Paul Schurke

Entrepreneur and educator, Paul Schurke ranks among top contemporary arctic adventurers and outdoor program leaders. Following a degree at St. John’s University, he did graduate studies in environmental journalism at the University of Minnesota and worked as a science writer for many years.  In 1977 he and Greg Lais founded Wilderness Inquiry, a ground-breaking nonprofit adventure agency for disabled persons that has achieved international acclaim.  He has since worked with numerous other outdoor programs and founded his own called Wintergreen Expeditions. His polar career began in 1986 when he co-led with Will Steger the historic International Polar Expedition, which resulted in a National Geographic cover story and television special, a best-selling book, personal commendations from Pres. Ronald Reagan and the Merit Award from the World Center for Exploration.

Paul went on to build a Soviet-American expedition team that  trekked from Siberia to Alaska in a mission of “adventure diplomacy” that led to the opening of the U.S.-Soviet border in the Bering Strait and resulted in personal commendations from Pres. George Bush and Pres. Mikhail Gorbachev, a National Geographic television special and a second award-winning book.  In 1995 Paul worked with the Chinese Academy of Sciences to help China establish research programs in the polar regions and led the first Chinese team ever to reach the North Pole, a project hailed by Chinese leaders as a “milestone in China’s efforts to step out its shell and become a global partner in scientific and environmental issues affecting remote parts of the world.

In 1999, Paul led his 5th North Pole trek involving a national education charity and a team of NASA scientists.  In spring 2001 Paul he dogsledded with Polar Eskimos through northwestern Greenland to produce a documentary film for National Geographic television.   Paul’s company Wintergreen (which includes the award-winning outdoor apparel his wife Sue developed), was selected by Outside Magazine as one of the most most innovative and influential outdoor businesses of the past quarter century.  In spring 2003 NBC Dateline and the Discovery Channel premiered “The Ice Master” a docu-drama with commentary by Paul about a 1914 arctic expedition.  In spring 2004, his Greenland project was featured in a cover story in Smithsonian Magazine. In 2006 and 2007 he led expeditions across the high Arctic Island of Svalbard and more recently he has led additional expeditions across northern Greenland  2008 with the Explorers’ Club

Paul entered his college years with an eye towards medicine.  But he found that his passion lay in exploring the northwoods and in sharing those adventures with persons who’d never had such experiences.  Upon graduating, he  helped launched a program that offered wilderness trips for persons who were blind or deaf or used wheel chairs or crutches.  From those experiences he gained the team-building and outdoor skills that launched an outdoor career that has taken him to the ends of the earth.  As he shares in his talks, he learned along the way that your passion can become your livelihood. He also learned how much can be accomplished when a group of people focus on a shared goal.  Paul’s mission of ”bringing people together through shared goals” is richly rewarded by countless experiences that span many regions of the globe and many cultures of the world. He shares those experiences through this blog.