A man who attempted to row the Atlantic twice but failed is attempting to kayak the Northwest Passage and hopes to be among the first to do so.
In July, a group of four people led by Mark Agnew will set out on a 2,000-mile journey from Greenland's Baffin Bay to the Beaufort Sea.
In 2018, following his unsuccessful attempts to cross the Atlantic, he claimed that kayaking helped him get over a mental health crisis.
For a charity that supports outdoor education, the 32-year-old aims to raise $25,000.
The journey will take the same path as Sir John Franklin's disastrous 1845 expedition.
Both of the exploration's ships were ice-bound. Franklin died along with the 129 men who made up his crew on HMS Erebus and HMS Terror.
The Northwest Passage would have been nearly frozen all year round a century ago, but now we will be able to kayak the 2,000 miles in a single season, Mark said.
"A rather tragic illustration of how the planet has been impacted by climate change. ".
During the journey he referred to as "the voyage that shouldn't happen," Mark's team may even pass directly over the wreck of the HMS Terror.
Mark will be part of the expedition team for his Arctic voyage along with three Americans: Jeff Wueste, Eileen Visser, and expedition leader West Hansen.
They hope to finish 90 days after setting out from Bylot Island in Nunavut, Canada, at an Inuit hamlet called Tuktoyaktuk.
Mark, who was raised in Edinburgh, has been honing his skills on the Thames. Additionally, he has been kayaking in Scotland, frequently near Bass Rock in East Lothian.
He tried to break the world record for rowing across the Atlantic for the first time in 2016 and again in 2018. On both occasions, he was saved.
As a result, he experienced a mental health crisis and felt unmotivated and unworthy.
He said, "I felt completely worthless.". "I was overcome with feelings of failure and humiliation. Every aspect of my life started to be affected, and I started to feel drained.
"I wasn't clinically depressed, but the sense of being pitiful grew stronger. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that the only way I could escape my rut was to embark on new adventures. I understood that I had to concentrate on the process rather than the result.
Mark gradually began to feel better after feeling defeated for a year.
"I started to put more of an emphasis on teamwork, discovering gorgeous landscapes, and connecting with nature rather than just the aspect of winning or setting a world record. The world first is still what drives me, though. .
Mark experienced an early love of adventure while growing up in Edinburgh.
His father spent time mapping parts of Greenland and Patagonia, and his mother spent time traveling overland from Australia to the UK. His parents were both avid travelers.
After graduating, Mark moved to Hong Kong and later served as the South China Morning Post's editor for outdoor and extreme sports.
For the Wilderness Foundation UK, Mark hopes to raise an additional $25,000. Through outdoor facilitation adventures, therapy, and mentoring, the nonprofit offers educational and therapeutic programs for children and adults.
According to Jo Roberts, CEO of the Wilderness Foundation UK, "As a charity we work with children, teens, and adults whose fears prevent them from trying, failing, and succeeding - and they get stuck.". .
"Mark will be demonstrating to them what it means to give life a "go," and we will be watching his bravery as he navigates one of the most difficult and stunning passages.
. "
