About Bob Gilmore, Polar Guide and Interpreter

Bob (Robert) was born in Chicago, Illinois in the United States, but didn’t stay there long. Ever since he could crawl he was drawn to the natural world. Shortly after graduating university with a degree in Forestry, he headed west and never looked back. He initially spent his summers as the US Forest Service’s Lead Wilderness Ranger on the north face of Mount Hood in Oregon, while his “winters” were spent at McMurdo Station in Antarctica working for the US Antarctic Program (USAP).

In his four seasons with the USAP he helped with logistics at McMurdo, South Pole Station and various remote field camps, working with scientists involved with everything from researching the natural anti-freeze found in the fish populations to drilling ice-core samples to determine historical climate fluctuations.

In 2004 Bob decided to share the knowledge and experiences he had gained with the USAP by joining expedition life as a guide and interpreter, working within the realms of glaciology and geology. He’s been rolling through the Drake Passage and exploring the Antarctic Peninsula ever since. He has also worked many seasons in Svalbard in the High Arctic.

In 2009 he achieved a major goal by becoming one of the few people that have managed to reach both the North and South Poles. More recently, he and a few colleagues have developed an evolving citizen science initiative that is helping scientists around the world better understand how climate change is affecting the Polar Regions.

When not in the Polar Regions, Bob continues exploring and resides in the Rocky Mountains near Aspen, Colorado, spending his time hiking, fly fishing, camping and whitewater rafting.