August 2004 – Volume Eleven, Number Eight –

EXPEDITION NEWS is the 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.

The following are highlights of our August issue, but this is only part of the story. Click here to subscribe to the full edition. – The Editors, editor@ExpeditionNews.com

EXPLORING THE ORIGINS OF MANKIND

The same team that launched the expedition in 2002 to find the ruins of a sunken city of the coast of India has joined forces once again to explore another archaeological mystery off the coast of Africa this November. Monty Halls, in conjunction with the UK-based Scientific Exploration Society, is putting together a team to survey an area of seabed off Cape Town where the oldest human artifacts found in the sea were discovered.

EXPEDITION NOTES

Curse of the Women of K2 – When Spain's Edurne Pasaban became the sixth woman to stand atop the "king of mountains" K2 during late July’s 50th anniversary festivities, she entered an exclusive but tragic gallery of female mountaineers. The five women who have stood on its 8611m peak before Pasaburn have all met their deaths at high altitude – three of them while descending K2 and two of them on mountains in Nepal six years after their K2 feats.

Pasaban, born in 1973, scaled the peak on July 26 with three Spanish compatriots and four Italian climbers, including the grandson of one of the two Italians who first conquered the world's second highest summit in 1954.

Descent of Nile River From Source To Sea – Two Americans completed what some have called one of the last great adventures of the modern age – the first complete descent of the Nile river from its source as the Blue Nile in Ethiopia to the shores of Alexandria where it spills into the Mediterranean Sea. Pasquale Scaturro of Colorado and Gordon Brown of California reached the mouth of the Nile on April 28, 114 days after launching their epic 3,250-mile journey.

The four-month expedition was sponsored by giant screen film production company MacGillivray Freeman Films (Everest) and Orbita Max of Spain, who are co-producing a documentary based on the expedition, Mystery of the Nile, for release in IMAX theaters in February 2005 (www.NileFilm.com).

EXPEDITION FOCUS

Trip Report: On the Trail of the Incas

Over the course of the past 20 years, the expeditions carried out by American Gregory Deyermenjian, 55, and Peruvian Paulino Mamani, 42, both Fellows of The Explorers Club, have brought them progressively further to the north of Cusco, Peru, in following an unmapped Incan "camino de piedra," a road of stone that alternatingly appears and disappears as it wends its way along the mist-covered ridge of the Paucartambo mountain range.

E-mail us for a free sample issue and read the rest of this fascinating story.

EXPEDITION MARKETING

Outward Bound Partners with Urban Climber Magazine – To inspire exploration of America's urban wilderness, Urban Climber magazine and Outward Bound USA announced the start of a partnership to inspire a new generation to explore their urban wilderness. The partnership will initially focus on promoting the mission of Outward Bound in the magazine, and copies of Urban Climber will be made available to Outward Bound’s national network of urban centers. Bauer Power – They may be just peddling a line of trendy clothes, but EN applauds Eddie Bauer, the outdoor-inspired casual-wear brand, for its new campaign that promotes the concept of "exploring." Eddie is running a powerful new national advertising campaign under the "Explore Eddie Bauer" handle. Advertising will be seen in more than a dozen Conde Nast magazines as well as in Bauer's three retail channels (retail stores, online and catalog) this fall. Also involved are a variety of Hollywood stars and the Environmental Media Association on Environmental Awareness Campaign (www.ema-online.org). The message encourages everyone to "Explore Your Environment."

ON THE HORIZON

China Caves International Symposium – Western cave exploration in China is only just coming of age. Until the parting of the "Bamboo Curtain" in 1982, one could only dream what lay beneath China’s 910,000 square kilometres of spectacular limestone karst. Over the past two decades, speleologists from across the world have worked with their Chinese counterparts to survey more than 2,000 km of underground passageways.

This is only the tip of the iceberg, with many more discoveries waiting to be made. Leaders and members of many of these expeditions are descending upon the Royal Geographical Society in London on Sept. 24-25 to share their research and look at how to take Chinese cave exploration forward into the next 20 years. About 35 Chinese nationals, including some of the country’s foremost speleologists and geologists, will attend along with expedition leaders from countries including France, Belgium, Italy, the U.S. and from many of the 17 joint expeditions of the Sino-British China Caves Project. (For more information: www.andyeavis.com).

DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

Misplaced Mountain – In June we reported on the quest by Ed Viesturs to climb all 14 of the world's highest mountains (above 8000 m) without the use of supplemental oxygen. We reported he has successfully climbed 13 to date, with only Annapurna, in Pakistan, remaining. Except one thing: Annapurna is in Nepal. We regret the editing error.

We’re Apa-plectic – Our June story on Apa Sherpa had a few minor errors we need to correct, starting with the spelling of his name – Apa, not Appa, which means father in Nepali. Apa is 44 not 42, and he has summited Everest four times without supplemental oxygen (out of a world record of 14 summits).

Also, we incorrectly placed Namche at the foot of Everest – it is the Sherpa capital still many miles away from base camp; it would have been more correct to say that he left base camp for the summit for that is where people start their summit push, at base camp not at Lukla or at Namche. Our thanks go to Lance Trumbull, expedition leader of the Everest Peace Project (www.EverestPeaceProject.com) for setting the record straight.

EXPEDITION NEWS RELOCATES

As we prepare to celebrate our 10th anniversary, Expedition News is pleased to announce relocation to newer, larger space in Darien, Conn. at 28 Center Street, Darien, CT 06820. Tel. (+1) 203-655-1600; fax (+1) 203-655-1622. Coincidentally, Darien is named for the Darien Gap, a notorious no-man’s land between Columbia and Panama - 167 miles of jungles, swamps and rivers at the doorstep of South America. Why is it so named? Best we can tell because of its location between Stamford and Norwalk, where today, about the most dangerous experience you can have is if your Land Rover gets struck from behind by a Suburban in the Grand Union parking lot.

EXPEDITION CLASSIFIEDS

Expedition Public Relations – Alex Foley & Associates specializes in international public relations for explorers, expeditions and adventure challenges creating maximum value for title sponsors.

Alexandra Foley is a dual British-American citizen, Honorary Secretary of the British Chapter of the Explorers Club and a Fellow of The Royal Geographical Society. Her firm has executed PR programmes for numerous expeditions including the Titanic 1996 Expedition, The Ice Challenger Bering Strait Expedition, Will Cross’s Novolog Ultimate Trek to Cure Diabetes, David Hempleman Adams’s Chase de Vere, Bank of Ireland and Uniq Atlantic Balloon Challenges, and his solo and unsupported trek to the Geomagnetic North Pole, and Rosie Stancer’s Snickers South Pole Solo Challenge.

Alex Foley & Associates Ltd.
London, UK
alexfoley@btinternet.com
www.AlexFoleyPR.com
Tel: (+44) 207-352-3144
Mobile: (+44) 797-671-3478.