The Arctic Ocean spans some 8.5 million square miles at the top of the globe, plunging to depths of 14,000 feet. Despite the sub-zero climate, the ice plates are influenced by tides, currents and wind and are in constant motion. As the summer temperatures rise, the ice pans break apart and collide, creating wide corridors of open water that are littered with ice plateaus of various shapes and sizes. In addition to the dangers posed by shifting and melting ice, the region is frequented by polar bears searching for seals and anything else to satisfy their enormous appetites. Nothing screams “paddle faster” like an oversized, hungry polar bear running toward you across an icy wilderness where there’s nowhere to hide.

Lonnie Dupre training in North Hudson Bay.

 

The logistics of such an expedition are almost unfathomable. One hundred and six days to cross a moving body of water and ice that is one and a half times the size of the continental United States.

Dubbed the One World Expedition, the trip will rely on a precise logistical plan and sophisticated satellite-based equipment to navigate safely through the treacherous maze of ice and water. “We each have about 300 pounds of weight to carry,” Dupre says. “Food, equipment and about five and a half ounces of fuel per day.”

Dupre and Eric Larsen, his partner for this epic voyage, will use kayaks for crossing leads and “slaks” (customized kayak sledges) for hauling cargo, both modified to be dragged across the ice. When they come upon open water, they’ll tow the slaks behind their kayaks using harnesses and ski poles. The prototype for their slaks was developed by Australian Eric Phillips.

Dupre and Larsen modified their kayaks by cutting off sections of the decks and attaching homemade spray skirts. “The skirt adds extra storage capacity while still shedding water as it’s being paddled,” Dupre says.

Dupre has been busy testing two types of rotomolded kayaks for the voyage. Because of the ever-changing surface (water and ice), Dupre has fitted his prototypes with durable plastic runners welded to the bottom of the kayaks, making them easier to tow across the ice while still enabling open-water paddling.

Dupre’s pull-and-paddle journey will serve as more than just the first summer crossing of the Arctic. “I’m just as interested about global warming issues as I am about becoming the first team to complete a summer crossing,” says Dupre, who has previously addressed the Fellows of the Royal Geographic Society in London about the environmental impact of global warming and shifting ice plates. “The Arctic is an important ecological sphere that needs to be monitored and protected, and the issue of global warming has dire consequences for us all. Our aim is to create awareness of the problem and collect relevant scientific data.”

Dupre and Larsen will also produce a documentary and book that will focus on global climate change, teamwork and the spirit of adventure.

The One World Expedition (online at www.oneworldexpedition.com) will get underway in May of 2005, when Dupre and Larsen depart from Cape Arcitchesky in Siberia, headed for the geographic North Pole and then on to Ellesmere Island in Canada. Lonnie Dupre has lived a fluid life, embracing his fascination for exploration and paddling at every opportunity. His journeys continue to highlight the importance of kayaking as an accessible and significant vehicle of adventure. For Dupre, kayaking is as important as the destination to which it delivers him.

Born and raised in Australia, adventure writer Jeff Lancaster has published stories in GQ, Men’s Health and Conde Nast Traveller. He lives in Southern California with his wife and daughter.