Explorer achieves dream then dies in crevasse fall

[northzax]

Explorer achieves dream then dies in crevasse fall

Laura Barton
Tuesday January 18, 2005
The Guardian

A British explorer has died in the Antarctic, shortly after achieving his dream of sailing his yacht , Magic Dragon, from the Arctic to the Antarctic.
After two years' sailing, Stephen Thomas, 51, from Cambridge, was taking photographs near the British base of Port Lockroy on January 13 when he fell into a crevasse.

Steven Edwards, a friend, said yesterday that he and the other two crew members were walking with Mr Thomas but were unharmed when the ice gave way beneath him.
read the rest:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1392912,00.html

[JI7]

1. i wonder

if he would rather have lived longer without ever acheiving his dream or been more satisfied or happy with achieving his dream and dying soon after as happened.

[northzax]

2. I wonder

why he wasn't roped up when walking on an unstable glacier. but that's just me.

[PittPoliSci]

3. a very good point.

interesting find by the way, :hi:

[northzax]

4. thanks. Antarctica is a little thing of mine

I spend my entire working day trying to educate and inform people about the risks and resposiblities of travelling to antarctica. I hate not being listened to.

For the record, I extend my condolences to him and his family, but it's jsut such a stupid way to die.

[DustMolecule]

6. Off topic,, but something that I read w/i the last week that I never

thought of/knew before....not sure that it's true (perhaps you can confirm)?

arctic. from the Greek 'arktikos' meaning 'bear'. What I read was that: in the arctic there are bear, and in the antarctic there are 'no bear'. :shrug:

I realize that arctic 'bear' can also refer to the Latin Ursus (bear) ....referring to Ursa Major.

What I was reading though said that there weren't any bears in Antartica...only in the Arctic. Is that true?

[LudwigVan]

7. The only animal life on .aq:

Penguins of course, and several species of seal. But no bears.

[northzax]

8. the largest land animal native to Antarctica is a fly

There are of course Aquatic animals, such as penguins and seals (elephant seals can get quite larger than a bear, actually) but there are no bears. Of course the largest land animal currently in Antarctica are humans, far drawfing the next largest, said fly.

I cannot comment on the naming of the Arctic, but the antarctic was certainly named in response to it.

[Kire]

5. I wonder

if we can prosecute all of the polluters for global warming that led to the glacier giving way

[Skittles]

9. I bet he would have rather achieved his dream AND lived

nt

[northzax]

10. something tells me his kids would prefer that as well