North Pole in sights for female polar explorer

Christina Franco reaches end of week two on the ice

Solo polar explorer Christina Franco has completed her second week on the ice, attempting to become the first solo female expedition to reach the Geographic North Pole.

Franco is still acclimatising to the Arctic conditions, gradually increasing her daily distances towards her goal of reaching the Geographic North Pole. She has had to contend with vast areas of ice-rubble, open water, thin ice, strong winds, and low visibility, not to mention temperatures as low as -40 degrees C. On Day eight she had to don a drysuit and, using her sleds, paddle across a large area of thin ice to find a suitable area to camp.

Equipment problems persist in the low temperatures, affecting the operation and handling of Christina's essential tools. "I had a bit of a disaster with my fuel bottle which leaked all over the tent floor," she said.

A major milestone for any polar expedition is reaching the first degree of progress towards the pole. In an audio post to Expedition HQ she reported: "I've hit my first degree!! There are only six more to go and I couldn't be happier."

Last week, on the anniversary of the death of her father, Franco said: "I miss my daddy very much and he is such an inspiration... everyday was so much harder for him than what I am doing here and I have to remember that."

Her father battled with Motor Neurone Disease and as a result the Motor Neurone Disease Association is one of Franco's selected charities.

For more information and to donate, visit: christinafranco.com/charity/