It is a beautiful day here at the pole. Although still quite cold, our accomplishment is keeping us warm. We will stay the night here and be picked up tomorrow for a flight back to Ice Camp Barneo.

Position:              90 North

Temp:                   -30C

Distance skied:  to the Pole!

Audio Transcript:

One hundred years ago Brothers Robert E. Peary and Matthew A. Henson along with their intuit guides Ootah, Egingwah, Ooqueah and Seegloo first represented mankind here at the top of the earth.

To commemorate this event, the Elisha Kent Kane Historical Society, and the brothers of Kane Lodge No. 454 and Celestial Lodge No. 3 ceremoniously erect this flag and lay this plaque to serve as a beacon as high as heaven and as deep as from the surface to the center in the spirit of friendship & brotherly love.

May the accomplishments of Peary and Henson continue to inspire, foster, & encourage perseverance and preservation through education, exploration & equality -  radiating outwards to the highest peaks and deepest depths, illuminating even the darkest corners whether in the Earth or of the heart.

Audio of Doug Stoup planting  Bonobo Peace Forest Flag at the North Pole:

Audio Transcript:

Planting this flag brings attention to the fact that all of life on this planet is inexorably linked together.

There are no two places on earth as different as the north pole and rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Yet they are linked.

By protecting the Congo’s rainforests we also protect the north pole.

The melting of the polar ice caps due to global warming has been gaining attention, especially because, as the melts, sea levels rise and threaten coastal zones throughout the world.

Yet many do not yet do not yet understand that by protecting the Congo’s rainforests we may also protect the polar regions.

Close to 25% of all global green house gas emissions are from the destruction of forests. That is more than the combined emissions of all vehicles on earth, including trucks cars , planes and trains.

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s government established the Sankuru reserve not just to protect bonobos and biodiversity, but to show the world their commitment to addressing global warming. Working with The Bonobo Conservation Initiative and local partners they set aside 30,000 km2 (11,000 square miles) of rainforest in the heart of the Congo basin.

That is an area larger than the country of Belgium, and larger than the 3 largest combined national parks in the continental United States.  Sankuru’s tropical forest stores between 1.5 to 2 billion tons of CO2, which if released would be comparable to the CO2 emitted each year for 10 years by 38,000,000 cars and trucks.

The Sankuru Nature Reserve is the first official reserve in the Bonobo Peace Forest. A planned constellation of community reserves that will protect more than 20,000 square miles (50,000 km2) of rainforest.

What is special about Sankuru and the Bonobo Peace Forest is that it is driven by and will be managed by the local and indigenous people. This is a unique model, and the first of its kind on this scale.  Support for the Sankuru Reserve will not simply protect bonobnos and store carbon, but will generate investment and sustainable development programs to help alleviate the dire poverty in the region.

In addition, this region protects important biodiversity, especially the bonobo, man’s closest relative, sharing close to 99% of DNA with humans.  Bonobos, sometimes called the “hippie Chimp” lives in a matriarchal society; and compared to other great apes, including man, bonobo’s are peaceful and cooperative.  There is still much to learn from bonobos.

BY saving bonobos and the Congo’s rainforests you can help save polar bears and the polar ice caps

DONATE HERE

Here are some photos of our closest relatives!

Audio Dispatch from Doug Stoup:

Position:        89, 52.662  North
                          145, 42.491 East

Temp:                   -29C
Distance skied:  11.2 nm

Position: 89, 31.354 North
                       153, 26.691 East

Temperature: -27C

Audio Dispatch from Michael Mitten:

Audio Update from Doug Stoup:

Position: 89, 15.159 North
                    155,05.656 East

Temp: -34C
Distance skied: 10 nautical miles