After being turned back on last year’s attempt, Todd will make another shot at the first solo self contained trek across Death Valley, in 2012. Pulling nearly 500 pounds of water, food and gear in a self-fabricated rickshaw, the challenge is a daunting one. In short, given the overall weight, the distance, the climate conditions and the brutal terrain, this expedition presses the known limits of human locomotion in the desert environment.

Watch a video of Todd’s recent Haiti sourcing trip. Follow Todd as he sources previously unknown specialty coffees from the world’s most needy countries – where purchases make the greatest environmental and humanitarian impact.

The film Race to the Bottom of the Earth was recently on the National Geographic Channel. This charismatic documentary follows explorer Todd Carmichael as he attempts to be the first American in history to trek solo and unaided, seven hundred miles across Antarctica to the South Pole. Antarctica is the coldest, driest, and harshest environment on earth. It is an almost impossible journey made even tougher because Todd wanted to break the land speed record for achieving such a feat. This is an adventure that turns into a struggle for survival and a true test of a man’s inner strength.

Ninety-five percent of the footage comes from the film diaries shot by Todd and his fellow explorer, Teemu, who was racing against him.