Destination North Pole

Other 15-year-old boys may have spent their spring days enjoying the seasonal sunshine. But Janek Mela of Poland, who is a double amputee (arm/leg), spent the month of April trekking to the North Pole.

The expedition was organized by Polish explorer Marek Kaminski and his non-profit foundation. It involved walking a total of 70 km across the frozen Arctic Ocean, through arctic winds that often blew at 100 km. Although the weather was variable, the temperature usually lingered at about minus 25 degrees Celsius.

The exploration team spent nine days in Spitsbergen, off the coast of Norway, enabling Janek to acclimatize himself to the polar conditions before beginning the trek. But partway to the North Pole even Kaminski acknowledged that, this year, “the area is very difficult.” They found it treacherous to navigate ice blocks and fissures, and encountered almost no flat terrain.

Janek, however, wasn’t complaining. “[Janek] copes with the difficult conditions and low temperatures very well. There are no problems with his prosthesis,” Kaminski reported. “The young Pole explorer is filled with enthusiasm.”

On April 25, Janek Mela became the world’s youngest person with a disability to reach the North Pole. More information, and reports from the North Pole, can be viewed at www.northpole.kaminski.pl.