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June 2026 – Volume Thirty-Two, Number Six
Celebrating our 32th year!
EXPEDITION NEWS, founded in 1994, is the monthly review of significant expeditions, research projects, and newsworthy adventures. It is distributed online to media representatives, corporate sponsors, educators, research librarians, explorers, environmentalists, and outdoor enthusiasts. This forum on exploration covers projects that stimulate, motivate, and educate.
EXPEDITION UPDATE
| | Jon Krakauer (Photo: Scott McDermott; Penguin Random House) | | |
1996 Mount Everest Disaster Marks 30th Anniversary;
Krakauer Regrets Ever Going
A new edition of Into Thin Air includes updates and a fresh foreword as the tragedy marks 30 years. Author Jon Krakauer has been in the news criticizing Everest's commercialization and warns of future mass casualty events despite improved climbing infrastructure. (See EN, June 1996, and related story this issue).
“It’s probably the one thing in my life that I really regret. I wish I had never gone to that mountain,” the world-renowned author and outdoorsman, 72, explains in an exclusive interview to mark the anniversary of the 1996 disaster that inspired his bestselling book, now being released in a revised edition with a new foreword, according to Chris Barilla writing in People magazine (May 7).
Krakauer, who took on an assignment from Outside magazine to cover the expeditions that spring, unintentionally became part of climbing history when a sudden storm rolled in and changed the course of multiple teams' entire attempts.
“That experience has had a huge impact on my life,” he says. “My feelings about this trip are so complicated... my feelings about that expedition.”
In fact, Krakauer tells reporter Chris Barilla that, in the immediate aftermath of that tragic occurrence, he struggled intensely with his mental health in ways he didn’t fully understand at the time.
Krakauer’s believes that his participation as a journalist on the mountain may have influenced decisions that were made by his fellow climbers that day.
“There’s no getting over the fact that my presence... it’s like the Heisenberg principle in physics,” he recalls. “My presence in the experiment affected the outcome.”
But Krakauer is quick to add that, “You can’t blame the disaster on one thing."
Read the story here:
https://tinyurl.com/krakauer30th
In an NBC Today Show appearance last month he explains how Sherpas are now “running the show” on the mountain, and things are somewhat safer than 30 years ago.
His book, which made him wealthy, he says, accelerated interest in climbing the mountain. He is now board chair of the American Himalayan Foundation. “(Participating) makes me feel happier for what happened there.”
View the interview:
https://tinyurl.com/krakaueronToday
Explorer Believes Amelia Earhart Became a Castaway
In April’s EN we examined the enduring allure of American aviator Amelia Earhart’s disappearance in 1937 – perhaps the last great unsolved mystery of the 20th century, captivating aviation enthusiasts, researchers, and the public for almost 90 years.
During that time many tantalizing clues have been discovered, analyzed, and interpreted leading to differing conclusions as to the fate of Earhart, then 39, and her navigator Fred Noonan, 43, flying in a Lockheed Electra 10E. She was attempting to become the first pilot to fly around the world as close as possible to the equator.
| | Andrew McKenna believes Earhart and Noonan became castaways. | | |
“Earhart at the time of her disappearance in 1937 was the most famous female on the planet and ‘poof” she disappears. It’s as if Taylor Swift went missing,” said explorer Andrew McKenna, a resident of Boulder, Colorado.
McKenna has secured a front row seat to the mystery for over 25 years. As an archaeological researcher and diver, he belongs TIGHAR (pronounced “tiger”), the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (tighar.org), a nonprofit that has been chasing clues since 1985.
McKenna presented his case to an audience of 120 sitting in rapt attention in Boulder on April 29, 2026. TIGHAR research points to Earhart and Noonan experiencing a forced landing, temporary survival, and eventual death on Nikumaroro (formerly Gardner Island) in the remote Phoenix group of coral atolls, part of the Nation of Kiribati, spanning the west-central Pacific Ocean, 1,650 miles southwest of Hawaii.
McKenna built a convincing case: Dana Randolph, 16, a shortwave listener in Wyoming, heard Earhart transmit, “(air)ship is on the reef”; pieces of beveled glass from a 1930s compact and bits of rouge were located on Nikumaroro along with a jar of Dr. Berry's Freckle Cream, an ointment intended to fade freckles, something Earhart is known to have been conscious about.
Also found: the sole of a woman’s shoe, a box that would have held Noonan’s Brandis sextant, and a bottle of Benedictine liqueur, a brand Earhart was known to carry.
McKenna’s presentation of circumstantial evidence seems strong enough to win in a court of law. Meanwhile, plenty of explorers continue to plan Earhart expeditions to this day, still unable to quit Amelia Earhart.
EVEREST ROUNDUP
| | Mt. Everest photo by Alan Arnette | | |
Each year at this time we turn to Alan Arnette, mountaineer, climbing coach and author, for an update on the mishigas surrounding the siren lure of Mt. Everest. This year, the mountain did not disappoint.
“There were delays, strong winds, changing drone and helicopter rules, moments of concern and challenging climbing. Despite the dramatic headlines in the mainstream press, it was a normal season the 69-year-old journalist and Alzheimer’s Advocate posts to AlanArnette.com.
The overall summit count reported by the Nepal Ministry of Tourism for the Nepalese side of Everest in 2026 was 1,008, including support personnel such as Sherpas and guides.
Confusion Up High
The season began with confusion, Arnette reports, as Nepal's proposed new tourism bill 2081 contained many new mountaineering regulations. One in particular created the fuss: the requirement to climb a 7000-meter peak in Nepal to qualify for an Everest permit.
However, this didn't stop guide companies from emphasizing the proposed new law in their marketing and scaring people into rushing their schedules and climbing in 2026 to avoid the requirement. “There's no way to know, but it might certainly have brought people to the mountain who lacked the necessary experience,” Arnette reports.
All the action occurred on Nepal's South Col route this year. No new routes were attempted. As usual, there were reports of frostbite and helicopter evacuations, but many of these incidents never went public, whether due to operator discretion, privacy or public relations concerns.
| | Actually, this was a slow day on the summit of Mt. Everest. (Photo: Kami Rita Sherpa) | | |
Nonetheless, the season was successful overall, with record numbers of permits (495) and summits (1,008), including 274 on a single day, and historically low death rates. It appears that 80% of the clients with permits summitted, a very high rate.
Still, reports came in of taking 12 hours to climb from the Col to the top. Climbers experienced snow blindness, frostbite and rescues.
Tragically, Arnette reports, five fatalities and one missing Sherpa occurred on the Nepalese side, the same as 2025 but down from the eight deaths in 2024 and eighteen in 2023, which constituted a record season for fatalities. The 2026 total is lower than the historical average of seven fatalities per year since 2010, as cited by HimalayanDatabase.com.
Notable 2026 Records
This year saw several records, ranging from age to repeat summits, country firsts, speed and more. They included:
Kami Rita Sherpa, 56: Achieved a record 32nd Everest summit.
Lhakpa Sherpa, 53, increased her female record to 11 summits. (See EN, August 2024)
Brit Kenton Cool, 52: A non-Sherpa record of 20th Everest summits. (See EN, June 2023)
American, Tyler Andrews, 35, ran on O2, Everest Base Camp to summit in 9:55 hours, according to his tracker (https://everest.racecast.io/stats)
Read Arnette’s Everest 2026 wrap-up report at:
www.tinyurl.com/arnetteeverest2026
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Alan Arnette, a resident of Fort Collins, Colorado, is one of America’s most recognized high-altitude climbers and storytellers. On his 58th birthday in 2014, he stood on the summit of K2, becoming the oldest American to summit what many consider the world’s most dangerous mountain.
Alan has climbed Mount Everest four times, summiting in 2011; completed the Seven Summits; and climbed all 58 of Colorado’s 14ers, which he has summited more than 225 times.
Through his climbs, writing, and speaking, he raises awareness and funds to help end Alzheimer’s.
EXPEDITION NOTES
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Good News for Adaptive Explorers
Earlier this year, The North Face debuted its first-ever inclusive outdoor collection, co-created with adaptive athletes, to help remove barriers and create accessible gear such as tents, sleeping bags, and daypacks. But while adaptive outdoor gear is finally gaining attention, adaptive outdoor apparel remains limited.
MagnaReady creates adaptive clothing designed to help people with arthritis, Parkinson’s, injuries, reduced dexterity, and mobility limitations participate more comfortably and independently in activities like camping, hiking, fishing, and travel.
Much of the clothing uses magnets and Velcro for those challenged by fastening buttons.
Learn more:
https://magnaready.com
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Working in Western China this Year?
University of Colorado Boulder professor Markus Raschke will be heading into the mountains of Sichuan this July for field research on the geology of unusual mineral occurrences around the mountain of Xuebaoding (18,333-ft./5588 m).
The work will also include aspects of artisanal mining practices and associated cultural history intertwined with the local communities. He welcomes opportunities to team up or exchange resources with others working in western China and would like to hear from those who could share their experience and practical insights with him from previous fieldwork in the region.
Contact: markus.raschke@colorado.edu
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
Traveling - it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.
- Ibn Battuta (1304 - 1368/1369), a Maghrebi Muslim traveler, explorer and scholar from Tangier (in present-day Morocco).
EXPEDITION FOCUS
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“Poor Man’s Space Agency” Launches Student Balloon Flight No. 400
Fifty miles southeast of Denver International Airport the small pioneer town of Deer Trail (pop. 1,883) offers a 360-degree view of the classic, understated beauty of the Colorado High Plains. It’s so flat, locals joke you can see your dog running away for two days.
It’s here on weekends that a passionate group of amateur radio “ham” operators belonging to the nonprofit Edge of Space Sciences (EOSS) based in the Denver area, provide bright high school and college STEM students with access to the mid-stratosphere, up about 80,000- to 107,000 feet (24 to 33 km). The team, once they’ve been safety trained and don non-flammable clothing, use a latex hydrogen-filled meteorological balloon to carry student instruments aloft.
On May 2, 2026, prior to EOSS’ 400th balloon flight, students from Littleton Public School EPIC program, and Metropolitan State University (MSU) readied shoebox-sized instrument packages loaded with various onboard sensors to measure internal and external temperature, relative humidity, air pressure, altitude, UV, methane, ozone and radiation levels, along with other student-led experiments.
The participating schools pay $1,400 to $1,800 to cover EOSS’ expenses.
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One payload contains trackers to aide in recovery, and the FAA is notified of flight plans; a $6,000 ADS-B device makes the balloon visible to aircraft and ATC ground controllers.
The all-volunteer EOSS has been launching high altitude balloon experiments on behalf of universities, colleges, high schools and middle schools since 1990, and works with educators offering valuable opportunities to enhance their students' studies of science, mathematics and technology through hands-on experience.
Fill 'er Up
| | Filling with hydrogen (helium is too expensive) | | |
The hams and other EOSS volunteers inflate a latex research balloon with hydrogen, stage the students’ payloads in a long tail, and after countdown release the lift balloon and its string of homemade science projects on a journey miles above the earth to a harsh, alien environment often described as "near-space."
Typical apogee of 95,000 feet is above 99% of the Earth's atmospheric mass, where the sky is black and the highest clouds remain far below. Temperatures are often minus 40 degrees F.
Then the balloon bursts from the decreasing atmospheric pressure; the hydrogen gas inside expands until the latex reaches its elastic limit. The entire string of jury-rigged projects wrapped in aluminum tape float to the ground under a small, brightly colored parachute that “bites in” at approximately 50,000 feet.
Tracking and Recovery Teams Race Downwind
| | EOSS president James Langsted, KCØRPS, closes in. | | |
Then the fun begins as the ham operators jump into their tricked-out SUVs bristling with a porcupine-like array of antennas and track the lift balloon and its long tail as it slowly descends downwind, assisted by a pre-launch estimate of where it might land, and location trackers along for the ride. Snow covered Pikes Peak is off in the distance 83 miles away as they navigate gravel roads through desolate farmland.
Cell service is limited, which is where amateur radio comes in.
Retrieval is part art and science. There are times when payloads land on highways, power lines, in a quarry, and once on a moving train.
Launch no. 400 is sighted 40 miles downwind having landed on brown, dry grazing land parched due to the current drought, surrounded by barbed wire, and off-limits to trespassing. This requires the retrieval team to secure landowner permission before they traipse across private property. This often necessitates knocking on doors of nearby homes which could be miles away. Homeowners usually cooperate, especially when they realize students are involved.
The data on these MacGyvered instrument packages are then downloaded back at school.
“This program gets students excited about both science and the actual process – the full cycle of a real-world engineering project,” says Dan Steepleton, a teacher on the Littleton EPIC campus.
“The roles they have in creating these payloads mirrors an actual aerospace project.”
Because of the low cost of balloon flight and recovery of payloads, another Colorado high school teacher characterized EOSS simply as the "poor man's space program.”
For more information: info@eoss.org, www.eoss.org
MEDIA MATTERS
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Patagonia to Pattie Gonia: “Enuff Already”
Outdoor company Patagonia is suing environmentalist drag queen Pattie Gonia for trademark infringement for $1 plus legal fees, claiming, “we wish we didn’t have to do this,” according to Sian Cain in The Guardian (May 27).
Wyn Wiley, 33, who performs in drag as Pattie Gonia, has accused the outdoor clothing company of “trying to erase an activist.”
The company said that it acted after Wiley filed a trademark application to use the name “Pattie Gonia” to sell clothing and promote environmental activism, which it claims would “irreparably harm” its brand.
“We want Pattie to have a long and successful career and make progress on issues that matter – but in a way that respects Patagonia’s intellectual property and ability to use our brand to sell products and advocate for the environment,” the company said.
Wiley explains, “This is not a brand conflict. This is a corporation trying to erase an activist. This is how corporations bully individuals who cannot match their resources.”
Wylie acknowledged that their merch had involved “playful parody” of Patagonia, but denied ever using its branding, logo or font, adding: “Drag is built on parody, puns and jokes.”
The six-foot Eagle Scout from Lincoln, Nebraska, made their debut at the Outdoor Retailer Show in Denver in February 2019, according to OutsideOnline.com (Feb. 1, 2019). The performer has 1.8 million followers on Instagram.
Read the story here:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/14/pattie-gonia-drag-queen-mountaineer
| | Sir David Attenborough is a titan in the world of natural history filmmaking. | | |
Attenborough Tries to Quietly Celebrate His 100th
Sir David Frederick Attenborough, the English broadcaster, natural historian, and writer, can now add centenarian to his c.v. after reaching his 100th birthday last month. True to his modest nature, Sir David admitted in a recorded audio message that he had originally hoped to celebrate the century mark "quietly" – but the world had much bigger, nature-infused plans.
He was honored with a massive gala hosted by the BBC at London’s Royal Albert Hall; musicians Pete Townshend and Brian Eno organized a global birthday concert; and the Natural History Museum in London announced that a newly discovered species of parasitic wasp from Chile was named Attenboroughnculus tau in his honor.
The Explorers Club posted last month, “… Attenborough still defines what it means to communicate science to the public, with his keen ability to evoke a sense of wonderment for the natural world which drives future generations into curiosity and conservation.”
Read about his most iconic nature docs here:
https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/david-attenborough-documentaries
EXPEDITION FUNDING
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Deadline for the Dirtbag Fund is June 9, 2026
The nonprofit Dirtbag Fund was started in 2022 by “head dirtbag” and professional climber Cedar Wright to recognize, support, and amplify the voice of the next generation of climbers who are contributing to the culture and community of climbing while scraping by on next to nothing.
The Dirtbag Fund is managed by a small team of outdoor enthusiasts who happily donate their time to make this possible. Aside from a very small amount of required overhead, all donations go directly into the pockets of dirtbags. The board includes famed climber Alex Honnold (see EN, February 2026).
Cedar Wright is a professional climber and filmmaker living in Boulder. As a member of The North Face Team, Cedar has traveled the world establishing adventurous and daring first ascents, often documenting these exploits through his writing and cinematography.
For more information and a list of past recipients view:
https://www.thedirtbagfund.com/
BUZZ WORDS
| | The MarineLab Undersea Laboratory in Key Largo, Florida, was the world's longest continually operated underwater facility, running from 1984 - 2018. The 16-ft. by 8-ft. surplus steel tank has a 3-ft. observation port on one end. The 66-in. diameter acrylic sphere (underneath) is accessed from inside the main compartment. | | |
Aquanaut
We’ve heard the word before, but what does it mean? An aquanaut is someone who has spent at least 24 hours in an underwater structure at the same pressure as the surrounding water.
In the same way that astronauts use space stations to research and explore space, aquanauts use underwater laboratories such as this one to study the aquatic world.
(Source: Marine Lab Undersea Park & Museum, Key Largo, Florida)
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
| | Grace Fogarty in the office. | | |
We Blow It
Last month we misidentified the marine scientist who studies how young dolphin near Perth, Australia, play with pufferfish (presumably at the expense of the ball-sized blowfish). It’s Grace Fogarty, not Sally Dowd. She was a featured presenter at the 2026 Explorers Club Annual Dinner (ECAD) Next Generation Explorers Network (NGEN) Symposium. Follow her @finsandfans
| | Travel With Purpose, A Field Guide to Voluntourism (Rowman & Littlefield) by Jeff Blumenfeld – People are traveling in record numbers and many include voluntourists. Be ready to lend a hand wherever you go. How to travel and make a difference while you see the world? Read excerpts and “Look Inside” at: tinyurl.com/voluntourismbook | | |
Get Sponsored! – Need money for your next project? Read about proven techniques that will help you find both cash and in-kind sponsors. If the trip is bigger than you, and is designed to help others, well, that’s half the game right there. Read Jeff Blumenfeld’s Get Sponsored: A Funding Guide for Explorers, Adventurers and Would Be World Travelers.(Skyhorse Publishing).
Purchase it here:
http://www.amazon.com/Get-Sponsored-Explorers-Adventurers-Travelers-ebook/dp/B00H12FLH2
Advertise in Expedition News – For more information: blumassoc@aol.com
EXPEDITION NEWS is published by Blumenfeld and Associates, LLC, 290 Laramie Blvd., Boulder, CO 80304 USA. Tel. 203 326 1200, editor@expeditionnews.com. Editor/publisher: Jeff Blumenfeld. Research editor: Lee Kovel. ©2026 Blumenfeld and Associates, Inc. All rights reserved. ISSN: 1526-8977. Subscriptions: US$36/yr. available by e-mail only. Credit card payments accepted through www.paypal.com. Read EXPEDITION NEWS at www.expeditionnews.com.
Research past issues of Expedition News dating back to May 1995 courtesy of the Utah State University Outdoor Recreation Archive. Access is free at: https://tinyurl.com/ENArchivesUSU
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