Think South: How We Got Six Men and Forty Dogs Across Antarctica - Hardcover

De Moll, Cathy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0873519884 ISBN 13: 9780873519885

Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2015

Synopsis

What does it take to move forty dogs, three sleds, twenty tons of food and gear, and six men from all over the world across nearly four thousand of the coldest miles on earth? Cathy de Moll, the executive director of the 1990 International Trans-Antarctica Expedition, introduces the wild cast of characters who made it happen, on the ice and off: leaders Will Steger and Jean-Louis Etienne, who first met accidentally, on the way to the North Pole; Valery Skatchkov, the Soviet bureaucrat who supplied a "hot" Russian airplane; Yasue Okimoto, who couldn't bear to leave headquarters in Minnesota while her boyfriend was on the ice; Qin Dahe, the Chinese member of the team, who didn't know how to ski; the millions of children who followed the expedition in schools around the world, learning about the fragility and ferocity of the seventh continent; and many others.  These stories of near misses and magical coincidences are as suspenseful and compelling as the expedition's headlines--and they have never been told. But they also reflect the greatest lesson of the project: the international cooperation that was needed for the expedition's success is every bit as essential for the preservation of Antarctica today.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

"I have been waiting all these years for Cathy to write her story, and she has really delivered. This book is both history and a meditation on the nature of culture and the individual... not to mention a wonderful recounting of all it took to get our expedition across Antarctica. I enjoyed every minute." - Will Steger, polar explorer, educator and found of Climate Generation: A Will Steger Legacy
"This is not just your ordinary adventurer's account of physical exploits and hardship. It is the story of the personalities and work behind the scenes that make great adventures happen. It's a page-turner with great insight and warmth. Bravo!" - Dan Buettner, New York Times bestselling author of Blue Zones, Thrive and Blue Zone Solutions
"A vivid insider's account of the complexities of launching an epic history-making expedition." - Ann Bancroft, polar explorer, educator, and founder of the Ann Bancroft Foundation
"Cathy de Moll shows how a smart, capable woman can finesse the challenges of the hyper masculine world of extreme adventure. Her sketches bring a truly astonishing collection of personalities to life, and they show how she provided the vital connections to make it work - by asking questions, making friends, listening, standing her ground, and seeing the humor in the chaos around her. I am an outdoor adventure enthusiast and I couldn't put the book down." - Miriam Nelson, founder and director, Strong Women Initiative, and author of Strong Women Stay Young and three other New York Times bestselling books.

From the Inside Flap:

Cathy de Moll, who has been a teacher, communications executive, writer, and entrepreneur, was the executive director of the International Trans-Antarctica Expedition. Will Steger led the first confirmed dogsled expedition to the North Pole, the first and only traverse of Antarctica by dogsled, and other remarkable expeditions.

About this edition

• Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society Press
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0873519884
• ISBN 13: 9780873519885
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304