“A life lesson for me is, how do you
muster the courage to take on a new risk? Whether it's starting up a business
or taking on a new project or expedition. I think the risks that we take are
all relative to the risk-taker.” – Ann Bancroft
One of the fun feature stories I got
to write was about Ann and her co-explorer Paul Schurke shortly after they
returned from conquering the North Pole via sled dog team (on the Steger-Schurke Expedition). They came to Northfield, Minn., where we
were living, to share stories about their harrowing trek, sign
autographs, and do a fund-raiser for a couple more trips each was
anticipating.
Ann had become the first woman to
cross the ice on foot to the North Pole, and a few years later she would lead
the first all-female team across the ice to the South Pole. She remains the only woman to achieve
this. Since then she’s founded the Ann
Bancroft Foundation, “to give girls an opportunity to explore their potential
and find their place in the world.”
On that visit to Northfield, Paul -- whose further explorations have included retracing Theodore Roosevelt's 1914 trek through the Amazon -- brought along his lead sled dog Zap and
stopped by our house to ask if Zap could stay overnight in the garage while he
and Ann ran around town. “What do we
feed him? How do we walk him?” I was
both shocked and surprised that he would entrust this valuable animal to us,
since we’d only just met.
“Oh, don’t worry,” he said. “He’ll let you know when he needs a walk, and
you know the old saying ‘What does he eat?’ and the answer is ‘Anything
he wants to.’” It turned out – and part
of my story explained – sled dogs only eat a couple times a week, and then they
pretty much gorge themselves. This
wasn’t one of those days. Our kids
became the center of the neighborhood universe as other kids dropped by to see
Zap, a gentle giant when he wasn’t leading his team.
My time talking with both Paul and
Ann was equally amazing and I was mesmerized by the power that Ann exuded – a
“giant” in her own right even though she’s only about 5 feet tall. Today is her 60th birthday and
she’s still looking for new worlds to conquer.
“This journey is not over,” she said.
“Our education initiatives have so much momentum, and we're committed to
sharing even more stories … when we return.”
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