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Lonnie Dupre: A Biography
Born in 1961 and raised on a Minnesota country farm, it was natural as a young boy to spend hours exploring every nook and cranny of the nearby woods and creeks. It may also have had something to do with family heritage - he is descended on his mother's side from Jacques Cartier, the French explorer and founder of Quebec. He also discovered in himself an affinity for Minnesota's cold winters, as he ice fished on nearby lakes at every opportunity. He came to prefer winter over summer. Living in Minnesota, Lonnie wondered just how far "north" actually went. He began to look at maps and read everything he could about cold places and the people who lived there. Shortly out of high school, he loaded up his rundown pickup truck and left for Alaska on what was intended to be a three-week adventure. He wound up staying three years, making a living as a commercial salmon fisherman and carpenter. During that time, he and a companion flew into the remote reaches of the Brooks Range, planning to winter there. In the end, they had to snowshoe back to civilization with little more than the clothes on their backs. But by then, Lonnie was hooked on the Arctic. Returning to Minnesota, he instructed and guided dog sledge trips in the northwoods for outdoor enthusiasts through Wintergreen Adventures in Ely, Minnesota. In 1989, with the Cold War drawing to a close, he and 11 others completed a joint Russian/American 1,200 mile dog sled and ski expedition through the Russian far east to promote cooperation between the two superpowers. Striking out on his own in 1991, he organized and led the Northwest Passage Expedition, making a 3,000 mile, first, west to east transit of the Canadian Arctic route by dog sledge. In total, he has organized or participated in six major Arctic expeditions. Most recently, Lonnie and his teammate John Hoelscher of Australia became the first to circumnavigated Greenland. They have traveled 6,500 miles of the island's rugged coastline by dog team and kayak. In 2006, Lonnie Dupre and Eric Larsen pulled and paddled modified canoes over 600 miles of shifting sea ice to the North Pole. This journey, called the One World Expedition, was the first to get to the Pole in the summer, and reached 68 million people worldwide on issues of global warming. Dupre was awarded the Soviet Sportsman Medal for Arctic exploration in 1989 and was elected Fellow National of the Explorers Club in 1996. Upon completion of the Greenland Expedition, Dupre was keynote lecturer to the Fellows of the Royal Geographic Society in London. He has authored a book titled "Greenland Expedition - Where Ice is Born", and his expeditions have been featured in such varied publications as Reader' Digest, Sports Illustrated, Outside Magazine and Online, National Geographic Online, Backpacker, Australian Geographic, Sea Kayaker, Explorers Journal, Computer User, Lake Superior Magazine, Above and Beyond, Up Here, and Northwest Airline-World Traveler as well as international newspapers in Denmark, Canada, Greenland, Russia, Scandinavia, Japan, Spain and England. His most Greenland expedition was partially sponsored by the National Geographic Expeditions Council. Lonnie is an accomplished outdoor photographer whose special interests include a continuing study of traditional Inuit lifestyle and culture. In his spare time he enjoys woodworking and back country skiing in the Quetico/Boundary Waters Wilderness of the Minnesota/Canadian border area. Lonnie readily confesses that the spirit of adventure is strong within his soul. So is his belief in ones ability to overcome the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that may stand between an individual and their dream. The success of his arctic expeditions, with the extreme physical, mental and logistical hurdles they have represented, stand as testament to this . But even with all of his achievements, he remains very much that farm kid from Minnesota. His extensive knowledge and experience, his sense of humor, and his ability to captivate and inspire audiences of all ages, make him a sought-after speaker for corporations, schools and nonprofit organizations. Lonnie currently lives in Grand Marais, Minnesota with his wife Kelly. Check out Lonnie's past expeditions, and his latest Arctic expedition.
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to top | Books & Photography | Speaking & Presentations | Current Expeditions | Past Expeditions Contact Lonnie: PO Box 940 · Grand Marais, MN 55604 © Copyright 2003-2007, Lonnie Dupre. All Rights Reserved. web design by homepage design |
During an arctic career spanning 20 years, Lonnie Dupre has traveled over 14,000 miles throughout the high arctic and polar regions by dog team, ski and kayak. His path has often followed in the footsteps of the Arctic explorers of the last century - Robert E. Peary, Roald Amundsen and Knud Rasmussen. Like them, Lonnie has lived and traveled with the Polar Inuit, learning from these hardy people and developing a deep appreciation for their culture and way of life.