Neither Topher nor I had any 4x4 experience, mechanical background or overlanding history. And with our departure date set for only one month away, we knew we would have to learn on the fly.
This quick departure turnaround also allowed us to keep the entire expedition on the down-low, with our friends and family back home in New Zealand having near to no knowledge of our 3-year world tour. Our aim was to announce the expedition on day one, from the most northern point in the Americas.
We flew from Auckland to Vancouver, and finally met our third companion on the expedition, Gunther, a 2015 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. After one week he was packed, kitted out with little more than a roof rack, and ready to go! We turned ourselves north and began the drive to Deadhorse, Alaska, our expedition starting point.
After 10 days, we reached the end of the road, the distant mining town of Deadhorse. 700 miles earlier we had crossed over the arctic circle, now deep within the northern slope. Here temperatures were sitting between -15 and -30C.
Gunther was parked outside, and we were happily perched within a cafeteria servicing the oil drillers in the area. With no cellular signal, this became our Wifihub to announce the expedition to all of our friends and family back home.
With nervous excitement, and completely out of our comfort zones, we launched Expedition Earth at 8pm on April the 8th 2018. Our website was uploaded, Instagram launched, Facebook status posted, timer began and Garmin GPS live tracker turned on. Our message was clear, 'Follow the expedition as we head south, starting NOW', accompanied by our live tracker GPS link.
This story is from the December 2020 - January 2021 edition of Adventure Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 2020 - January 2021 edition of Adventure Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Papua New Guinea
Four reasons to add Papua New Guinea to your bucket list
The benefits of being a Multi-Trick Pony
"A broad skill base and how you can draw from one platform to the next – women often pigeon hole themselves"
The RELUCTANT adventurer
An eighteen-year-old princess, who paints his (yes, his) nails and dyes his hair bleach blonde, embarking on an adventure trip with his family, sounds like a plot for a bad 80s movie.
The Meaning of Tramping
What does tramping mean to you?
Keala Kennelly owns Red Bull Magnitude
The North Shore season of 1957 is recognized in the surfing world as the start of an era. When Greg Noll, a young Mickey Munoz and company went out and rode Waimea for the first time, it was a glimpse of what could be in the world of big-wave surfing.
North West Circuit Stewart Island
I found myself in limbo during the winter of 2020, in between jobs in a strained covid economy. And so, I did what any outdoors person would do with a large amount of free time on their hands. It was time to pack up my belongings and hit the road. It was time to leave behind home comforts and go adventure-seeking.
Emilie's adventure to Angelus Hut
“I want to be the leader!” Miss Six announced, pushing past me in her determination to be in front. Momentarily off-balance with my heavy pack, I narrowly avoided twisting an ankle on the sharp rocks and silently swore while cracking a bright smile.
Nancy Jiang Breaking stereotypes
I recently watched a youtube movie entitled, “Her Way” (check it out on the Adventure Website) which introduced a woman who had an overwhelming passion for running. The preface at the bottom of the clip, read as follows:
Adversity at Altitude
The wind and snow is whipping at my face. I’ve readjusted the stiff frozen fleece buff around my neck and mouth, desperately trying to protect myself from the -20 degree bitter wind. Adrenaline is still pumping through my body but I know I’ll start to get cold soon.
Last Great Mountaineering Challenge
Ground-breaking mountaineer Nirmal ‘Nims’ Purja MBE has attained an incredible new world record by submitting K2 as part of a collaborative team in the depths of winter. Until now, it was a record that was believed to be impossible to accomplish and was famously known as the ‘last great mountaineering challenge’.
