Following a royal send off from Trafalgar Square last week, Prince Harry and a group of wounded servicemen and women are now on their way to Antarctica, where they will undertake a charity trek to the South Pole while raising funds for wounded troops.
On reaching the ice sheet, the Walking with the Wounded team (WWTW), of which Prince Harry is patron, can expect to encounter temperatures down to -45 degrees and winds of up to 50mph. On arrival, they will spend time acclimatising to the extreme cold and altitude before setting off on the 208 mile long trek to the pole. Travelling on average between nine and 12 miles per day, each team member will pull a 70kg sledge across the frozen tundra while navigating deep crevasses, glaciers and snow storms.
Prince Harry said: “These guys are going to achieve something quite remarkable. This trip is another way of reminding everybody that as Afghanistan draws down and these guys aren’t in the news anymore, that support must continue. ”
The trek will begin on November 30, with the group expecting to reach the Pole by December 16.
RELATED LINKS:
www.walkingwiththewounded.org.uk