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CNN Live Saturday
Stranded at the North Pole
Aired May 24, 2003 - 16:23 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Imagine skiing, swimming and struggling your way nearly 500 miles to the North Pole only to find yourself exhausted, starving and freezing, and stranded. The story of explorer Pen Hadow's plight now from ITV News reporter Dan Rivers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN RIVERS, ITN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He completed a staggering battle of endurance, swimming and walking unaided to the North Pole. but now the race is on to rescue Pen Hadow from the top of the world. He's been stuck there since Monday, food rations dwindling, bad weather hampering attempts to airlift him out. Alone and exhausted, he's told his support team in Canada he's going loony and deeply weird in his isolated camp.
His family in Devon (ph) is also enduring an agonizing wait. Pen's satellite phone no longer works. His wife says the euphoria of completing the 500-mile trek must now be wearing off.
MARY HADOW, STRANDED EXPLORER'S WIFE: When he arrived, he was extremely pleased, obviously, but he was so tired. And I think that he will have probably gone into a bit of a dark gloom for a while since then, waiting and waiting and waiting, unable to talk to people.
RIVERS: But there was some light release today, a telegram from the queen praising Pen's achievements.
HADOW: "Your courage, perseverance and determination have been an inspiration to us all. I offer you my warm congratulations." Isn't that amazing?
RIVERS: But Mary Hadow's desperate for her husband to come home, knowing the North Pole can be treacherous.
HADOW: The ice could crack beneath him, and there are polar bears, but they don't usually venture that far north. At least it's not as cold as it was. I'm afraid that when his adrenaline level subsides, that he could get quite ill. He's had pneumonia before.
RIVERS: Pen's supporters have followed his progress on the Internet. All are now hoping he'll be back soon.
CAROLINE HAMILTON, POLAR EXPLORER: It must be frustrating, and I think, like anything, you've set your target, you've reached your goal. This has been years, years of planning to get to this point.
RIVERS: His support team is confident it will reach Pen soon, so he can finally celebrate his epic achievement.
Dan Rivers, ITV News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 24, 2003 - 16:23 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Imagine skiing, swimming and struggling your way nearly 500 miles to the North Pole only to find yourself exhausted, starving and freezing, and stranded. The story of explorer Pen Hadow's plight now from ITV News reporter Dan Rivers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN RIVERS, ITN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He completed a staggering battle of endurance, swimming and walking unaided to the North Pole. but now the race is on to rescue Pen Hadow from the top of the world. He's been stuck there since Monday, food rations dwindling, bad weather hampering attempts to airlift him out. Alone and exhausted, he's told his support team in Canada he's going loony and deeply weird in his isolated camp.
His family in Devon (ph) is also enduring an agonizing wait. Pen's satellite phone no longer works. His wife says the euphoria of completing the 500-mile trek must now be wearing off.
MARY HADOW, STRANDED EXPLORER'S WIFE: When he arrived, he was extremely pleased, obviously, but he was so tired. And I think that he will have probably gone into a bit of a dark gloom for a while since then, waiting and waiting and waiting, unable to talk to people.
RIVERS: But there was some light release today, a telegram from the queen praising Pen's achievements.
HADOW: "Your courage, perseverance and determination have been an inspiration to us all. I offer you my warm congratulations." Isn't that amazing?
RIVERS: But Mary Hadow's desperate for her husband to come home, knowing the North Pole can be treacherous.
HADOW: The ice could crack beneath him, and there are polar bears, but they don't usually venture that far north. At least it's not as cold as it was. I'm afraid that when his adrenaline level subsides, that he could get quite ill. He's had pneumonia before.
RIVERS: Pen's supporters have followed his progress on the Internet. All are now hoping he'll be back soon.
CAROLINE HAMILTON, POLAR EXPLORER: It must be frustrating, and I think, like anything, you've set your target, you've reached your goal. This has been years, years of planning to get to this point.
RIVERS: His support team is confident it will reach Pen soon, so he can finally celebrate his epic achievement.
Dan Rivers, ITV News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
