N.L. man embarking on arctic journey to benefit The Gathering Place

A Newfoundlander's arctic journey on skis through the Greenland ice cap will be more than just a grueling test of stamina.

Rene Ritter says he is following in the footsteps of pioneeringarcticexplorer Fridtjof Nansenand crossing Greenland from the community ofIsortoq to Kangerlussuagin August.

But when hestraps on his boots and travels north for his 540 km, month-longtrip, he'll be skiing for The Gathering Place in St. John's too.

The Gathering Place is an organization in St. John's dedicatedto helping people in the communityby providing things like nutritious meals, a space to socialize, and support to those in need.

In just under two weeks, aGoFundMe pageforThe Gathering Place in honour of Ritter's journeyhas already received over $1,000 in donations.

Rittertold CBC News on Tuesday that all proceeds from theGoFundMewill go directly to The Gathering Place.

Long planned trip

Rittersaid hehadlong planned to take thetrip, but said it wasn't until recently that he realized he could complete it and help out an organization he believes in.

"It's been a dream of mine for a long time to do something of this magnitude," he said.

"I found out about The Gathering Place and the amazing work they do here and I just felt interested."

He said he contacted the organization's coordinator and instantly knew that fundraising for themwas something he needed to do to.

"I thought it was just a place where homeless people come and get food but it's so much more than that," said Ritter.

"In May, I had a chance to volunteer here for a bit and really became acquainted with all of the programs that are run here."

Place to get help

Resource Coordinator Valerie Geary saidthat when she first heard of Ritter's plan to help out the organization, she was pleased with his out-of-the-box thinking.

Geary was especially appreciative of how Rittervisitedand spent a week getting to know the organization.

"He really got to experience every part of Gathering Place," she said.

"From the kitchen, to computer lab, to the social area...he got to know many of the guests and some of the stories that were behind of why they're actually here."

Geary said that it's abusy time for The Gathering Place, as more people in the area find themselves in a financial crunch in the wake of this year's budget.

"Our numbers are certainly increasing. We look at over 230 per day that we're feeding here," she said.

"It seems like most of our guests kind of got hit with some of the things that come in the budget."

Confident in journey

On Aug. 17, Ritter will depart on his expedition, and he said he'shopingto hithis$10,000 funding goal before he reaches Kangerlussuagand completes his trip a month later.

With nearly a month to go before he heads out, he said he's not sweating the dangers of such a long trip.

"You're dealing primarily with weather-related issuesand also crevices, which are openings in the ice cap that are covered by snow that can be potentially hazards. But overall, I don't really have a whole lot of concerns with respect to safety."

"I guess if I had a concern, [it's]probably being injury free and the weather."

If anyone following from home wants to track Ritter's progress, he said they'll be able followhis Facebook page Ski Greenland 2016.

"You'll be able to see where I am as I go across and make my way to the other side," he said.