From polar cold to African peaks: A Polish man is cycling from pole to pole to help children!

Can you imagine hopping on a bike and setting off on a route that seems like pure madness? For *Grzegorz Stenka, a traveler from Pomerania, this is a reality unfolding right before our eyes. For the past seven months, he has been traveling the world as part of an incredible project titled “From Pole to Pole – From Dream to Legend: Svalbard–Ushuaia”.

His goal is to complete the journey from Svalbard, Norway, all the way to the world’s southernmost city—Ushuaia, Argentina. And while the numbers are truly impressive, this is not just a sporting feat, but above all a beautiful charitable mission.

Over 6,000 kilometers under his wheels. The cold is behind him; South America lies ahead

Grzegorz officially began the cycling leg of his journey at the Arctic Circle. From there, he set off southward through Scandinavia and Europe all the way to Morocco. He has now covered over 6,000 kilometers by bike alone (and counting from his hometown of Bydlin—over 6,300 km!).

The journey was not all smooth sailing. As the traveler recalls in an interview with National Geographic, the most difficult and dangerous stretch turned out to be the one through northern Finland and Sweden:

“The cold temperatures and the vast distances from civilization caused me to suffer frostbite on the fingers of my right hand, and I came close to losing them,” says Grzegorz. In the winter, temperatures there dropped to nearly -30°C.

Instead of complaining, however, the traveler appreciates people’s kindness and… debunks myths. As he admits with a smile, the Northern Lights don’t actually look nearly as spectacular in real life as they do in the enhanced photos on the internet.

Recently, the traveler arrived in North Africa, where he and a friend climbed the continent’s highest peak—Jebel Toubkal (4,167 m above sea level). Although he had planned to take his bicycle with him, the bike ultimately had to be left at the military police station for safety reasons.

He now plans to return to Spain, from where he will fly to Ecuador to begin the crucial leg of his expedition: a traverse of all of South America, across the equator, all the way to Ushuaia.

Every Kilometer Makes a Real Difference: The “Kilometers for Children” Campaign

The main driving force behind the entire expedition is helping others. Grzegorz has joined forces with the West Pomeranian Hospice for Children and Adults to organize the “Kilometers for Children” campaign.

• How does it work? A special sponsor donates 35 groszy for every kilometer traveled by the traveler (the route is strictly verified via GPS).
• Results: So far, thanks to the kilometers covered and the generosity of donors, the fundraiser has already raised over 6,590 PLN.
• You can help: Mr. Grzegorz is encouraging more individuals and companies to support the project—you can join as a sponsor of kilometers for any period of time or donate directly through the fundraiser on Zrzutka.pl.

Where can you follow the expedition?

You can read more details about Grzegorz Stenka’s expedition on his blog, “The Scallop of St. James,” and in an interview with National Geographic Polska.