JULY 2000 HIGHLIGHTS
Here are excerpts from our July issue. For a complete copy of this and every monthly issue of Expedition News, see subscription information below. - The Editors
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 what could be the greatest archaeological discovery of modern times, an expedition is planned in August 2001 to scientifically document - once and for all - whether traces of Noah's Ark are located above 14,000 feet in the ice and snowfields of northeastern Turkey's Mount Ararat. Ark Research Project (ARP), a Lynchburg, Va.-based non-profit organization dedicated to scientific documentation of Noah's Ark, will work closely with Ataturk University in Erzurum, Turkey, to determine the whereabouts of this fabled 4,500-year-old ship.
A Maryland girls' school is sponsoring an expedition in May 2001 to Huascaran (22,205-ft./6,768 m), the highest peak in Peru. Oldfields School's Teachers Exploring Alternative Curricula on Huascaran or TEACH 2000, aims to prepare a curriculum for integrating traditional academic subjects into an experiential education setting, such as a high altitude mountaineering expedition. This month, a preliminary expedition to Huascaran will pave the way for the planned team of six girls next year.
- After 95 days of polar travel covering 1,800 miles (2,900 km), a two-man team has made the longest dog sled journey in Greenland's history. On May 21, American Arctic Explorer Lonnie Dupre, 39, and Australian John Hoelscher, 37, reached their final destination of Qaanaaq, a Polar Inuit settlement in northwest Greenland. Dupre and Hoelscher were accompanied by 14 Greenland huskies on the adventure.
- One thousand years ago, Leif Eiriksson sailed from Iceland to discover North America some 500 years before Columbus. Last June 17, nine modern-day Vikings departed Reykjavik, Iceland, in a 75-ft. oak and pine replica of Eiriksson's ship, bound for 1,000th anniversary celebrations in Boston, Providence, Mystic Seaport, New Haven, and New York City this fall
- Gus McLeod's Stearman biplane flight from Maryland to the North Pole - a bone-chilling 3,500 miles away - was an inspiration to Detroit Free Press columnist Mort Crim. He writes on June 19, "Whatever it is that drives some to such difficult adventures, we should be grateful to them. Those who accept misery as the price of pursuing a goal are at the vanguard of human progress." He concludes, "Perhaps life, ultimately, is easiest for those who aren't always trying to make it easy on themselves."
- Join us for a thrilling summer exploration of NEW
ZEALAND AND ITS SUB-ANTARCTIC ISLANDS. Travel along the shores of this history- and wildlife-rich destination,
sailing in the wake of Captain Cook and other intrepid mariners. From rare YELLOW-EYED PENGUINS to beautiful fjords,
from close encounters with sperm whales, orcas and dusky dolphins to exciting Maori dances, New Zealand and its
islands offer the ULTIMATE SOUTHERN ADVENTURE. 16-day program, January 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.
- Kilimanjaro hike. Mt. Kenya rock climb. Safaris. Low cost. Well organized. mazur@cybernet2.com, www.cybernet2.com/africa_explore; tel. 406 363 7747.
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.