A 38-year-old Dutch actress completed her journey to the South Pole on December 9 after more than two weeks battling the polar elements. She did it in a tractor.
鈥淎fter 17 days and 2,500 kilometers, we are at a red and white striped pole with a reflective ball on top, surrounded by flags,鈥 Manon Osservoort . 鈥淭his is South 90鈥攁s far south as anybody can go. It鈥檚 unbelievable.鈥
Osservoort began her journey in Holland in 2005, , traversing Europe and Africa over the course of four years, covering some 23,600 miles. Literally missing the boat from South Africa to Antarctica in 2012, she returned home. It was only after tractor manufacturer Massey Ferguson that Osservoort was able to resume her mission this November.
The 3,100-mile round trip from Antarctica鈥檚 coast to the South Pole hearkens back to Sir Edmund Hillary, who led the first mechanized expedition to the bottom of the world in 1958. For that journey, Hillary was also outfitted with .
Osservoort, leading a team of five, endured 23-hour driving stints, battling crevasse fields, steep climbs, deep snow, meter-high sastrugi (solid ice waves), and temperatures as low as minus-69 degrees Fahrenheit with wind chill. The group missed its but remained in high spirits.
鈥淭o have dreams is beautiful but to see them realized is the most extraordinary feeling,鈥 Osservoort said in the release. 鈥淚鈥檓 inspired.鈥
Reaching the South Pole is only a partial victory: Osservoort and her team are now retracing their tracks back to the coast. According to the release, they hope to conclude their journey before Christmas.