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.
Here are highlights from this month’s issue:
For more than a half century, families of airmen declared Missing In Action
(MIA) during World War II have lived with a painful lack of closure, not
knowing exactly how or even where their loved ones died. A team of explorers
believes having such knowledge, while not the pain of loss, might ease the
emptiness and silence the nightmares.
A small, loosely knit group of friends, historians, aviators and scuba divers
based in the San Francisco Bay Area and calling themselves the Bent Prop
Team, will depart in early November for the Republic of Palau in the western
Pacific to continue its search for American aircraft and airmen missing in
action since WWII. The month-long project is called P-MAN III (for
Palau-Marines+ Army Air Force+ Navy).
A British explorer is about to recreate one of the most famous camel-borne
crossings of the Sahara. John Hare, an environmentalist and campaigner for
the preservation of the wild Bactrian camel, will lead a
British-Chinese-Kenyan expedition which will re-explore by camel the route
taken by Hanns Vischer in his trans-Sahara journey of l906.
Hare's expedition, which sets out later this month, has a double purpose: to
assess changes that have affected the Sahara since then, and to draw world
attention to the plight of the wild camel - an endangered species that lives
in the Lop Nur area of the Chinese Gobi and is more at risk than the giant
panda.
From tighter airport security, to a struggling economy, to cutbacks in
travel, the world is a different place following the unprecedented Sept. 11
tragedy. Members of the outdoors community responded to the attack on New
York and Washington in different ways.
• Outdoor Industry Joins Relief Effort - Within days of the attack,
outdoor industry manufacturers – the companies that make the gear used on
expeditions – shipped an astounding array of product to aid in the relief.
According to the Outdoor Industry Association, which represents backpacking,
climbing, canoeing and other outdoor groups, donations included: 250,000
energy bars, 5,000 boots and shoes, 1,900 flashlights and headlamps, 4,000
waterproof jackets, 2,000 waterproof pants, 500 tents and tarps, 4,000 water
bottle/hydration systems, and $200,000 in cash.
"Usually these groups furnish products to outdoor enthusiasts who experience
the majesty of our public lands, but in this tragic time, they've come
together to donate thousands of items desperately needed by disaster victims
and recovery workers," said Interior Secretary Gale Norton in a statement
praising the industry.
Most of the gear was supplied to AmeriCares, the international disaster
relief and humanitarian aid organization. EN staff volunteered to accompany a
supply-run to the WTC on Sept. 27. Round-the-clock news coverage of the past
few weeks can’t begin to describe 12-15 city blocks of devastation – the 110
story buildings now mostly smashed into the six stories of shops, parking
lots, and train stations that were beneath the surface.
For us, we’ll
remember not so much the destruction, but the little things: the words “God
Bless America” written on a deserted store window by a finger dipped in ash.
The smell in the air – like a campfire recently doused. The portable cell tow
ers erected to coax life out of buried cellphones undoubtedly low on power,
if not crushed outright. And we’ll remember the dirty, gray ash that still
covered building facades and awnings, as if a horrific volcanic eruption
occurred nearby.
• AAC Mountaineers Offer to Help - Members of the New York chapter of the
American Alpine Club, which held its 22nd annual dinner in New York on Sept.
29, have suggested that the organization provide technical support to a
possible military response to the recent attacks. In a series of e-mails,
some have suggested that since the region around Afghanistan is known to AAC
mountaineers, proficient technical climbers would be useful for certain
covert operations.
“Our organization offers a wealth of knowledge and talent that could
potentially be useful,” writes David Ryon, M.D., of New Paltz, N.Y. “I am
not suggesting that we call for an enlistment of AAC members, but we have the
potential to contribute, as primary resources familiar with the terrain, to
alpine and technical instruction, and perhaps as specific talent.”
The idea is not as far-fetched as it may seem: the AAC helped form and staff
the elite WWII 10th Mountain Division, which distinguished itself in 1945 by
capturing 2,300-ft. Riva Ridge, a German stronghold in the mountains of
Italy. As well, the late Barry Bishop, an AAC member, was involved in covert
operations for the CIA along the India-China border some years ago.
Much thought was given to possibly canceling the AAC dinner, scheduled just
18 days after the attack and only a few miles away. AAC section chairman
Philip Erard explained to the sold-out crowd at the Union Club, “Climbing is
an affirmation of life. As someone said, ‘we don’t climb to die. We climb to
live.’” A silent auction that evening raised $3,400 for the disaster relief
fund.
• SAR Dogs Play Important Role – Many of the search and rescue (SAR) dogs
that have been assisting with the rescue and recovery efforts in New York
have come from the wilderness community, according to Charley Shimanski,
director of the Mountain Rescue Association Education. “And while the dogs
represent an incredibly valuable resource, they are subject to many of the
same physical and emotional hardships as their dog handlers.”
Shimanski continues, “At ground zero, a special veterinary clinic has been
established for the SAR canines, many of whom suffered from cut feet (from
the splinters of glass and steel), dehydration, and respiratory difficulties.
Eye irrigation was needed as well for many of the dogs.
“When faced with decreasing odds of finding survivors, search and rescue
dogs suffer many of the same emotional hardships as their two-legged
counterparts. SAR dogs struggle with their lack of success at finding
survivors, and can often get depressed by the high number of deceased
subjects.” Shimanski tells EN, “As a result, it becomes difficult to
motivate the dogs when they don’t feel rewarded for their efforts. To
address this issue, many dog handlers are playing games of ‘hide and seek’
with their dogs, both at ground-zero and at the Jacob Javits Convention
Center in New York - where they are being housed.”
• Everest Balloon Flight Cancelled – In a related story, China has declined
to give permission to a British adventurer who planned to launch from Tibet
in a hot air balloon for a solo flight over Mount Everest. Beijing refused
to let David Hempleman-Adams fly alone from Tibet in an open-basket balloon
over the world's highest peak into Nepal, a feat which has never been done
before. No reason for the Chinese decision was given, but organizers said
there were increased security considerations in the wake of the terrorist
attacks.
Hempleman-Adams, 44, had hoped to take off from the Rongbok Monastery in
Tibet, which is at an altitude of 4,870 m (15,978 feet), and fly as high as
10,670 m (35,000 feet) across the Everest summit into Nepal.
Adventure Diving: Tourism and
Oceanography Join Forces
By Dr. Don Walsh
It is an unlikely partnership, tourism and marine scientific research, yet it
has been happening at sea over the past four years. While this new addition
to global efforts in oceanography is small indeed, it does make a useful
contribution. And it is an activity that is increasing each year.
For a free copy of the October issue containing this story, and a
subscription order form, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Expedition
News at 137 Rowayton Ave., 210, Rowayton, CT 06853 USA.
Going Deep – Undersea explorer Sylvia Earle tells Popular Science magazine (October 2001) she recently descended 1,800 feet in the Deep Worker diving suit leased by the National Geographic Society for the Sustainable Seas Expeditions, a five-year mission of exploration and research along the continental shelf of the U.S., Mexico, Belize, and Canada.
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A Himalaya, Africa, Aconcagua Inexpensive Climb - With Daniel Mazur, Amadablam, Kangchenjunga, 7000m snowpeaks, EVEREST, Cho-oyu, Manaslu, KILIMANJARO-TREK, Kenya rockclimb, 206-329-4107, www.summitclimb.com, summitclimb@earthlink.net
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. ©2001 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. Layout and design by Nextwave Design, Seattle.