Ray Zahab treks to the South Pole

譯者: Daniel Chou 審譯者: Rachel Yu

A month ago today

一個月前的今天

I stood there:

我站在那裡。

90 degrees south, the top of

南緯90度，

the bottom of the world, the Geographic South Pole.

世界底部的最頂端，地理位置上的南極點。

And I stood there beside two very good friends of mine,

我和我的兩位摯友並肩站在那

Richard Weber and Kevin Vallely.

理查‧偉伯以及凱文‧維拉利。

Together we had just broken the world speed record

我們一起破了用最快速度

for a trek to the South Pole.

步行至南極點的世界紀錄。

It took us 33 days,

我們花了33天，

23 hours and 55 minutes to get there.

23小時又55分鐘才到達那裡。

We shaved five days off the previous best time.

我們比上次最快紀錄要快上五天。

And in the process, I became the first person in history

在這過程中，我成為歷史上第一個人

to make the entire 650-mile journey,

完成這趟650英里的路程，

from Hercules Inlet to South Pole,

從大力灣到南極點，

solely on feet, without skis.

完全靠雙腳，沒有使用滑雪具。

Now, many of you are probably saying, "Wait a sec,

此刻，大多數人可能都在想，＂等等，

is this tough to do?"

這有那麼難嗎？＂

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Imagine, if you will,

想像一下，

dragging a sled, as you just saw in that video clip,

拖著雪橇，如同你們剛剛在影片中所見

with 170 pounds of gear,

上面載著170磅的裝備，

in it everything you need to survive on your Antarctic trek.

其中提供你在南極洲生存的必須物品。

It's going to be 40 below, every single day.

那時每天都會在零下40度，

You'll be in a massive headwind.

你會面對著強大的逆風。

And at some point you're going to have to cross these cracks in the ice,

有些時候你還需要越過一些冰上的破口，

these crevasses.

這些裂縫。

Some of them have a very precarious thin footbridge underneath them

有些底下只有很不穩定的薄冰在支撐

that could give way at a moment's notice,

隨時都有可能崩解，

taking your sled, you, into the abyss, never to be seen again.

帶著你的雪橇還有你一起掉入深淵，從此消失無蹤。

The punchline to your journey? Look at the horizon.

這次旅程的重點呢？　看看地平線

Yes, it's uphill the entire way,

沒錯，全程都是上坡

because the South Pole is at 10,000 feet,

因為南極點是在10,000英尺上

and you're starting at sea level.

而你是從海平線開始。

Our journey did not, in fact, begin at Hercules Inlet,

但我們的旅程並不是從大力灣開始，

where frozen ocean meets the land of Antarctica.

那裏是結凍的海洋接上南極土地的地方。

It began a little less than two years ago.

是從不到兩年前開始

A couple of buddies of mine and I

我和一些朋友

had finished a 111-day run across the entire Sahara desert.

一起完成了長達111天橫越撒哈拉沙漠的長跑。

And while we were there we learned

在那裡時我們學到了

the seriousness of the water crisis in Northern Africa.

北非缺水問題的嚴重性。

We also learned that many of the issues facing the people of Northern Africa

我們體認了北非人民面臨的許多問題

affected young people the most.

對於年輕人的影響最深遠。

I came home to my wife after 111 days of running in the sand,

111天的沙漠長跑後我返家回到我太太身邊

and I said, "You know, there's no doubt if this bozo can get across the desert,

對她說　＂你知道嗎，毫無疑問的如果這個笨蛋都能順利穿越沙漠；

we are capable of doing anything we set our minds to."

代表只要有決心，我們什麼事都辦的到。＂

But if I'm going to continue doing these adventures, there has to be

但如果要繼續進行這些冒險的旅程，我應該需要

a reason for me to do them

一個合理的理由去冒險

beyond just getting there.

而不是只要抵達那裡。

Around that time I met an extraordinary human being,

在那段時間我遇到了一位很特別的人，

Peter Thum, who inspired me with his actions.

彼得‧西姆，利用他的行動啟發了我。

He's trying to find and solve water issues, the crisis around the world.

他試圖尋找並解決水資源的問題，世界的危機。

His dedication inspired me to come up with this expedition:

他的奉獻讓我得到了靈感來計畫這次遠征。

a run to the South Pole

徒步抵達南極，

where, with an interactive website,

並利用一個互動的網站

I will be able to bring young people, students and teachers from around the world

讓我帶著世界各地的年輕人，學生以及老師

on board the expedition with me,

一起和我進行這個旅程，

as active members.

大家都是這活動的成員。

So we would have a live website, that every single day of the 33 days,

所以我們將會有一個網站，在那33天理的每一天，

we would be blogging, telling stories of,

我們都會上去寫部落格，講一些故事，

you know, depleted ozone forcing us to cover our faces,

你知道的，廢棄的臭氧，逼迫我們要遮好臉部，

or we will burn.

以免被灼傷。

Crossing miles and miles of sastrugi --

穿過一里又一里的冰浪－

frozen ice snowdrifts that could be hip-deep.

深達腰部的冰凍雪團。

I'm telling you, crossing these things with 170-pound sled,

告訴你，拉著170磅重的雪橇穿過這些東西，

that sled may as well have weighed 1,700 pounds,

那雪橇好比有1,700磅重一樣，

because that's what it felt like.

因為我們感覺就是這麼重。

We were blogging to this live website daily

我們每天都會上這網站寫部落格

to these students that were tracking us as well,

給這些同時有在跟隨我們的學生看，

about 10-hour trekking days,

每天10小時的跋涉，

15-hour trekking days,

15小時的跋涉，

sometimes 20 hours of trekking daily to meet our goal.

甚至有時每天步行20小時才能抵達我們的目標。

We'd catch cat-naps at 40 below on our sled, incidentally.

順便一提，我們有時會在零下40度時躺在雪橇上小睡片刻。

In turn, students,

相對的，學生，

people from around the world, would ask us questions.

以及世界各地的人，也會問我們問題。

Young people would ask the most amazing questions.

年輕人最會問一些非常奇妙的問題。

One of my favorite: It's 40 below, you've got to go to the bathroom,

其中我最喜歡的：零下40度，你們必須去上廁所，

where are you going to go and how are you going to do it?

你們去哪上，還有要怎麼解決？

I'm not going to answer that. But I will answer some of the more popular questions.

我不會回答那個問題，不過我會回答一些大家比較關注的問題。

Where do you sleep? We slept in a tent that was very low to the ground,

你們睡在哪？　我們睡在一個貼近地面搭起的帳篷裡。

because the winds on Antarctica were so extreme, it would blow anything else away.

因為南極洲的風力強大到任何東西都會被吹走。

What do you eat? One of my favorite dishes on expedition:

你們都吃些什麼？在遠征途中我最喜歡的一道菜，

butter and bacon. It's about a million calories.

奶油和培根。大約含有一百萬卡路里吧。

We were burning about 8,500 a day,

我們每天消耗掉8,500，

so we needed it.

所以很需要它。

How many batteries do you carry for all the equipment that you have?

你們帶了多少那些裝備需要用到的電池？

Virtually none. All of our equipment, including film equipment,

事實上沒有。我們所有的裝備，包括攝影器具，

was charged by the sun.

都是太陽能充電的。

And do you get along? I certainly hope so,

那你們相處融洽嗎？我當然希望這樣。

because at some point or another on this expedition,

因為在這旅途中總會有需要

one of your teammates is going to have to take a very big needle,

你的其中一位隊員拿起一根大針筒

and put it in an infected blister, and drain it for you.

插進一個發炎的水泡，並把裡面的膿汁抽出。

But seriously, seriously, we did get along,

但是真的，真的，我們相處的很好。

because we had a common goal of wanting to inspire these young people.

因為我們共同的目標是要啟發這些年輕人。

They were our teammates! They were inspiring us.

他們是我們的隊友！他們也啟發了我們。

The stories we were hearing got us to the South Pole.

我們聽到的故事支持我們到達南極。

The website worked brilliantly as a two-way street of communication.

這網站是個很棒的雙向溝通的管道。

Young people in northern Canada, kids in an elementary school,

北加拿大的年輕人，一所小學的孩子，

dragging sleds across the school-yard,

在校園裡拉著雪橇，

pretending they were Richard, Ray and Kevin. Amazing.

假裝自己是理查，雷還有凱文。真是奇妙。

We arrived at the South Pole. We huddled into that tent,

我們抵達了南極點。擠進了帳篷裡，

45 below that day, I'll never forget it.

那天是零下45度，我永遠不會忘記。

We looked at each other with these looks

我們看著對方臉上

of disbelief at what we had just completed.

對於我們剛剛完成的事情不可置信的表情。

And I remember looking at the guys thinking,

我記得看著我的夥伴想著，

"What do I take from this journey?" You know? Seriously.

＂我到底從這個旅程得到了什麼？＂你知道嗎？說真的。

That I'm this uber-endurance guy?

說我是一個擁有超級忍耐力的傢伙嗎？

As I stand here today talking to you guys,

當我站在這裡跟你們談話，

I've been running for the grand sum of five years.

我已經總共跑了五年的步

And a year before that I was a pack-a-day smoker,

又在幾年前，我曾經是每天抽一包菸

living a very sedentary lifestyle.

生活方式很固定。

What I take from this journey, from my journeys,

我從這次旅途中得到的，從所有旅途得到的，

is that, in fact,

就是，

within every fiber of my belief standing here,

站在這裡，我身上的每一絲信念

I know that we can make the impossible possible.

確信我們能讓不可能的事變成可能。

I'm learning this at 40.

我在40歲學到了這點。

Can you imagine? Seriously, can you imagine?

你能想像嗎？說真的，你能想像嗎？

I'm learning this at 40 years of age.

我在40歲的時候學到這點。

Imagine being 13 years old,

想像在13歲，

hearing those words, and believing it.

聽到了這些話，並且相信它。

Thank you very much. Thank you.

十分感謝你們，謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）