In the fall of 1959, a very big and very unusual traveler
1959年秋 一位身材高大 不同寻常的“旅行者”
tackled the world’s weirdest road trip ever
展开了一次世界上最不寻常的公路之旅
on an 8,500 kilometer journey of epic proportions.
这是一个长达8500公里的史诗般的旅程
But the traveler wasn’t an explorer – or even a tourist.
但是这位旅行者并非是位探险家 或甚至说是位游客
The intrepid traveler was a giant block of ice,
这位大无畏的旅行者实际上是块巨大的冰
weighing in at 3,050kg.
重达3,050公斤
First, let’s take a step back.
首先 我们将时光倒转
Though the trip was taken in the fall of 1959,
尽管这次旅行发生在1959年秋天
the journey’s inspiration came in the previous summer.
但是旅程的灵感却源于前一年的夏天
During that summer, Radio Luxembourg challenged any and all comers
那年夏天 卢森堡广播电台向所有感兴趣的人发出挑战
to transport three tons of ice from the Arctic Circle,
看谁能将三吨重的冰块从北极圈
all the way to the mega-hot conditions of the earth’s equator.
一直运送到环境酷热的地球赤道区
The station set two major rules.
该电台制定了两个主要规定
Firstly, they said that no refrigeration could be used,
第一 他们说不允许使用制冷技术
making the trip a tricky proposition.
这使得旅程成了一个棘手的任务
The second rule was this –
第二条规定是：
that for every kilogram of ice that remained upon arrival at the equator,
对应达到赤道时剩下的每一公斤冰
the challenger would receive 100,000 francs,
挑战者将获得10万法郎
which equates to around $16,000 in current currency.
按现行货币计算 这相当于约1.6万美元
If the trip were taken today, the big block of ice would have been worth around
这次旅行要是放在今天 这么大块的冰
a whopping $48 million at the beginning of the trip –
在旅行开始时价值差不多高达4,800万美元
so anyone willing to attempt the challenge
所以任何打算迎接挑战的人
was dealing with a very pricey piece of ice.
面对的是一块非常昂贵的冰
Radio Luxembourg of course thought that no-one would attempt the challenge.
卢森堡广播电台想当然认为不会有人会去接受挑战
Surely it was an impossible task.
这当然是个不可能完成的任务
Surely no-one could transport a block of ice all the way from the arctic to the equator
肯定不可能有人能把一块冰从北冰洋一直运到赤道
without the ice melting, in a journey that would likely take many weeks. many weeks.
而不化掉 因为这趟旅程需要历时好几周
Or so they thought.
因此他们这样想
One man stepped up and accepted the challenge.
但有个人站出来接受了挑战
This man was Birger Natvik,
他就是Birger Natvik
the managing director of Norwegian insulation material company Glassvatt.
挪威绝缘材料公司Glassvatt的常务董事
He was confident that his company’s glass wool insulation could get the job done.
他相信公司的玻璃棉绝缘材料可以胜任这个任务
If he could make it happen, he could win a huge amount of money
如果他能完成任务 他就能为公司和员工们
for the company and its employees.
赢得一笔巨款
In his bid to assemble a team capable of completing the challenge,
为了组建一支能够完成挑战的团队
Natvik received a lot of attention.
Natvik获得了很多关注
Radio Luxembourg heard about Natvik’s ambitions,
卢森堡广播电台在听说Natvik的志向之后
and quickly retracted their offer.
迅速撤回了他们的提议
They were terrified by how much money they might lose.
想到可能会损失的金钱数目巨大 他们吓坏了
But Natvik decided to continue with his quest.
但是Natvik决定还是继续他的志向
Though he could no longer win any money,
尽管不会再赢得金钱
he and his company could potentially receive a huge amount of publicity.
但是他和他的公司很可能 受万众瞩目
And so the trip was ready to begin.
因此这次旅行已经准备好开始了
The ice and its entourage were set to travel
这块冰及其随行人员将出发
all the way from the Norwegian town of Moirana
一路从一个叫莫依冉纳的挪威小镇
to Libreville, the modern-day capital of Gabon.
一直到加蓬现在的首都利伯维尔
The epic journey was set to take the intrepid explorers through
这一史诗般的旅程将带领勇敢无畏的探险家们穿越
Copenhagen, Hamburg, Brussels, Paris, Algiers, Niger and more,
哥本哈根 汉堡 布鲁塞尔 巴黎 阿尔及尔 尼日尔等地方
as the icy block made its way from the world’s coldest region
冰块从世界上最冷的地区一直送往
to some of the hottest countries on the planet.
地球上最热的一些国家
The team was assembled.
这支队伍已经集合好了
Natvik handed the job over to Sivert Klevan,
Natvik将工作交给了Sivert Klevan
an expert engineer with excellent public relation skills.
他是位具有出色公关技巧的专家工程师
Joining the team were numerous drivers, a workshop manager and two film crew.
许多驾驶员加入车队 还有一名车间经理和两个摄制组
When the trip started getting massive media attention,
当旅程开始获得广泛的媒体关注时
many companies came forward to sponsor the journey.
很多公司前来赞助这次旅行
In total, sponsors from eight countries financed the expedition,
一共有来自八个国家的赞助商资助了这次远征
including Shell, who provided fuel, and Scania, who provided the truck.
包括提供燃油的壳牌公司 提供卡车的斯堪尼亚公司
Procuring the entire three-ton block of ice from arctic glaciers in one go
一次性从北极冰川取得一整块3吨重的冰块
seemed like an extremely difficult task,
似乎是一个极其艰难的任务
so Instead, 200 kg blocks were cut out and airlifted to the starting point.
因此 取而代之的是 将其分割成一块块200公斤的冰块并空运到起点
They were then frozen together to form a solid block of ice weighing 3,050 kg.
之后再被冻在一起 形成一块重达3,050公斤的坚冰
The ice was placed in a specially constructed iron container and insulated with wood
冰被放置在一个特制的铁制容器中并用木料
and 10-inch thick glass wool made from glass fibre.
和10英寸厚的玻璃纤维制成的玻璃棉做隔热材料
The truck was also loaded with 300kg of medicines,
卡车还装载了300公斤的药品
to be delivered to the hospital of humanitarian Albert Schweitzer,
将被送往加蓬首都利伯维尔 这个最终目的地附近的
near the final destination of Libreville, the capital of Gabon.
人道主义阿尔伯特·施韦策医院
On February 22nd 1959, the trip began.
1959年2月22日 旅程开始了
The European stretch of the journey was relatively easy,
欧洲部分的旅程相对来说容易一些
as temperatures were pleasant, roads were good and conditions were stable.
因为气温适宜 路况良好 状况稳定
At every big city, crowds would gather, applaud and watch,
随着这次旅程的消息传遍世界各地
as news of the journey spread across the world.
他们每到一个大城市 人们都前来聚集 鼓掌 观看
And as the journey gathered pace, so too did the publicity.
随着旅程速度的加快 其知名度也不断提高
The team and the trip were quickly becoming very famous.
这个队伍和这次旅程很快变得非常出名
When the team reached Paris, the police escorted the ice-carrying truck
当队伍到达巴黎时 警察护送运冰的卡车
through the city’s busy streets.
穿过市区繁忙的街道
The crew were even invited to dine with the mayor.
队伍成员甚至应邀与市长共进晚餐
Upon reaching Marseille, it was time to leave Europe behind
到马赛以后 他们就该将欧洲置之身后
and enter the less hospitable conditions of Africa.
然后进入非洲这个不那么友善好客的环境了
For the rest of their journey, the team would largely be traveling
旅程剩余的部分里 这支队伍主要是穿越
through the scorching hot sands of the Sahara Desert.
撒哈拉炙热的沙漠
In Marseille’s port, the entire truck with the ice still loaded upon it
在马赛港 整个装载着冰的卡车
was lifted onto a boat, which carried the cargo over the ocean.
被吊起放在承装货物运输过海的船上
The team and their icy load had arrived in Africa.
运输队与他们冰冷的货物来到了非洲
This African stretch was a very dangerous part of the journey.
非洲这段路是这次旅程中非常危险的部分
Not only was the ice at risk of melting under the scorching sun,
不仅冰块有在炽热阳光之下融化的风险
but the truck’s crew were at risk of death.
而且卡车队员也有死亡的风险
Parts of the mega-hot, vast, sandy Sahara were involved in war,
在这极端炎热 广袤多沙的撒哈拉部分区域里还有战争
and many sections were full of guerilla forces hiding in the mountains.
许多地方到处都有游击队藏匿山中
These fighters were a huge threat.
这些战士们都是巨大的威胁
They might steal the 300 kilograms of medicines which the crew were carrying.
他们很可能会偷走运输队正在运送的300公斤的药品
Or worse, they might capture
更糟的话 他们有可能俘虏
and kill the crew in a quest for publicity.
并处决这支队伍以获取知名度
Because of these dangers, for some parts of the desert section,
由于有这些危险 在穿行沙漠这一段的某些地方时
the crew were accompanied by the French Foreign Legion,
运送队伍由当时驻守在该地区的
who were stationed in the area at the time.
法国外籍军团陪同
The French Foreign Legion instructed the crew to drive for their lives,
法国外籍军团告诉运输队员们开车保命要紧
and to stop as little as possible.
尽量别停车
What had started as a fun publicity stunt
最初只是一个有趣的宣传噱头
had become a fight for survival.
现在已经变成了一场生存之战
But even though the crew wanted to make fast progress,
但是即便队员们想快速前进
they were unable to do so.
他们也做不到
Large stretches of the Sahara had no roads,
撒哈拉大片地区没有公路
so the crew simply had to drive through the sand
所以队员们只能驾车穿越沙地
and because the truck was so heavy,
因为卡车很沉
it would regularly become trapped in the sand’s depths.
经常会深陷沙中
Every time this happened, the ice-carrying team would spend hours digging at the sand
每到这种情况发生时 冰块运输队就得花上数小时挖沙
to free the truck and its precious cargo.
才能让卡车和其珍宝货物脱困
In temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius,
在50℃的温度之下
with few resources and the fatal threat of freedom fighters,
资源匮乏 又有“自由战士们”的致命威胁
it was an insanely dangerous mission.
这简直就是个极其危险的疯狂任务
Small sections of the ice were beginning to melt,
一小部分冰已经开始融化
threatening to make the journey a complete failure.
使这次旅行有完全失败之险
If the crew got stuck in the sand for a prolonged period of time,
如果队伍困在沙漠中的时间太久
the ice might not survive.
冰就可能都化了
During this stretch of the journey, the crew met a tribe of nomadic Tuareg people,
在这一段旅程中 运输队遇到了一个图阿雷格游牧部落
who were riding on the backs of camels.
他们正骑在骆驼背上
The crew offered water to the nomad’s camels,
运输队打开了装运冰块的容器
by opening up the container which was carrying the ice.
向牧民的骆驼提供水
The lucky camels helped themselves to drinking
这些幸运的骆驼喝到了
what was the world’s most expensive water,
这世界上最昂贵的水
a precious liquid which had already traveled thousands of miles
这些珍贵的液体穿越了数千英里
from the Nowegian glacier which it once called its home.
它曾经所谓的家乡可是挪威的冰川
As the crew continued through the desert,
在队员们穿行沙漠时
they often slept in sleeping bags on the sands of the Sahara,
他们通常在撒哈拉沙漠的沙地上睡睡袋
somehow managing to gradually navigate the terrain
在这样的地形中他们设法逐渐掌控了方向
and all of its challenges.
化解了所有的挑战
And they somehow succeeded,
他们最终成功了
as eventually they left the inhospitable sands behind
离开了不宜生存的沙漠
and crept closer to their final destination of Gabon.
并缓缓驶向他们最终目的地加蓬
Soon, they eventually and miraculously reached their intended destination.
很快他们终于奇迹般地到达了他们设定的目的地
27 days after they departed, the crew and the remaining ice had reached Libreville.
在出发27天后 运输队和剩余的冰到达了利伯维尔
They were safe.
他们都安全到达
They had completed their seemingly-impossible journey.
他们完成了看似不可能完成的任务
But how much ice was left?
但是冰还剩余多少呢？
With trepidation, the block was weighed.
带着惶恐 他们对冰块进行了称重
And the results were nothing short of a miracle.
结果简直就是个奇迹
Upon leaving Norway, the block had weighed 3,050 kilograms.
离开挪威时 这块冰重达3,050公斤
Now, 27 days later, right on the line of the sweltering equator,
现在 27天以后 在酷热的赤道线上
it weighed 2,714 kilograms.
冰块剩余重量是2,714公斤
Only 336 kilograms of ice had been lost along the way.
路上只损失了336公斤的冰
Only 11% of the ice had disappeared.
只有11%的冰消失了
Though Radio Luxembourg’s initial challenge and the financial reward that went with it
虽然卢森堡广播电台最初的挑战和随之的经济奖励
had been revoked, the journey was a success.
已经撤回了 但是这次旅途成功了
If the cash reward had still been in place,
如果现金奖励还在的话
the ice would have had a modern-day worth of around $43 million,
这块冰现在的价值约为4300万美元
making it the world’s most pricey piece of frozen water.
是世界上最昂贵的 被冰冻的水
The ice instead of making a huge profit for the company
这块冰并没有给他们公司带来巨大的收益
was put to an even better use.
但是却有了更好的用途
Though a small amount was flown back home,
尽管有一小部分被空运回家
most of it was cut up and given to the people of Gabon,
但是大部分被切割下来
who had never before seen ice.
分发给了从未见过冰的加蓬国民众
Upon arriving in Libreville, the crew were invited
抵达利伯维尔后 运输队员被邀请
to attend dinner with French president, Charles de Gaulle in Paris
去巴黎与法国总统戴高乐共进晚餐
but only if they would drive back to the French capital.
但条件是他们得开车回到法国首都
The exhausted crew refused and decided to fly home instead.
精疲力尽的运输队员拒绝了 并且决定还是坐飞机回家
The ice which was flown back to Norway was cut up and used in drinks,
被空运回挪威的冰块 被切割并放入饮料
which were then served to journalists at the premiere of the expedition’s documentary.
然后提供给了参加探险队纪录片首映式的记者们
The publicity stunt definitely worked,
宣传噱头绝对有效
as Glassvatt still exists today, under the name Glava AS.
因为Glassvatt公司今天仍然存在 现在名为Glava AS
61 years after the awesome expedition,
令人惊叹的远征过去61年后
company is still crafting glass wool for use as insulation.
这家公司依旧在制作用作绝缘的玻璃棉
Based in the town of Askim,
总部设在阿斯金镇
around 1,000 kilometres from where their incredible expedition first began,
离着那次不可思议的旅程出发地 大约1,000公里
they employ upwards of 500 staff.
他们的雇员多达500人
The ice block expedition of 1959 was successful.
1959年的冰块远征之旅非常成功
Thanks to the protective insulative glass wool that acted as a barrier
这要归功于保护性隔热玻璃棉 它充当了
between the frozen ice and the harsh environment outside.
冷冻冰块和外部恶劣环境之间的屏障
In the era of Internet where more and more people are working from home
在互联网时代 越来越多的人在家工作
You need similar protection
你需要类似的防护
to protect your Internet data and activities from prying eyes.
来保护你的互联网数据和活动免受窥探