He is known for being part of the six-person rowing crew that completed the first-ever human-powered crossing of the Drake Passage between Cape Horn in South America and Antarctica in December 2019.

[1] While in high school, he participated in the Youth For Understanding exchange program, spending a year studying abroad in Germany.

[1] Towne is the board chair of Youth For Understanding USA[10] and licensed to practice law in the state of Minnesota.

[13] In 2017, Towne was introduced to Icelandic ocean rower Fiann Paul, who discussed the idea of rowing the Drake Passage from the southern tip of South America (Cape Horn) to Antarctica.

Paul recruited South African athlete Cameron Bellamy and Scottish rower Jamie Douglas-Hamilton.

[3][14][15] Between December 13 and 25, 2019, the six men rowed across the Drake Passage in a 29-foot vessel, enduring freezing temperatures, rain, snow, and waves up to 30 feet in height.