June 2006 – Volume Thirteen, Six

EXPEDITION NEWS, now in its 12^th year, 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.

The following are highlights of our June issue, but this is only part of the story. Click here to subscribe to the full edition. or e-mail us for a free sample copy at editor@ExpeditionNews.com

ULTRALIGHT TREK ACROSS THE ARCTIC

Three adventurers, including the publisher of a magazine dedicated to the ultralight trekking style, will begin an attempt this month of reportedly the first and longest unsupported trekking traverse of Alaska, America’s most remote, roadless, uninhabited wilderness.

The Arctic 1000 team hopes to determine how far one can walk in a remote wilderness without resupply and outside support. They will also forgo any sort of foraging, hunting, or fishing in an effort to complete the longest wilderness traverse in the U.S. by fair means, and be the first to visit the most remote location in the U.S. by fair means.

The 1,000 km (621-mi.) route will traverse the most remote (westernmost) region of Alaska's Brooks Range, starting at the Chukchi Sea near Point Hope and ending at either the indigenous habitation of Anaktuvuk Pass or the Alaskan Oil Pipeline Highway ("Haul Road") near Wiseman. This region is the largest contiguous roadless and uninhabited wilderness in America, and contains America's remotest spot (defined by its distance from the nearest roads or habitations) in an area that is more than 15 times the area of the remotest spot in the contiguous U.S., the area southeast of Yellowstone National Park.

The team, traveling totally on foot, will carry all of their gear, food, and supplies for the entirety of the trek in backpacks. Only their water supply will be sourced along the way.

STEGER PLANS 2007 ICE EXPEDITION TO STUDY GLOBAL WARMING

In February 2007, polar explorer and educator Will Steger will launch the Inuit Cultural Exchange (ICE) to study the effects of global warming. The project, which focuses on the Inuit people of Baffin Island, Nunavut, hopes to put a “face, a voice and an identity on global warming.” Two Steger-led 10-dog teams will unite with up to eight Inuit teams as they travel from Pangnirtung, across the Auyuittuq National Park to Broughton Island, up the eastern coast to Clyde River, then west to Pond Inlet and south to conclude in Igloolik. This 1,400-mile route includes some of the most isolated communities, reachable only via mountainous terrain or along the fjord-sliced Atlantic coast.

The Steger teams, comprised of Steger, John Stetson, and education coordinators Elizabeth Andre and Abby Fenton, will spend a week in each village to introduce online travelers to Inuit elders, hunters, and families. They will share daily uploaded images, sounds, video and journal entries on GlobalWarming101.com

EXPEDITION UPDATE

Ocean Rower Beached

A solo row from Africa to New York turned into a one-day washout for an American oarsman when his home-made plywood boat sprung a leak just hours after he left Senegal early last month (See EN, December 2003) Victor Mooney, 41, radioed for help after he saw water leaking into his boat. He was rescued by the Senegalese navy, but the 24-ft. ocean rowing boat he built for the journey sank.

EXPEDITION NOTES

Riding for Education Focuses on the Final Leg – In an effort to raise funds for education, Stephen McCutcheon, 26, from Bolton, UK, is on the final 6,000 km of a 10,000 km horseback odyssey from Delhi to Beijing along the ancient silk route. Departing in November 2004 on his “Riding for Education” project, the caravan’s goal is to raise £100,000 for the International NGO ActionAid to improve education in India, Pakistan and China by visiting remote schools along the way.

McCutcheon, a former English teacher in Northern Nepal, is reportedly the first in history to officially ride from New Delhi to Lahore, Pakistan. Riding 25 - 40 km per day, he hopes to arrive in Beijing by spring 2007.

AAC Museum to be Named for Bradford Washburn – The American Mountaineering Museum in Golden, Colo., set to open in 2008, will be named for a pioneering mountain photographer and cartographer. The 3,000 sq. ft. Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum, a joint venture of the AAC and the Colorado Mountain Club, will be an affiliate site of the National Geographic Society and detail the history of mountaineering and the role that Americans have played in it, as well as current achievements and issues facing climbers.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means and what life is for.” – George Leigh Mallory (1886-1924)

CLIMBING FOR DOLLARS

This month’s issue carries news of thousands of dollars being granted to climbers worldwide by W.L. Gore and Associates and the American Alpine Club. E-mail us for a free sample issue. Or subscribe for a full year so you don’t miss out on future news about grants and sponsorships.

EXPEDITION MARKETING Sunglass Company Sets Sights on Sponsorship – Costa del Mar, sponsors of the Across Northern Alaska expedition, is looking for other projects to support. The company’s brand, built on performance and adventure, is especially interested in water-related projects. Al Perkinson, vice president – marketing, is open to pitches. (For more information: (+1) 386-677-3700 x115, aperkinson@costadelmar.com)

ON THE HORIZON

BioBlitz Returns to Central Park

The Explorers Club and the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation will again host a BioBlitz of New York’s Central Park on June 23-24. Scientists, naturalists and volunteers will form specialized teams to explore Central Park in a two-day inventory of the Park’s many species. Experts, amateur naturalists, and volunteers are being sought.

Dr. Edward O. Wilson will be on hand to aid in the identification of the park’s many insect species. A Harvard University professor emeritus, Dr. Wilson is internationally regarded as the preeminent biological theorist of the twentieth century and a pioneer in the field of biodiversity. (For more information: bioblitz@explorers.org, Explorers.org)

EXPEDITION CLASSIFIEDS

TV Producer – Seeks explorers for interviews, stories and photographs. Contact: HawkPhotography.net, hawkfoto@optonline.net