DOUG STOUP

“Nature brings us sanity,” says Stoup, who has explored the North Pole and South Pole. “This shelter-in-place order allows us all time to reflect on how fortunate we are. I reside in Lake Tahoe and we have had snow accumulation in March that allows me to do some ski touring in the mornings above the west shore. Like others, I have been housebound, and catching up on some books and contemplating the future. At this time I am suppose to be skiing to the Geographic North Pole (his 18th NP expedition).”

Stoup: America's leading explorer of the North and South poles, Stoup has undertaken 12 world-class winter treks, including one in which he guided a blind skier to the geographic South Pole. He helped pioneer a technique called "randonnee," a French word for ski mountaineering, to climb and then snowboard on the highest peak in Antarctica, the 16,077-foot Vinson Massif. On another trek, he completed a 250-expedition in the Antarctic on an ice bike with 5- inch wide tires he helped design. He is also an acclaimed cinematographer.

Stoup was the only American chosen for an expedition to the North Pole this month that will deploy weather stations to document the shrinking of the polar ice cap. He also will lead trips to both the North Pole and South Pole for unprivileged youth, to share a world few have seen or even imagined. "I want to do something that is going to help our environment and the world, to be a positive influence on others," Stoup said.