Here are highlights from our October 2000 issue. We invite you to subscribe to receive the other 80 percent of our complete issue. Subscription information follows below. - The Editors
EXPEDITION NEWS is a monthly review of significant expeditions, research projects and newsworthy adventures. It is distributed online and by mail to media representatives, corporate sponsors, educators, research librarians, explorers, environmentalists, and outdoor enthusiasts. This forum on exploration covers projects that stimulate, motivate and educate.
In 1998, Paul Pritchard suffered a massive head injury during a climb in Tasmania. His struggle to recover was recounted in a critically-acclaimed work titled, "The Totem Pole and a Whole New Adventure." In 2001, the 33-year-old Pritchard, still suffering from the aftereffects of his acquired brain injury, plans to summit 17,057-ft. (5199m) Mount Kenya in Africa. The project, titled Mt. Kenya for Headway, will benefit Headway, a non-profit brain injury charity in the U.K. that works with people who have suffered a traumatic head injury.
Two Royal Marine Commandos announced plans to complete a record-breaking unsupported two-man row across the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Odyssey Expedition will see Corporals Tim Welford and Dominic Mee row 5,000 miles across the world's largest ocean. Traveling in their 20-ft. boat "Cracker," they will leave Choshi, a small Japanese fishing village north of Tokyo, in May 2001 bound for San Francisco four months later.
In February 2001, a husband and wife team and 24 polar huskies will embark on a three-month, 2,500-mi. expedition from Arviat to Grise Fiord in the Canadian High Arctic. Their purpose is to follow ancient routes through the new land of Nunavut, traveling from its border in the south, then past the Magnetic North Pole to Grise Fiord, the northernmost village in North America.
Kayaking Explorer Dies - A Norwegian kayaker on a solo voyage retracing the Arctic journey of Viking Leif Eiriksson was found mysteriously dead on a lake in remote Labrador after a long and harrowing journey, Canadian police said in late September. Roy Willy Johansen, 37, of Tonsberg, Norway, was found in his kayak on Lake Melville in Labrador, near the Atlantic coast. The kayak appeared to have drifted ashore.
The Wright Stuff - An inch-by-inch replica of the Wright brothers 1903 flying machine is taking shape to commemorate the 100th anniversary of manned air flight. According to the Washington Post, retired airline pilot Ken Hyde of Warrenton, Va., is chief builder of the aircraft that a group of flying enthusiasts hope to get airborne in Kitty Hawk, N.C., at 10:35 a.m. on Dec. 17, 2003. The working reproduction will duplicate Wilbur and Orville Wrights' original design and materials at an estimated cost of $1.3 million.
Frugal Scientist Studies Ice Worms - A low budget expedition to Alaska last summer studied a species most people would just scrape off their boots. Biologist Dan Shain, 35, an assistant professor at Rutgers University in Camden, N.J., was featured in an Alaska Daily News story (Sept. 19) about the search for one of Alaska's most unlikely creatures, the "sun-avoiding" ice worm. Spanning all of three-fourths of an inch and no thicker than a piece of string, the worms live their entire lives at a temperature where human flesh freezes and most life stops, writes Doug O'Harra.
Cold Words - The second edition of "Antarctica: A Travel Survival Kit" was recently released worldwide by publisher Lonely Planet. The guide, which was first published in 1996 and is reportedly the best-selling guide to the continent, has been revised and updated by author Jeff Rubin.
Pete's Wicked - Climbing Magazine, Marmot and Sterling Ropes are sponsors of a fall slide show and book signing tour by Pete Takeda, senior contributing editor of Climbing Magazine. The promotion highlights Takeda's new book, "Pete's Wicked Book - 15 Tales from the Brink of Climbing Madness," which chronicles the escapades of "Big Wall" Pete on the world's most fearsome big walls. Takeda's multimedia slide show reviews his most recent adventures to Iceland, Alaska, and the Himalayas.The tour includes EMS locations in Portland, Me. (Oct. 24); Peterborough, N.H. (Oct. 25); Boston (Oct. 26); and Natick, Mass. (Oct. 27). In November he tours Colorado outdoor stores in Aspen, Breckenridge, Colorado Springs, Ft. Collins, and Glenwood Springs. (For more information: www.sterlingrope.com, www.climbing.com, or www.marmot. com).
Sir Bonington at AAC-N.Y. Dinner - Britain's most famous mountaineer and expedition leader, Sir Christian Bonington, will address the American Alpine Club-New York Section Annual Dinner on Oct. 28. Bonington, 65, calls himself a "climbaholic" and recently returned from an expedition to Sepu Kangri, an unknown and unclimbed 7000m peak in an unexplored Tibetan range. The dinner, at New York's Union Club, benefits The Alpine Club Library Fund. Tickets $135-$160. (For more information: Phil Erard, 212 763 0399, http://nys.alpineclub.org; philiperard@hotmail.com).
Banff Mountain Film Festival - Opening night special guests at the Banff Mountain Film Festival, Nov. 3-5, are Maurice Herzog and Reinhold Messner. Kitty Calhoun, and Kurt Diemberger will also share their experiences with attendees. The Festival is presented by Eagle Creek Travel Gear and the National Geographic Society. (For more information: 403 762 6301; www.banffcentre. ab.ca/CMC)
AAC Annual Meeting - The American Alpine Club annual meeting is Nov. 10-12, in Denver. Speakers include Tomaz Humar, regarded by many as the best all-round climber in the world with an enviable list of ascents. (For more information: 303 384 0110; getinfo@americanalpineclub.org).
Clive Cussler Keynotes Explorers Club Dinner - American author Clive Cussler will present the keynote address at The Explorers Club Lowell Thomas Awards Dinner, Nov. 28 at the New York University Club. Last month, Cussler announced that his National Underwater & Marine Agency located the wreck of the RMS Carpathia off Ireland, the ship that rescued 705 survivors from the Titanic and that was later torpedoed by a German U-boat. The Explorers Club dinner, themed, "Challenging the Deep: a Celebration of Marine Exploration," will also feature guests of honor Jean-Michel Cousteau, Sylvia Earle, Ph.D., Teddy Tucker, M.B.E, and Don Walsh, Ph.D. Sponsor is Rolex Watch USA. Tickets are $200. (For more information: Juneth Glasgow, The Explorers Club, 212 628 8383., www.explorers.org).
-Inexpensive, well organized. 7000 and 8000 meter peaks. Beginner and expert routes. Tel: 406-363-7747, e-mail: himalaya_inc@cybernet1.com.
2 WEB SITES: www.shishapangma.com and www.nojintangla.com
From WWII shipwrecks to remote jungle tribes and the chance to swim with whale sharks, Zegrahm's exploration of the PHILIPPINES archipelago offers a bounty of incredible wonders. From Manado to Subic Bay, we will sail through a host of beautiful, history-rich islands. Culture and nature at its wildest. Join us for this exhilarating 16-day odyssey to the land of smoking volcanoes and pristine coral gardens. April 2001.
For reservations/information:
ZEGRAHM EXPEDITIONS, 192 Nickerson St., #200, Seattle, WA 98109. Phone: 800-628-8747 or 206-285-4000; Fax: 206-285-5037; Web site: www.zeco.com; E-mail: zoe@zeco.com.
is published by Blumenfeld and Associates, Inc., 28 Center Street, Darien, CT 06820 USA. Tel. 203 855 9400, fax 203 855 9433, blumassoc@aol.com. Editor/publisher: Jeff Blumenfeld. 2000 Blumenfeld and Associates, Inc. All rights reserved. ISSN: 1526-8977. Subscriptions: US$36/yr.; international postal rate US$46/yr. Highlights from EXPEDITION NEWS can be found at www.expeditionnews.com; credit cards accepted through www.mountainzone.com/news/expedition. Layout and design by Nextwave Design, Seattle.