fresh fruit, not having to defrost everything that has frozen throughout the day or night, or being able to put your shoes on without 15 minutes of struggle as you force your foot into a solid ice-block, which has frozen at an awkward angle.
What messages will you be giving to audiences about the trip?
I will be talking about the journey within, facing your darker self, the importance of an amazing team, and realising what you are capable of.
Would you recommend others apply for future expeditions and why?
I believe these expeditions are one of the most valuable things anyone could apply for and be part of. Being connected to so many beautiful unique geniuses, who inspire you every day, is such a pleasure. And the challenges you face motivate you to see your full potential. I think it is so incredibly empowering.
After some time for reflection following the completion the mammoth crossing of the Greenland ice cap, we caught up with Hollie Woodhouse to hear her perspective on the expedition, the biggest challenges she faced, and what she learned about herself through the experience…
Keith Parsons Hollie dragging her 60kg Pulka sled.
What was your favourite part of the trip?
The last day was my favourite – along with being so close to finishing, we also had the most amazing weather and great snow conditions., The mountains popped up from the horizon, and we had such a great vibe in the team. It was an incredible way to end a challenging 29 days.
What was the most challenging part?
Due to my size, I found pulling the sled physically very challenging. In the first couple of weeks I concentrated on trying to keep up and complete the task at hand. In the middle two weeks my mind went into overdrive and I thought about everything, going full circle on my thoughts. About halfway through I finally became comfortable and got into a rhythm. Towards the end I felt a lot calmer and didn’t even listen to music. It was quite odd. The length of the expedition was another big challenge, as 29 days was a long time to be out there, pushing it consistently every day.
What went through your mind when you were finally completed the expedition?
It was incredible to walk onto the rocks beside the sea and say, we’ve made it, we’ve walked across Greenland. I had tears in my eyes and couldn’t believe the relief of finishing this massively consuming experience. For the expedition to have gone to plan with all of us finishing was fantastic, as some other teams had been airlifted off. The final day pushed us to the absolute limit. It was hard physically and the weather pushed us right to the end. Even six hours out we didn’t know if we would make it. There was low cloud hanging around the sea so we weren’t sure if the helicopter would be able to get in to chopper us out. The fact we did cross in spite of all the obstacles made it even more of an achievement.
What did you learn or discover about yourself?
This experience was totally outside my comfort zone, and I’ve come out stronger because of it. I knew it was going to be a challenge, but probably not as much as it was. I’d never been pushed like that before so it was great to discover I could do it and didn’t give up, despite the many times I really wanted to. When you put one foot in front of the other and break it down, you’ll get there. I’m sure in six months I’ll realise more things that I have learned or discovered about myself on the expedition.
What skills did you have that you found most valuable?
Being able to work as part of a team. Everyone had a role without officially having a role. Brando had a lot of energy and strength, Nigel held everyone together, and Keith was great at filming. The boys carried some of Bridget’s and my gear. This ensured we could all stay together as we could only go as fast as the slowest person. If someone was feeling a bit down, there was always someone to encourage them to get back on track and keep going.
A comment about the team itself?
Apart from meeting for a weekend in January, we were a team of strangers who were put into a hostile environment and had to rely on each other. Early on I knew I was with an awesome group of people who I could trust and who would have my back. Sharing this amazing experience means they will forever hold a place in my heart.
What was something you experienced that was different to your expectations?
I had never been in a polar environment before so I wasn’t too sure what to expect. I had competed in endurance races but had never been pushed so consistently, day in and day out for 29 days. It is amazing how the body will just keep going as long as you keep your mind strong. There were times when I was down, but I kept thinking this is an amazing experience and what you signed up for.
Reflecting on what you know of Nansen’s crossing – what would you consider some of the similarities and key differences on this trip?
Each night we would have a meeting with Nigel and Bengt in their tent, and would share facts about Nansen. The differences in the expedition weren’t lost on us. We had access to weather reports, we knew where we were going, and at the touch of a button we could have been picked up. However, when Nansen and his team did the crossing 130 years ago, they went in completely blind with none of the modern equipment we had and no security on their lives. Nansen was an incredible human.
How have you been inspired to go out and share your story?
I’m extremely grateful to have been given this amazing once-in-a-lifetime opportunity by Antarctic Heritage Trust, and am putting a lot of thought into how I can use it to inspire the next generation of explorers. I want to reach out to people who are chasing a dream or want to start doing something they’ve always wanted to do. If I can spark an idea or give them a little push that would be great.
What did you miss most when you were away?
A Bacon Brothers burger! As soon as I arrived back in Christchurch I went to get one. This adventure really does make you appreciate the small things, such as favourite foods, and the warmth and ease of our lives at home. It was much different on the ice. We would walk all day, then get to camp, put the tent up, and it would take an hour to boil our water so we could get dinner. It is quite surreal to be home and to comprehend I just spent 29 days walking across Greenland!
What messages will you be giving to audiences about the trip?
Never give up. Five or six years ago when I started doing this adventure stuff I never imagined I’d walk across Greenland, and I didn’t know a lot about the polar region. Then doors started to open and I couldn’t have done this without consciously making the decision to chase my dream. My first dream was to compete in the Coast to Coast and everything has flowed on from there. Having the courage to take that first scary step or do that thing you’ve dreamt of can lead to a whole lot of new adventures.
Would you recommend others apply for future expeditions and why?
Absolutely. The Antarctic Heritage Trust is an incredible organisation that has done so much for the Inspiring Explorers’ community. It is giving young explorers the opportunity to step outside their comfort zone and take part in some amazing expeditions. The experience includes so much more that just the expedition, as we learned about the history of the region we visited and its past explorers, and got to meet some amazing new people. This experience opens the doors to some real self-reflection and learning, and putting yourself into an environment you wouldn’t normally see yourself in.
Antarctic Heritage Trust
7 Ron Guthrey Road, Christchurch 8053, New Zealand
Private Bag 4745, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
Antarctic Heritage Trust
7 Ron Guthrey Road, Christchurch 8053, New Zealand
Private Bag 4745, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand