A month ago today I stood there: 90 degrees south, the top of the bottom of the world, the Geographic South Pole. And I stood there beside two very good friends of mine, Richard Weber and Kevin Vallely. Together we had just broken the world speed record for a trek to the South Pole. It took us 33 days, 23 hours and 55 minutes to get there. We shaved five days off the previous best time. And in the process, I became the first person in history to make the entire 650-mile journey, from Hercules Inlet to South Pole, solely on feet, without skis.
一個月前的今天 我站在那裡。 南緯90度, 世界底部的最頂端,地理位置上的南極點。 我和我的兩位摯友並肩站在那 理查‧偉伯以及凱文‧維拉利。 我們一起破了用最快速度 步行至南極點的世界紀錄。 我們花了33天, 23小時又55分鐘才到達那裡。 我們比上次最快紀錄要快上五天。 在這過程中,我成為歷史上第一個人 完成這趟650英里的路程, 從大力灣到南極點, 完全靠雙腳,沒有使用滑雪具。
Now, many of you are probably saying, "Wait a sec, is this tough to do?" (Laughter) Imagine, if you will, dragging a sled, as you just saw in that video clip, with 170 pounds of gear, in it everything you need to survive on your Antarctic trek. It's going to be 40 below, every single day. You'll be in a massive headwind. And at some point you're going to have to cross these cracks in the ice, these crevasses. Some of them have a very precarious thin footbridge underneath them that could give way at a moment's notice, taking your sled, you, into the abyss, never to be seen again. The punchline to your journey? Look at the horizon. Yes, it's uphill the entire way, because the South Pole is at 10,000 feet, and you're starting at sea level.
此刻,大多數人可能都在想,"等等, 這有那麼難嗎?" (笑聲) 想像一下, 拖著雪橇,如同你們剛剛在影片中所見 上面載著170磅的裝備, 其中提供你在南極洲生存的必須物品。 那時每天都會在零下40度, 你會面對著強大的逆風。 有些時候你還需要越過一些冰上的破口, 這些裂縫。 有些底下只有很不穩定的薄冰在支撐 隨時都有可能崩解, 帶著你的雪橇還有你一起掉入深淵,從此消失無蹤。 這次旅程的重點呢? 看看地平線 沒錯,全程都是上坡 因為南極點是在10,000英尺上 而你是從海平線開始。
Our journey did not, in fact, begin at Hercules Inlet, where frozen ocean meets the land of Antarctica. It began a little less than two years ago. A couple of buddies of mine and I had finished a 111-day run across the entire Sahara desert. And while we were there we learned the seriousness of the water crisis in Northern Africa. We also learned that many of the issues facing the people of Northern Africa affected young people the most. I came home to my wife after 111 days of running in the sand, and I said, "You know, there's no doubt if this bozo can get across the desert, we are capable of doing anything we set our minds to." But if I'm going to continue doing these adventures, there has to be a reason for me to do them beyond just getting there.
但我們的旅程並不是從大力灣開始, 那裏是結凍的海洋接上南極土地的地方。 是從不到兩年前開始 我和一些朋友 一起完成了長達111天橫越撒哈拉沙漠的長跑。 在那裡時我們學到了 北非缺水問題的嚴重性。 我們體認了北非人民面臨的許多問題 對於年輕人的影響最深遠。 111天的沙漠長跑後我返家回到我太太身邊 對她說 "你知道嗎,毫無疑問的如果這個笨蛋都能順利穿越沙漠; 代表只要有決心,我們什麼事都辦的到。" 但如果要繼續進行這些冒險的旅程,我應該需要 一個合理的理由去冒險 而不是只要抵達那裡。
Around that time I met an extraordinary human being, Peter Thum, who inspired me with his actions. He's trying to find and solve water issues, the crisis around the world. His dedication inspired me to come up with this expedition: a run to the South Pole where, with an interactive website, I will be able to bring young people, students and teachers from around the world on board the expedition with me, as active members. So we would have a live website, that every single day of the 33 days, we would be blogging, telling stories of, you know, depleted ozone forcing us to cover our faces, or we will burn. Crossing miles and miles of sastrugi -- frozen ice snowdrifts that could be hip-deep. I'm telling you, crossing these things with 170-pound sled, that sled may as well have weighed 1,700 pounds, because that's what it felt like.
在那段時間我遇到了一位很特別的人, 彼得‧西姆,利用他的行動啟發了我。 他試圖尋找並解決水資源的問題,世界的危機。 他的奉獻讓我得到了靈感來計畫這次遠征。 徒步抵達南極, 並利用一個互動的網站 讓我帶著世界各地的年輕人,學生以及老師 一起和我進行這個旅程, 大家都是這活動的成員。 所以我們將會有一個網站,在那33天理的每一天, 我們都會上去寫部落格,講一些故事, 你知道的,廢棄的臭氧,逼迫我們要遮好臉部, 以免被灼傷。 穿過一里又一里的冰浪- 深達腰部的冰凍雪團。 告訴你,拉著170磅重的雪橇穿過這些東西, 那雪橇好比有1,700磅重一樣, 因為我們感覺就是這麼重。
We were blogging to this live website daily to these students that were tracking us as well, about 10-hour trekking days, 15-hour trekking days, sometimes 20 hours of trekking daily to meet our goal. We'd catch cat-naps at 40 below on our sled, incidentally. In turn, students, people from around the world, would ask us questions. Young people would ask the most amazing questions.
我們每天都會上這網站寫部落格 給這些同時有在跟隨我們的學生看, 每天10小時的跋涉, 15小時的跋涉, 甚至有時每天步行20小時才能抵達我們的目標。 順便一提,我們有時會在零下40度時躺在雪橇上小睡片刻。 相對的,學生, 以及世界各地的人,也會問我們問題。 年輕人最會問一些非常奇妙的問題。
One of my favorite: It's 40 below, you've got to go to the bathroom, where are you going to go and how are you going to do it? I'm not going to answer that. But I will answer some of the more popular questions.
其中我最喜歡的:零下40度,你們必須去上廁所, 你們去哪上,還有要怎麼解決? 我不會回答那個問題,不過我會回答一些大家比較關注的問題。
Where do you sleep? We slept in a tent that was very low to the ground, because the winds on Antarctica were so extreme, it would blow anything else away.
你們睡在哪? 我們睡在一個貼近地面搭起的帳篷裡。 因為南極洲的風力強大到任何東西都會被吹走。
What do you eat? One of my favorite dishes on expedition: butter and bacon. It's about a million calories. We were burning about 8,500 a day, so we needed it.
你們都吃些什麼?在遠征途中我最喜歡的一道菜, 奶油和培根。大約含有一百萬卡路里吧。 我們每天消耗掉8,500, 所以很需要它。
How many batteries do you carry for all the equipment that you have? Virtually none. All of our equipment, including film equipment, was charged by the sun.
你們帶了多少那些裝備需要用到的電池? 事實上沒有。我們所有的裝備,包括攝影器具, 都是太陽能充電的。
And do you get along? I certainly hope so, because at some point or another on this expedition, one of your teammates is going to have to take a very big needle, and put it in an infected blister, and drain it for you.
那你們相處融洽嗎?我當然希望這樣。 因為在這旅途中總會有需要 你的其中一位隊員拿起一根大針筒 插進一個發炎的水泡,並把裡面的膿汁抽出。
But seriously, seriously, we did get along, because we had a common goal of wanting to inspire these young people. They were our teammates! They were inspiring us. The stories we were hearing got us to the South Pole. The website worked brilliantly as a two-way street of communication. Young people in northern Canada, kids in an elementary school, dragging sleds across the school-yard, pretending they were Richard, Ray and Kevin. Amazing.
但是真的,真的,我們相處的很好。 因為我們共同的目標是要啟發這些年輕人。 他們是我們的隊友!他們也啟發了我們。 我們聽到的故事支持我們到達南極。 這網站是個很棒的雙向溝通的管道。 北加拿大的年輕人,一所小學的孩子, 在校園裡拉著雪橇, 假裝自己是理查,雷還有凱文。真是奇妙。
We arrived at the South Pole. We huddled into that tent, 45 below that day, I'll never forget it. We looked at each other with these looks of disbelief at what we had just completed. And I remember looking at the guys thinking, "What do I take from this journey?" You know? Seriously. That I'm this uber-endurance guy?
我們抵達了南極點。擠進了帳篷裡, 那天是零下45度,我永遠不會忘記。 我們看著對方臉上 對於我們剛剛完成的事情不可置信的表情。 我記得看著我的夥伴想著, "我到底從這個旅程得到了什麼?"你知道嗎?說真的。 說我是一個擁有超級忍耐力的傢伙嗎?
As I stand here today talking to you guys, I've been running for the grand sum of five years. And a year before that I was a pack-a-day smoker, living a very sedentary lifestyle. What I take from this journey, from my journeys, is that, in fact, within every fiber of my belief standing here, I know that we can make the impossible possible. I'm learning this at 40. Can you imagine? Seriously, can you imagine? I'm learning this at 40 years of age. Imagine being 13 years old, hearing those words, and believing it. Thank you very much. Thank you. (Applause)
當我站在這裡跟你們談話, 我已經總共跑了五年的步 又在幾年前,我曾經是每天抽一包菸 生活方式很固定。 我從這次旅途中得到的,從所有旅途得到的, 就是, 站在這裡,我身上的每一絲信念 確信我們能讓不可能的事變成可能。 我在40歲學到了這點。 你能想像嗎?說真的,你能想像嗎? 我在40歲的時候學到這點。 想像在13歲, 聽到了這些話,並且相信它。 十分感謝你們,謝謝。 (掌聲)