Legendary explorer Will Steger kicked off his Global Warming 101 Expedition this past weekend at the St. Paul Winter Carnival.

Team Ethanol IndyCar® Series driver Jeff Simmons was among those on hand to see the expedition off, since the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council is a major Global Warming 101 sponsor. He got a chance to make friends with one of the huskies who will be leading the four month, 1200 mile dogsled expedition across the Canadian Arctic’s Baffin Island.

Steger also introduced his team members, Abby Fenton, Elizabeth Andre, and John Stetson, as well as documentary filmmaker Jerry Stenger and photographer and webmaster Jim Paulson who will accompany him on the expedition. The team is pictured here with two of the expedition dogs, and the banner is being hoisted by EPIC Communications Director Joanna Schroeder and Simmons. Steger is the one in the middle.

This weekend, the expedition will be in Steger’s hometown of Ely, Minnesota for another send-off event at the Mukluk Ball.