To the Poles Without a Beard : The Polar Adventures of a World Record-Breaking Woman

by Catharine Hartley

Book Overview

The simultaneously hilarious and awe-inspiring story of a Chardonnay-quaffing media worker who became the first British woman to trek to the South and North Poles. WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN VENTURING TO THE... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743450388
• ISBN13: 9780743450386
• Release Date: June 2003
• Publisher: Gardners Books
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.49 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.7" x 0.8" x 5.2"

Customer Reviews

Something different!

I have recently discovered that I love the travel book genre. And this one did not disappoint! It was a pleasure to read about Catharine's adventures. She decided to man-haul to the South Pole as a way to escape from a life whose patterns she was not happy with. Man-hauling means pulling a sled carrying your own gear without the help of dogs or snowmobiles or anything like that. It's quite a challenge for someone who is not athletically inclined, and she was forced to find grit and determination she didn't know she had in her. Another of Catharine's goals was to purge several personality flaws that she saw in herself and didn't like. At first, I couldn't understand how walking to the poles was going to help her change some seemingly irrelevant character habits. But, sure enough, she felt that they dissolved during her time walking across the ice. Having practically nothing to think about day after day while trudging along gave her plenty of time for introspection and she was able to change herself. I usually prefer more action and less introspection in books like this, but these bits were fine. As Catharine is definitely not a writer, I can forgive some of the flaws in her narrative. (Although she did recruit the help of a ghost writer.) The story seemed a bit skippy sometimes and occasionally names or events popped up that were not really introduced or explained. The most glaring example was the appearance of her tree surgeon friend. Although he was not all that important to the story, she did imply that she had or wanted a relatively important relationship with him, but it was never really clear. Another example: As far as I could tell, she began calling the old-time polar explorers 'beards' part way through the book. That was really cute! But it just seemed to appear from nowhere. She probably should have made a slightly bigger thing of that, as it was important to the title. The book's choppiness level increased greatly near the end. But it didn't keep me from enjoying my reading! I wish she had spent a little more time on her trip to the North Pole. Her descriptions of the ice formations and phenomenons were fascinating! I would have loved to learn more about them. A fun, exciting read. Worth your time.

A real person walks to the poles

To The Poles is the story of a regular person doing something only few people even dream of---walking to both the South and North poles. Catherine is an early thirties British woman in the TV industry who lives a pretty regular existence--she works, she drinks, she smokes, she thinks about working out but doesn't regularly find the time. But Catherine finds that extra bit of steel inside her most people never discover. She gets to the South Pole primarily on guts and fear of failure. And we get to go along on this amazing journey. I'm a big fan of adventure books. This is the first one written by someone who I would not consider to be an elite athlete. And Catherine is very real---she never pretends to be anything she's not. In fact, I find her to sometimes be a bit hard on herself. But the fears she faced on her journey to the South pole will strike a familiar chord with most people. Who among us hasn't done something we're not sure about? Watching her overcome her fear and drive herself to the South pole using guts for fuel is inspiring. And she's funny!! After this great accomplishment, you'd think she'd take some time to relax, but soon embarks on the preparations for her second journey---to the North pole. Physical difficulties aside, Catherine overcame her big mental obstacles to become a better, stronger person. A real story of personal enlightenment, and a very entertaining read. Highly recommended.