Taking right steps for conservation

Dubai: Trekking through Dubai with 20 kilograms on your back might not be your exercise of choice but then again you are probably not going to trek to the North Pole next spring.

Akshai Misra, 25, an Indian born and raised in Dubai, will attempt to trek 150 kilometres to the Arctic Circle as part of a personal challenge and to raise money for environment conservation.

A postgraduate in environmental law, Misra is in full training for probably the biggest challenge of his life. In April 2008, he will embark on a trek to the North Pole that will take 12 days.

"It's my first time doing something like this and I've been training for about a month. There is an expedition which takes 50 days, one that takes 12 days and one where people are just flown in," said Misra. As a recent graduate he wanted to do something physically and mentally challenging before entering the workforce.

Expedition costs

After covering the costs of the expedition any extra money raised through sponsorship will be donated to the Environmental Camps for Conservation Awareness (ECCA) based in Nepal. The trip will cost $20,000 [about Dh73,000].

"I've just finished my studies after six years and once I start working I won't have the opportunity to do this. I got the idea after speaking to a friend of my father's who drove from London to Cape Town in the 1970s - I thought I would really like to do something like that," said Misra.

"I've always believed in conservation. I'm quite passionate about it, my grandfather instilled this in me. I would go for walks with him when I was young in rural India and he would show me plants and trees," he said. "Raised in Dubai we lead quite protected lifestyles. Growing up I was a typical overweight kid but when I got to sixth form I became more aware of myself. An expedition like this is really about pushing yourself to your limits," he added.

"I was in the cross country team at university and I ran the London Marathon but I've never done anything like this," he said.

As part of his training Misra is running between two to three hours twice a week and trekking with a heavy pack on his back around the city.

"I'm also going to go to Norway to learn how to ski and train. It's just not possible to train for this at Ski Dubai," he said.