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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Henry Worslely has died during an attempt to traverse the Antarctic landmass unassisted and alone [npr.org]. Worslely raised over £100,000 for The Endeavour Fund [endeavourfund.co.uk], a charity that supports the physical recovery of wounded veterans:

He traveled more than 900 miles across the Antarctic, attempting a solo trek that would also boost a British charity that aids wounded veterans. But explorer Henry Worslely was halted by exhaustion and dehydration that turned out to be fatal.

Worslely, 55, had been attempting to complete the first-ever solo and unassisted crossing of the Antarctic landmass, timing the venture to coincide with the centenary of Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1915 attempt.

But [when] treacherous conditions and deteriorating health confined Worslely to his tent at more than 9,000 feet, he was forced to abandon the attempt, calling [for] an airlift. After spending 70 days alone in some of the harshest conditions our planet has to offer, he was taken to a hospital in Chile, where he was diagnosed with bacterial peritonitis. Today, his family announced his death.

On a Twitter feed [twitter.com] that had been updating his progress, Worslely had in recent days been facing whiteout conditions and soft snow — a "hellish surface" that made it hard to ski (and pull a small sleigh).

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