Steven Petrov
The Paw Print
The following story grabbed our newspaper’s attention due to the exceptional braveness, perseverance, adventurism, and desire of a teenager. We believe that this story can serve as a great example to our society and community, showing us that in a world of technology, video games, etc. there are still people interested in the outdoor activities and are willing to take a huge risk and try to accomplish huge adventures. The youngster from Bristol, England, Louis Clark, set a new world record for the youngest person to reach the South Pole. He arrived in the “Amundsen-Scot” base at approximately 6 pm on January 18th, after days of travelling under severe weather conditions. His accomplishment is exceptional because the young 16-year-old Englishman traveled over 1,100km skiing at a temperature of -60 F and winds with a speed over 130 miles per hour.
He will put forward an official application to the Guinness World records for their recognition of his accomplishment. Clark hopes to have broken the previous record, held by the 26-year-old Canadian Sarah McNair who reached the South Pole in 2005, at the age of 18. The 16-year-old expressed his excitement of his achievement after reaching the base, but he also mentioned jokingly that the most pleasant thing of all is the fact that he wouldn’t have to wake up the next morning and drag his sled for 9 hours in the snow and the cold for the first time in 48 days. Louis Clark also talked about how day after day the travel was becoming harder due to the extremely physically demanding nature of the trip and that he is happy to sleep in a warm and comfortable tent for the first time in 48 days. His conquering of the South Pole began on December 2nd, only two weeks after his 16th birthday.
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