This British Explorer Is Hiking 1,100 Miles Across Antarctica, Alone

On VICE News: A 10,000-Year-Old Ice Shelf in Antarctica Is Disintegrating

In the winter of 1915, British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton took a crew of 28 people with him on his ship Endurance with the intention to explore Antarctica. But before he had even reached the continent, his ship was trapped in the Weddell Sea. Through a combination of outstanding leadership (he assigned his crew members specific tasks during a nine-month period to keep them from developing cabin fever or ennui) and bravery (after finding his crew members temporary refuge at Elephant Island, he decided to go alone on a 920-mile trip across the ocean to seek help, armed with nothing but a tiny lifeboat), Shackleton managed to defeat all odds, bringing his entire crew alive to Punta Arenas, Chile, 20 months after the initial fiasco.

Those feats have entered the realm of legend, but his intended expedition was never completed.

A century later, Henry Worsley has set off to complete Shackleton's intended route. But unlike Shackleton, who had a crew of 28, Worsley is planning to make the trip across the continent by himself, with no assistance from other people, animals, vehicles, or supply drops. On the decision to go about this arduous expedition alone, Worsley told The National Geographic, "I want the success or failure of this thing entirely in my own hands."

The Shackleton Solo expedition, as it's been labelled, began this weekend, and the 55-year-old Worsley seems to be in good spirits so far. But of course, he has at least 74 days to go before he will have completed the entire 1,100-mile trek. It's currently summer in Antarctica, which means the temperature is just slightly above freezing rather than sub-zero.

Worsley, who is a former British army officer, told the Inspiring Adventurer podcast he's always been obsessed with polar explorers—specifically Shackleton, whose "style of leadership became an important part of [his] character" as a child. In the podcast, Worsley said he was partly inspired to make this insane journal when he realized that one of the Endurance's crew members was a distant relative. "There's a gene there," he said.

Worsley isn't just doing this for the fanfare. He's also trying to raise roughly $150,000 for the Endeavor Fund, a Royal Foundation organization that aims to grant money to wounded British servicemen and -women who wish to participate in physical activities as part of their rehabilitation process. You can help him reach his goal by donating here.

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