The only sounds are the swish, swish of skis and the crackle of a sled running over the ice.


All around, fi elds of white stretch as far as the eye can see. T ey sparkle beneath a cold blue sky. It’s Arctic spring, but it's cold. T e thermometer reads minus 20° Celsius. Fourteen-year-old Jade Hameister plods


steadily along. She’s dragging a sled piled with 50 kilograms of gear —a load that weighs more than she does. Each breath she takes forms a cloud of frozen droplets that settle on the collar of her bright pink parka. She’s exhausted. Her hands ache with cold. Yet she keeps moving toward her goal. Jade is determined to reach the North Pole.


To reach the top of the world, Jade will have


to ski 150 kilometers. If she reaches the North Pole, she will be the youngest person in history to ski to the pole from that great a distance. Jade wasn’t traveling alone. Her team was


made up of three others. Paul Hameister is her father. He's a fearless adventurer himself. He has climbed the Seven Summits—the tallest mountain on each of the continents. Also on the team was Petter Nyquist. He was


to serve as the expedition’s photographer. And fi nally, the group was to be led by master polar guide, Eric Phillips. Together, this small team would brave the harsh conditions to help Jade realize her dream.


Can a 14-year-old girl ski 150 kilometers across the ice to reach the North Pole? In a word, yes.


ADVENTURE 17


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