Fridtjof Nansen was an extraordinary person.

After being accepted onto this expedition to Greenland, I decided I had better learn a bit about the man whose footsteps (well, ski tracks) we hope to follow in.

His achievements are endless and woke me up to the impact one person can have on so many others. He was a humanitarian, a scientist, a polar explorer, a professor and he liked dogs. He was awarded the Nobel peace prize for his humanitarian work which included his initiative for the Nansen passport and his commitment to refugees. If you don't know about this man, I highly suggest you change that. Read about him, learn the impact he has had on peoples lives.

We were the first...

Fridtjof Nansen was an explorer, he was the first person the cross the inland ice of Greenland, this trip gave scientists a wealth of data about the uninhabitable area.

I was the first person to circumnavigate New Zealand. Unlike Nansens trip which took him two months, mine took 600 days.

I feel that people who have the vision and grit to be the first to complete an expedition must have something in their wiring that is similar. Well I would like to think so because Nansen was pretty darn awesome.

We like dogs...

When Fridtjof Nansen was younger he used to go out on solo expeditions of long distance skiing, covering 50 miles per day. These adventures sparked his love for nature and the world that surrounded him. He did these adventures solo, but took a dog for company. So not solo at all!

My partner and I share a small black dog named Kaya. Funnily enough Kaya is how I met Ngaio. She is our absolute favourite thing. When I am going climbing down the rocks to go fishing or going hunting to catch possums, I put Kaya into her adventure harness and we are off! This little dog loves adventure more than I do, tail wagging and spinning around in excited circles, I could do any expedition solo if I had my dog with me.

We help others...

The humanitarian work that Nansen has done was life changing for so many people. He began an initiative for the Nansen passport, these were used for identification and travel papers for refugees.

He ensured Red Cross aid reached those in famine in Russia, it is said that the part Nansen played affected 22 million people.

On a different scale, I recently went on my first volunteer mission to Nepal. Helping people in need is the most rewarding thing i have ever done. As soon as i got there i started planning my next trip back. The people blew me away, so happy and grateful for what they have. We hiked into the hills to deliver clothes to the needy, money to widows and medical supplies to hospitals.

We rock an excellent stache'...

Enough said

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