Hartley Catharine (United Kingdom)

Hartley Catharine

Originally from Chichester, England but now living in London, Catharine has worked as a stage manager and location manager for theatre and then for the BBC. Catharine and Fiona Thornewill became the first women to walk (man hauling their supplies) to both the North and South Poles.

Major Achievements

November 1999 (to January 2000): together with Fiona Thornewill, she became the first British women to walk the 680 mile journey across Antarctica to the South Pole.
March 2001 to May 2001: Catharine and Fiona walked to the North Pole, hence they were the first women to reach both poles on foot. The trek went from tiny Ward Hunt Island in the Canadian Arctic to the North Pole, a distance of about 480 miles.
1992: Catharine set off for two years traveling on her own. During her time away she lived in the outback of Australia, jumped out of planes in New Zealand and spent time with the indigenous people of the Solomon Islands and Borneo. Her thirst for adventure increased and while cycling around Jordan she became intrigued by the polar regions. Three years later, after much research, Catharine was introduced to Adventure Network, who invited her to join their expedition to the South Pole.