Yesterday two members of Greenpeace became the first people to travel to the North Pole during the summer, after a harrowing journey in which they paddled canoes between thick ice sheets and dragged their canoes across uneven terrain in snow shoes. The trek was aimed at drawing attention to the problem of global warming. When told that Al Gore accomplished the same just doing a slide show, the activists responded with “GOD %$*&#@!”
The pair collected ice and snow samples that scientists are calling the Holy Grail of global warming data, because no accurate measurements of the Arctic ice have been taken during the summer. Emotionally, the trek was rooted in a concern for the plight of the polar bear, which could be extinct by 2050 due to global warming. At one point in the trip, they had an up-close encounter with the animal.
Eric Larsen, 35, woke to the sound of his footsteps outside their red tent at about 4 am. He grabbed a flare while Dupre grabbed a video camera. The bear lumbered off slowly and seemed more curious than aggressive."It was like the polar bear was coming by to say thank you for what you're doing," Dupre said. "It was kind of symbolic."
While this moving sentiment seemed accurate at the time, later viewing of the video footage showed the bear gazing hungrily at him and then rubbing his eyes with his paws in surprise as Dupre transformed into a giant roasted chicken walking around on the ice.
Activists Become First To Reach North Pole In Summer (Yahoo News)