Antarctica is a frozen, wind-whipped continent, hostile to almost all forms of life—except, apparently, a lone man from Oregon.
33-year-old Colin O’Brady just became the first unaided person to complete a solo trek across Antarctica.
Extreme hikers have managed to cross the continent before, but they have always completed the feat with the assistance of dog teams or kites (to help propel them forward), and air-dropped supplies.
O’Brady, however, traveled the 930-mile journey in 54 days, lugging his entire load of gear— 375-pounds—personally.
Though the adventurer could have been airlifted back to warmth immediately upon completion on December 26, O’Brady waited at the finish line for a special reunion.
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In 2016, British explorer Henry Worsley died while attempting the same extreme journey. The late hiker was honor by O’Brady’s friend Louis Rudd, an Englishman who decided to complete the same trek in a race against O’Brady.
While O’Brady finished the hike before Rudd, the American decided to stay in Antarctica to celebrate with his friend—despite fantasizing for two months about eating fresh food and salads while subsisting on freeze-dried food.
Together, Colin could share a beautiful moment with Louis as the only other person alive who has completed the same trip.
(WATCH the news coverage below) – Photo by Colin O’Brady
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