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Hungarian explorer fleeing from a polar bear for 23 hours
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The Hungarian girl and her two companions marched more than 30 kilometers in a row
According to NL Café, Veronika Wynne-Hughes prepares for her expedition to Antarctica in November by exploring the Northwest Passage. The explorer has departed more than a week ago, but it is not only the elements that she must overcome.
Veronika Wynne-Hughes usually travels around the world by ship, but this year, she wants to be the first Hungarian who conquers the South Pole. The preparation is in progress already, and the conquest of the Northwest Passage is part of it. Veronika departed for the three weeks’ trip on 28th April with her two Norwegian companions: this journey means a 400-kilometer distance on the terrestrial and marine ice field between Cambridge Bay and Gjoa Haven.
The explorers wear skis and pull their equipment on sleighs. Anyone can follow their progress on the website of the expedition (Antarctrip.com), as Veronika’s satellite cellphone constantly marks the team’s spot.
The company began their journey last week along with a fourth member, an Inuk dog named Bodri, who spots the polar bears roaming around. Thought – according to the locals – the beast sighted three polar bears’ approach on last year’s expedition, Veronika’s group haven’t experienced the dog’s alertness. Moreover, it was revealed that he rather hides in emergency, and when it is clear again, he runs happily around the team, thus making their progress difficult. The situation is neither better at night, because Bodri likes to sleep quite deeply, and the team got frightened one morning when they had to call for him for ten minutes to make him come. They got really tired, as their sleep was everything but restful.
There was no reason to complain about the weather, the three explorers traveled under a clear, sunny sky: they even got sunburn despite the sun cream of 50 factors. After the less relaxing nights, they eat butter during the day to supply themselves with calories.
They have been on their way for six days when something happened that Veronika had already feared before the departure: they noticed two polar bears following them. Moreover, the giant animals are currently in the mating season, so they tend to be more aggressive. The group has bear repellent spray and a gun in case of danger, but they intend to use them only in emergency.
