Devon explorer Pen Hadow is celebrating, after he footslogged to a new solo Arctic record.

The 41 year old from Dartmoor became the first
person to trek solo and unsupported from northern Canada to the geographic North Pole.

He triumphed after two months of isolation on the constantly shifting and cracking Arctic Ocean - finally reaching the Pole on 20th May 2003, some 64 days after setting out.

"I've done it," he said when he reached the Pole. "The overwhelming feeling is of utter relief. But I am exhausted. Exhausted."

He told The Times: "I gave my father an undertaking shortly before he died in 1993 to make it to the North Pole solo and with no resupply. To have completed that - after my third attempt - is everything to me.

"This whole expedition has been dedicated to his memory, and so I am very, very pleased."

He added: "I've pushed myself every day putting in the extra miles - otherwise I wouldn't be here."

The shifting ice is a challenge for any explorer

His progress was monitored by wife Mary and children Wilf, four, and one year old Freya, both named after explorers, with a map at their home near Hexworthy, Dartmoor.

"It was a dream he has harboured for 25 years, invincible is the word which springs to mind," she said.

The Queen has sent a telegram to congratulate Pen Hadow on his "courage and determination." Mrs Hadow said: "The telegram was nice. I know the Queen is interested in arctic issues.

"What I think is quite extraordinary is how people have taken Pen, and his approach to life, to their hearts."

The father of two hauled all his supplies on a sledge which weighed 330lbs when he started on March 17.

It was packed with food to fuel his 5,000-calorie-a-day diet, as well as crucial survival equipment.

Female North and South Pole conqueror and record setter Ann Daniels, from Whimple, near Exeter, hailed Hadow's "fantastic, magnificent feat".

And Exmoor-based adventurer and Polar veteran Sir Ranulph Fiennes said Hadow had done "an incredible job".

Hadow's historic 416-nautical mile (477 statute mile) ice odyssey was a gruelling victory over the elements. The explorer braved freezing temperatures of -45C, swam in the freezing sea, and dragged his sledge of supplies across huge pressure ridges.

At one stage he thought he had come across another expedition's tracks - then realised he had gone round in a circle.

Success meant the completion of unfinished business for Hadow, who runs the Polar Travel Company from his Dartmoor home.

All dressed up...with somewhere to go

In 1994 he completed three quarters of the distance before a knee injury forced him to quit. Before setting out this time he completed a tough training programme on Dartmoor dragging car tyres behind him to build up stamina and leg strength.

He was forced to tackle the final stages of this trek without his skis. He lost one of the skis around a week ago when he plunged through the ice and it floated away from him.

A crucial item of equipment was a dry suit which enabled him to survive in the water for about an hour.

It meant he saved time consuming detours around the open "leads" of water in the cracking ice cap. During his trek he donned the suit and made a number of swims, including two "the width of the Thames" across the open leads in the ice.

At one stage he became a "human icebreaker" while wearing the suit using his elbows to power his way through thin ice while towing his buoyant sledge.

His next task at the Pole is to pinpoint a 1,200ft-long, 50ft-wide landing trip for the aircraft to airlift him back to his Canadian base.

The plane will bring presents from his family, and cards from well wishers. The explorer's expedition has been funded by the Omega Foundation, for which he undertook physiological and psychological research on the ice.

Hadow is a vastly experienced Polar explorer, with more than two dozen expeditions to his name.

In 1997 he organised the successful first all women's relay expedition to the North Pole, selecting the final line up after tough training sessions on Dartmoor.

Photos courtesy of Pen Hadow's website