CATHARINE HARTLEY
Catharine Hartley overcame frostbite and desperate fatigue to become the first British woman to walk to the South Pole alongside teammate, Fiona Thornewill on January 4th 2000. The young woman who works for BBC Television and ‘was always terrible at sports’ braved the harshest conditions in the world in the company of strangers to prove to herself she could do it.
The trek took two months across the frozen wastes of Antarctica, trudging more than 700 miles dragging a sledge weighing 160 lbs for eight hours a day on a sapping climb towards the lung-wrenching air of 9.000 foot for more than 60 freezing days. During this time Catharine discovered that despite strenuous training she was not really fit enough for the task. She became the member of the team that lagged behind the rest, she recalls waking up at night panicking that there was no way she could complete the expedition.
As she lagged further and further behind during the following weeks she became increasingly unpopular as the other team members had to wait for her to catch up and eventually the team leader had a quiet word with her. He expressed his doubts as to wether she should continue at all. Catharine turned to fellow team-mates, Mike and Fiona Thornewill for support and a unique bond was forged – Mike and Fiona an exceptionally fit couple from Nottingham became her supporters and provided the encouragement and friendship that she needed to continue.
But more disaster was to follow - Catharine developed severe frostbite in one of her fingers, turning black and she was advised by a doctor to turn back or lose her finger. Catharine bravely decided to stay on the expedition and luckily the frostbite eased.
Her story is both encouraging and inspirational, proving that anyone can achieve their goals given good support and teamwork.
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