Thousands of people have summited Mount Everest, hundreds have rowed across the Atlantic, 12 have walked on the moon, and only two have circumnavigated the world from east to west, solely on human power.
In 2015, no one has ever completed a circumnavigation of the Earth from north to south without motors or sails.
South African Angelo Wilke-Page is looking to be the first. On Nov. 20, 2014, Wilke-Page began his eight-year attempt, which he calls Expedition 720, that will include two human-powered circumnavigations. The first, from east to west, will serve as a training period for his second, a pole-to-pole journey.
Wilke-Page is also looking to increase awareness of hunger and poverty along the way. His goal is to raise over $1 million for Heifer International South Africa, which would take 2,500 families or 10,000 individuals out of hunger and poverty.
Over the last year, he's cycled from Los Angeles to Fairbanks and then kayaked, packrafted and portaged from Fairbanks to Nome. Along the way, Wilke-Page has suffered frostbite in the Canadian Yukon, had a close encounter with a grizzly along the Unalakleet River, and fought through the wrath of the Alaska's unforgiving environments.
But, Wilke-Page says, his journey from Fairbanks to Nome was the best part of his expedition so far.
"Alaska has truly exceeded my expectations," Wilke-Page explained, adding that "the scenery changes around every corner, the weather changes, and it's a pretty harsh but beautiful environment."
He has visited countless communities between Fairbanks and Nome and described the smaller villages like Golovin and Galena as "strong communities" with "incredible people."
From Nome, Wilke-Page will row across the Bering Strait to Russia and then bike from the Far East to Cape Town, South Africa, to complete the second leg of his journey.
You can follow Expedition 720 on Facebook and track Wilke-Page's live progress on his website.
This story has been reprinted with permission from the original at KNOM.org.