Helen Thayer

Born in New Zealand, Helen Thayer , at the age of 50, is the first woman to solo to the magnetic North Pole.

She has done the following:
* Traveled alone to the magnetic North Pole. And accompanied only by her dog Charlie that saved her life when a polar bear tried to attack her.
* Walked across the Sahara Desert, 2,400 miles
* Walked across the Mongolian Gobi Desert, 1,500 miles
* Kayaked two remote Amazon Rivers and photographed 3 species unknown to science, traveling 1,200 miles
* Honored by the White House and National Geographic
* Named “One of the Great Explorers of the 20th Century” by National Geographic Society & NPR
* Best selling author
** Polar Dream: The First Solo Expedition by a Woman and Her Dog to the Magnetic North Pole
** Three Among the Wolves: A year of Friendship with Wolves in the Wild
** Trekking the Gobi: Desert of Dreams and Despair
* An internationally acclaimed motivational speaker
* World wide explorer
* Represented 3 countries in international track and field
* National luge champion
* In 2007, Thayer and her husband, Bill, hope to travel in mainland China into Sichuan and Tibet to study pandas.

References

* [http://www.helenthayer.com Helen Thayer's web site]
* [http://www.goals.com/thayer/expfrm.htm Thayer Expeditions]
* [http://www.oneearthadventures.com One Earth's Adventures]
* [http://www.ngsednet.org National Geographic Education Network]