"Humans are meant to excel. And when you start pushing that and seeing how capable we are, it's phenomenal what you can actually go and do."

-Justin Packshaw

When Justin Packshaw was trekking in Antarctica several years ago, he noticed something disturbing: The ice shelf had visibly melted since his previous visit, just a few decades prior. "In the grand scheme of how old our world is, and its present state, that's a really quite frightening thing," he said. And with that, he had an idea. Not all scientists have the time, resources, or, frankly, the stamina to conduct invaluable in-person research in the heart of Antarctica, which holds the record as the world's coldest, windiest, and driest continent. But Justin did.

He and his adventure partner, Jamie Facer-Childs, proposed a data-gathering mission to several universities: They would cross Antarctica's heart and gather critical scientific data about climate change. But other agencies were interested in the trip as well.

As it turns out, pushing the human body to its limits - physically, psychologically, mentally - is one of the key areas of research for space agencies like NASA and the European Space Agency. Justin and Jamie's expedition would collect critical data on behavior, coping abilities, teamwork, endurance, even eyesight, that would be invaluable for future space missions in which astronauts will live for years in a space no larger than a studio apartment.

This is a good, old-fashioned adventure romp - but it's more than that too. It's also a story about science, psychology, Mars, and climate change. It's about how we cope with the most extreme physical challenges imaginable and ultimately how that defines us as humans.

FIND JUSTIN

Learn more about Justin and his adventures at his website, JustinPackshaw.com, or follow him on Instagram @JustinPackshaw. Find more details about the Antarctica expedition at ChasingTheLight2021.com.

SOCIAL

Share the show with your friends! Subscribe to the podcast wherever you're listening, follow @armchairexplorerpodcast on Instagram and Facebook, check out Armchair Explorer's website, armchair-explorer.com

CREDITS

This episode was produced by Armchair Productions. Find our other shows at armchair-productions.com. Jenny Allison wrote and produced this episode, along with host and producer Aaron Millar. Charles Tyrie did the audio editing and sound design. Theme music written by the artist Sweet Chap.

Mentioned in this episode:

Check out the Smart Travel Podcast

This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel at the Link below:

Smart Travel Podcast

Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world

This podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape.com. For advertising or sponsorship opportunities across the network, see the link below.

Voyascape Podcast Network

Every Pathways, host Aaron Millar and producer Jason Paton crack open a few stories, play their favorite clips, and take you on a whirlwind preview of what’s coming up on Armchair Explorer.

In this episode, we’ll be traveling from the craziest white water race in the world to the highest volcanoes on the planet, from ancient trade routes in Italy to the sacred storytelling landscapes of Australia and beyond.

If you like travel and adventure, come and hang out, we’re going to have some fun.

1. Climb the Seven Volcanic Summits Challenge, summiting the highest volcano on every continent.
2. Explore the fjords of Norway in search of the Northern Lights.
3. Hike across Italy’s Old Salt Road, an ancient trade route across the Apennine Mountains to the Mediterranean Sea.
4. Descend into Wind Cave, South Dakota, one of the longest cave systems on Earth, to hear the Lakota Emergence Story.
5. Take part in the River Nevis Race in Scotland — if Monty Python went white-water rafting, this would be it.

Ready to Explore? If you're into real stories of epic places told by the people who’ve lived them, make sure to subscribe so you won’t miss an episode of Series 4 of Armchair Explorer.

Instagram: ⁠@armchairexplorerpodcast⁠

Facebook: ⁠@armchairexplorerpodcast⁠

⁠Armchair Explorer⁠ is produced by ⁠Armchair Productions⁠. Aaron Millar and Jason Paton presented the show, Charles Tyrie did the audio editing and sound design.

There’s a moment before every journey begins — that flicker of anticipation when the map is still folded, the road still unknown, and the world feels impossibly wide.

That’s where this new season of Armchair Explorer begins.

In the coming episodes we’ll travel from the highest volcanoes in the world to the Arctic Circle, from ancient trade routes in Italy to the sacred storytelling landscapes of Australia.

These are immersive journeys, told by the people who lived them and crafted with the cinematic sound design you’ve come to expect from the show.

Here’s a glimpse of what’s ahead.

1. Climb the Seven Volcanic Summits Challenge, summiting the highest volcano on every continent.
2. Listen to an Aboriginal storyteller share the living stories of Uluru — a place where landscape, culture, and time are inseparable.
3. Explore the fjords of Norway in search of the Northern Lights.
4. Hike across Italy’s Old Salt Road, an ancient trade route across the Apennine Mountains to the Mediterranean Sea.
5. Descend into Wind Cave, South Dakota, one of the longest cave systems on Earth, to hear the Lakota Emergence Story.
6. Road trip through Australia’s Northern Territory, where the highways stretch for hundreds of miles and the outback stories grow taller with every one.
7. Take part in the River Nevis Race in Scotland — if Monty Python went white-water rafting, this would be it.
8. Soar on a hot air balloon ride over the Saguaro Desert and a hike through the Petrified Forest of Arizona.

And lots more … These are stories of wild places, remarkable people, and the journeys that change how we see the world. So pack your headphones and join us for a new adventure every single week.

Follow the show so you don’t miss the first episode of the new season of Armchair Explorer!`