Felicity Aston – the first woman to cross Antarctica alone

Felicity Aston, 34, has trekked the vast icy landscape of Earth’s Southermost Continent, the Antarctica.  She set the record as the first woman to ski solo across the extremely frigid territory, covering 1084 miles for 59 days.  And the first person to ski without help from kites or machines.

As a veteran adventurer in harsh environment, she knows what it takes to persevere.  And this expedition was a proof of her perseverance to survive.  She had to brace the brunt of strong winds, bad weather, and not to mention the dragging of her supplies on two sledges.  She even had to cross two crevasses and dealt with pesky lighter problem.  But no worries, she was very well prepared.  Except for one thing though, the total solitude.

In an interview with AP, Aston said solitude posed her biggest challenge.  The moment she was dropped off, the emotion of being so alone crept into her mind.  She said, “I’m not a particularly weepy person, and yet anyone who has been following my tweets can see me bursting into tears.”

But now, Aston, who studied physics and meteorology, can put the tears away.  It’s time to smile and celebrate the triumphant crossing of Antarctica.  And to send across to everyone her message of perseverance.

Here it is:

“If you can just find a way to keep going, either metaphorically or literally, whether you’re running a marathon or facing financial problems or have bad news to deliver or it’s tough at work or whatever, if you can just find a way to keep going, then you will discover that you have potential within yourself that you never never realized.”

“Keeping going is the important thing, persevering, no matter how messy that gets. I mean, for me, sometimes I’ll be sitting in my tent in the morning bawling my eyes out, having tantrums. It’s not been pretty. But I’ve kept going, and that is the important thing because at some point in the future you’ll look back and just be amazed at how far you’ve come.”

–  Felicity Aston

After all is said and done, she hopes this message about perseverance will remain.

[ Courtesy/Reference: Newsday/AP ]