 Posted 8/12/2011 player, were both active in New

 HistoryLink.org Essay 9848 Zealand's outdoors adventures, and

Share encouraged Helen to take up their
 passion. "They were great goal setters,
 go-getters and great planners," says
 Thayer of her parents (Striping, 2007).
Helen Thayer was the first woman
and oldest person to make a solo They were uninterested in the more
journey to the magnetic North Pole. constricted gender roles of the times.
She competed internationally as a "They told me at a very early age, just
world-class discus thrower, and in because you're a girl doesn't mean to
1975 became the U.S. National say you can't do what you want.
Champion in the ice-sledding sport Decide what you want to do and do it
luge. Since retiring from competitive right" (Kershner interview).
sport, she has spent her life exploring At the age of 9, Thayer climbed her
some of the most challenging places on first mountain -- Mount Egmont (now
the planet in order to gain greater Taranaki), a dormant volcano in New
understanding of both the environment Zealand with a height of 8,200 feet. "It
and indigenous cultures. In 1994, was a big climb for a 9-year-old,"
Thayer and her husband, Bill Thayer, Thayer said recalling her first foray
spent a year living with wolves in the into extreme outdoor experience. "It
Canadian Yukon. In 1996 they walked sort of sealed my lifestyle as an
the Sahara Desert and in 2001 they outdoor person" (Brown).
walked 1,600 miles across the Gobi
desert. They later returned to the Luckily for Thayer, it wasn't just her
Sahara, walking 900 miles on an parents who encouraged her
ancient trade route through four development as an athlete. The
countries. Helen Thayer has been headmaster of Thayer's high school
named one of National was Leslie "Dan" Bryant, a
Geographic's "25 Great Sportswomen mountaineer who had attempted Mt.
of the 20th Century," honored by the Everest in 1935, and was a well-known
Clinton White House, and named by Kiwi climber.
the University of Washington as one of
the state's "100 women Who Have It also didn't hurt that Sir Edmund
Made a Difference." She lives near Hillary (1919-2008), a fellow New
Snohomish with her husband. Zealand native and part of the first
known party to reach the summit of Mt.
A Born Athlete Everest, was a family friend of
Thayer's. Thayer took climbing lessons
Helen Thayer was born outside from Hillary, and accompanied him on
Auckland, New Zealand, in 1937. Her climbing trips during her adolescence -
parents, Ray and Margaret Nicholson, - experiences that left a strong
operated a 10,000-acre sheep and cattle impression.
ranch outside Auckland. Her mother, a
tennis player, and her father, a soccer
"I just had a wonderful childhood," usual, Thayer had no interest in a mere
Thayer says. "I don't know how it hobby. In 1975, after just three years of
could have been any better" (Brown). luge, she won the United States
National Championship.
Thayer went on to study laboratory
medicine in college at Auckland. She After a few years they sold the dairy
graduated in 1961. farm. Helen started teaching skiing in
the nearby Cascades (and working part
Marriage and Throwing the Discus time in a hospital lab). Bill went back
A year later, she met Bill Thayer, a to flying.
helicopter pilot from Needles, Journey to the North Pole
California. Bill had been hired as an
aerial agricultural sprayer on Helen's In 1986 Thayer was inspired to explore
parents' farm. some of the world's most remote places.
Both Bill and Helen took up the cause
They married in 1962. They decided with a signature zeal, as they kayaked
early on that because of the dangers of through 1,200 miles of Amazon rain
Bill's job as a pilot, and Helen's forest and walked 2,400 miles through
ambitions as an athlete, children were the Sahara Desert.
not a priority in their marriage. In fact,
Helen's goals were no pipe dream; she It was during a mountain climbing
competed in the Commonwealth expedition in Tajikistan in 1986 that
Games that year, throwing discus. Helen first decided to solo to the
magnetic North Pole. Over the course
Shortly after their marriage, the of two years, the Thayers managed to
Thayers moved to Guatemala, where save $10,000 for the cost of the
Bill worked as an agricultural sprayer expedition; a miniscule amount,
and Helen honed her skills throwing compared to the millions of dollars
discus. She competed in the Caribbean previous explorers (with sled teams
Games for Guatemala. and companies) had spent.
In 1965, the Thayers moved to The 364-mile journey started from
Washington state, where they owned Polaris, Canada, and traveled north to
and operated a dairy farm. But it wasn't King Christian Island. From there,
all farming; by that time, Helen was Thayer traveled seven days south to
the third best discus thrower in the meet up with her transport back.
country, with a personal best of 204
feet. The area was heavily populated by
polar bears, and Thayer's solo journey
Thayer's sense of exploration -- even skiing through the area made her an
between sports -- kicked in again in easy (and slow) mark for bears that
1972 after watching a luge race on were always on the lookout for an easy
television. Craving the adrenaline and dinner. A few days before she set out
speed this fast ice-sledding on her journey, an Inuit in the area
sport offered, she took up it up. As offered her a 94-pound husky mix. The
jet black dog, whom Thayer named Arctic Gray wolf), they lived 100 feet
Charlie, was trained by the Inuits from the entrance of the wolf den in
to warn humans about the presence of the summer months, where the wolves
polar bears and to attack approaching accepted them as neighbors. The story
bears. became the basis for her book, Three
Among the Wolves. She became an
The journey took 27 days and Thayer advocate for wolves, describing their
pulled a 160-pound sled the entire way. care for each other and noting that they
Seven days from the end of her trip, a hunted mainly ill or old animals (and
storm blew away her food supply, were thus not depleting herds of moose
leaving Charlie with half-rations for or elk that humans hunted),
the remainder of the trip, and Helen
with only five walnuts and a pint of Hiking and Exploring
water each day.
In 1995, Thayer walked a total of
She calls the Pole trip the most "all 1,500 miles through Death Valley and
around challenging" adventure she has the Mojave and Sonoran deserts.
had; no small feat, considering her next
two decades (Kershner interview). And, in a (not so pleasant) contrast to
She published a book, Polar Dream, the desert, she spent her 60th birthday
about the expedition. on a solo walk in Antarctica. She
celebrated with a frozen cupcake.
After Thayer's North Pole Expedition,
she founded Adventure Classroom, a Thayer returned to her place of birth in
non-profit educational program for 1999 and walked 1,200 miles across
students. Thayer's experiences, writing, New Zealand to study the Maori
and photography provide the basis for culture.
lectures, lessons, and teaching tools. "I "For us, it's terribly important to be
want them to say, if she can do it, I can curious about other people and to know
do it," says Thayer of her involvement what they're doing," Thayer said in
with young students (Kershner 2007. "Just because they're different
interview). doesn't mean they're less. Sometimes
Wintering With Wolves they're a whole lot more, a whole lot
more" (Stripling, 2007).
In 1994, the Thayers decided to spend
a year living in the Northwest Awards and Honors
Territories and Canadian Yukon close Helen Thayer has been honored as an
to a pack of wolves, observing not just explorer and as an athlete. Her awards
their social behavior within a pack, but include the following:
also what the Thayers saw as a distinct
pattern of food-sharing behavior with  2010 University of Washington
other species in their habitat. chose Helen as one of
Washington state's "100 Women
Taking Charlie as a go-between Who Have Made a Difference."
(himself a great-great-grandson of an
 2010 inducted into the Sports  1990 Team Leader of the first
Hall of Fame, Snohomish County Soviet-American Women's Arctic
 2006 recipient of the Explorers Expedition
Club Vancouver Award for the  1989 "Woman Athlete of the
pursuit of knowledge and Year", Snohomish County
exploration  1988 Winner of the American
 2005 member of Washington Mountain Foundation
State's Parade of Star Athletes "Outstanding Achievement"
 In 2002 Helen was named "One Award
of the Great Explorers of the 20th  1975 United States National
Century" by National Geographic Champion for the sport of luge
 President Bill Clinton and Hilary  1965 to 1975 National Champion
Clinton invited Helen Thayer to and record holder in Track and
the White House on March 4, Field and Luge During this time,
1999, for a reception honoring Helen represented three countries.
"Pioneer Women in Sports." New Zealand, Guatemala, and the
 August 12, 1999 the National United States ) on national teams
Geographic Alaska Alliance in international competition in
awarded Helen the Robert A. track and field and luge.
Henning Geography Education
Award "In recognition of Your Gobi Desert Days
Tireless Efforts In Sharing World But Helen Thayer was not ready to rest
Geography With Students" on her laurels. In 2001, she and her
 In 2000, Helen Thayer was a husband had another adventure in mind.
subject of National Geographic's
book Women in Exploration." Helen and Bill (ages 63 and 74 in 2001,
 "The Helen Thayer Award" respectively) were in their 40th year of
named in Helen's honor and marriage. Both intrigued and curious
awarded annually for "Excellence about nomadic culture, they decided
in Student Education, Community their anniversary trip would be a 1,600
and Business Service." mile trek across the Mongolian part of
 1999 Women in Communication Gobi Desert, located in Mongolia and
"Women of Achievement Award" China. Like many of Thayer's
 1998 Washington state award for adventures, this one came from a
work with "Children's Education seed planted early in life (at age 13),
and Community Service". when a teacher at Pukekohe High
 1997 "Sports Legend" award, School in New Zealand described the
Washington State Gobi in a lesson.
 1994 Winner of the Business &
Professional Women's Award for Accompanied by two camels (named
her "Community Service in by the Thayers Tom and Jerry) who
Motivating Students to Better carried the supplies on their back, the
Life Styles." couple confronted not just the
predictable thirst, scorpions, and
extreme sandstorms; they also
contended with dangerous smugglers
and the constant threat of accidentally
crossing the border into a hostile China.
Thayer wrote the book Walking the
Gobi detailing their adventure.
Audacious and Rare
The Thayers are rare adventurers.
"You have to admire their audacity,"
said Ed Sobey, Ph.D., chair of the
Pacific Northwest Chapter of The
Explorers Club. Sobey calls them
"deceptive adventurers" (Stripling,
2007). "If you saw them on the street,
you'd never pick them out as world-
class explorers," he says (Stripling,
2007).
Thayer, at the age of 74, still has a
sizable list of places she'd like to
explore with her husband, now 85.
Ethiopia, Bhutan, Tibet, and the Congo
are all of interest. And just to show
they still have plenty of adventure in
them, the Thayers just spent their 50th
anniversary trekking 700 miles across
the Sahara, to produce another
Adventure Classroom program
studying cultures around the globe.