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December 2024 – Volume Thirty, Number Twelve
Celebrating our 30th 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.
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Roy Chapman Andrews (Photo: AMNH) | |
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CAMELS THROUGH THE GOBI:
THE ROY CHAPMAN ANDREWS LEGACY EXPEDITION 2025
The Roy Chapman Andrews Legacy Expedition 2025, developed and led by Bob Atwater, a past vice president of The Explorers Club and board member of the Roy Chapman Andrews Society, is a planned two-week expedition to the Gobi Desert in commemoration of the 1920s Central Asiatic Expeditions of Andrews (1884-1960).
One of the inspirations for Hollywood’s beloved Indiana Jones character (see EN, May 2023), Andrews was past president of The Explorers Club, director of the American Museum of Natural History, and famous for the discovery of the first dinosaur eggs in the Gobi desert's Flaming Cliffs.
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Atwater’s project scheduled for June 2025 will involve a diverse group of 30 of some of the world’s best explorers from six countries, along with 15 support personnel from Mongolia’s Nomadify Expeditions based in Ulan Bator.
The expedition will reportedly be the largest Bactrian camel caravan in a century. The team plans to ride the 38-camel route five to six hours per day for nine days with five days of scientific field work at designated sites along the route.
The expedition’s scientific goals involve those planned by Andrews, but with modern-day scientific field techniques.
“We will determine the effects of climate change in the Gobi; record and archive the cultural heritage of the migrating indigenous peoples through interviews; record the geographical changes with comparisons to photographs taken by Andrews in the 1920s; record and archive designated archaeological sites; and study the changes of migration herds of wild animals, according to Atwater.
“We plan to film a documentary on the life and times of Andrews and his ties to our Legacy Expedition,” Atwater adds.
Atwater has received endorsement by Andrews’ granddaughter Sara Appelbee, and the Roy Chapman Andrews Society, to carry and use Andrews’ original binoculars from his Central Asiatic Expeditions of the 1920s. Additionally, the expedition has been awarded an Explorers Club flag, exploration’s version of the “Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.”
Atwater is seeking $250,000 to cover all costs expedition equipment including photography, video recording, batteries, medical equipment, international travel, housing and other team member expenses.
For more information:
bobalinc1@hotmail.com
EXPEDITION NOTES
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STEAM Project Seeks Team Members to Explore Antarctic
From February 14 to March 10, 2026, Sea Women Expeditions (SWX) will assemble a team of 25 explorers to travel to the bottom of the world – the Falkland Islands, South Georgia Island, Elephant Island, the Western Antarctic Peninsula, and the Polar Circle.
The ocean research and dive and snorkel expedition to the Southern Ocean and the Weddell Sea will travel aboard the Oceanwide Expeditions M/V Hondius, a Polar Class 6 vessel built from the ground up for expedition cruising.
“During this 21st century polar expedition, we’ll bring together a world-class lineup of international experts across the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics) fields,” says expedition leader Susan Eaton.
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SWX is seeking oceanographers, scientists, engineers, visual and performing artists, geographers, historians, researchers, writers, educators, journalists, business leaders, underwater videographers and photographers, remotely operated vehicle (ROV) pilots, and medical and scuba diving professionals to contribute their skills and expertise.
Backed by scientific permits and in collaboration with university partners, SWX's ocean research will include sea water sampling for eDNA analysis, zooplankton and phytoplankton studies, and invertebrate zoological investigations.
Prices range from $20,200 to $27,500-plus.
To apply: send your biography and resume to: info@seawomen.com
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The 353-ft MV Hondius is a purpose-built, environmentally-friendly expedition cruise ship, designed to sail the rough waters of the world’s polar regions.
The ship was launched in 2019 and carries up to 170 passengers.
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QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“From the melting Arctic and the dusty moon to the Red Planet, and even the starlight of long ago, opportunities for exploration continue to beckon those of great fortitude. Using new forms of technology and innovative modes of transportation, they will make daring strides into unknown regions.
If they successfully take up the mantle of the explorers of the past who forged paths, climbed mountains, and crossed seas, they too will expand human knowledge about the world and universe in which we live.”
– Amanda Bellows, author, The Explorers: A New History of America in Ten Expeditions. (William Morrow, 2024)
MEDIA MATTERS
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A 67-foot-long Apatosaurus dubbed Vulcain sold for $6.3 million in November. | |
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Dem Bones: Rich People Love Dinosaur Bones and
Scientists Are Feeling Left Out
In a high-ceilinged room on the Upper East Side of New York City, at least 100 people listened tensely as a Sotheby’s auctioneer addressed the crowd.
“We can open Stegosaurus at $3 million.”
“A historic bidding battle for the 27-foot-long dinosaur had commenced,” Aylin Woodward writes in the Wall Street Journal (Nov. 29).
Dinosaur fossils have captured the imagination of the superrich, turning what had been the domain of academics into one of the hottest collectibles markets. Celebrities like Nicolas Cage, Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio have all bought some, sometimes outbidding or purchasing from each other. Cage edged out DiCaprio for the skull of a Tyrannosaurus cousin, paying $276,000, while Crowe bought a $35,000 prehistoric skull from DiCaprio himself.
Today, commercial paleontologists and landowners strike profit-sharing deals in hopes of discovering a dinosaur that will bring in the next eye-popping sum. The upside is an influx of people working to save thousands of bones and teeth from the decay of time. The downside is academics have lost access to swaths of what they consider the mecca of dinosaur hunting, according to the WSJ story.
The market has intruded on the domain of the scientific enterprise.
Read the story here:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/dinosaur-bones-fossils-collectors-museums-98e65f78?page=1
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Climbing Into Life with Alex’s Mom
Famed climber Alex Honnold’s mother Dierdre Wolownick, is the oldest woman to ascend Yosemite’s El Capitan – at age 66. Never an athlete, she excelled in seven languages, art, music and other intellectual pursuits. In her 60's she began running and climbing out of curiosity. Mentored by her son, Wolownick proves that one is never too old to try something new.
From producer, writer, and director, Melissa J Davey, the documentary is currently making the rounds of film festivals and is streaming on AppleTV, Prime Video, Vimeo, Vudu, Google TV, YouTubeTV, and Hulu, plus international airlines.
View the trailer:
https://youtu.be/mObj4y61SeE?si=hcuzrgGU9tEHjdP2
For more information:
https://www.facebook.com/climbingintolife
EXPEDITION FUNDING
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After more than a decade, corrosion is threatening the engines of Sully’s aircraft. Donations are needed for a study using advanced techniques to understand the corrosion and create a long-term stabilization plan. | |
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Preserving Sully’s Aircraft
Exploration, by its very definition, usually means traveling far from home, and that often involves airflight. Thus, we’re always interested in news about the advanced aircraft and skilled pilots who take us where we need to explore.
The US Airways Airbus A320-214 aircraft that protected 155 passengers when they ditched into the Hudson River on January 15, 2009, dubbed the “Miracle on the Hudson,” is currently housed in a museum alongside Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina.
Dozens of passengers aboard the flight were Charlotteans and many still call the region home.
The facility was renamed in early 2023 the Sullenberger Aviation Museum, honoring Capt. C.B. “Sully” Sullenberger, who, along with co-pilot Jeff Skiles, famously landed Flight 1549 safely in New York City’s Hudson River.
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The museum has launched a $15,000 fundraising campaign to study how best to preserve a piece of aviation history – the engines from the aircraft are now threatened by corrosion.
The passengers of Flight 1549 have also collectively started the Flight 1549 Campaign, a separate funding initiative dedicated to preserving the aircraft and funding the corresponding materials and collection for years to come.
Sullenberger retired from US Airways in 2010 at age 59. Skiles continued flying at US Airways and was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner captain for American. He retired last month at age 65, according to the story by Ryan Ewing in Flying magazine (Nov. 19, 2024).
Learn more about the museum and its fundraising effort:
https://www.facebook.com/SullenbergerAviationMuseum
EXPEDITION INK
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Fedarko’s Grand Canyon Book Wins NOBA
Finding one’s way in the depths of the Grand Canyon, teaching kids how to identify birds, working with researchers as they unlock the secrets of plants. These topics and many more are among the winners of the 2024 National Outdoor Book Awards (NOBA).
A total of 15 books were chosen as winners in this year's program which is now in its 28th year. Sponsors of the program include the National Outdoor Book Awards Foundation, Idaho State University and the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education.
Awards are presented in ten categories ranging from outdoor literature to children’s books.
The winner of the Outdoor Literature category is A Walk in the Park (Scribner) by Kevin Fedarko. Fedarko and a friend attempt to hike the length of the Grand Canyon while staying under the rim. They quickly learn, however, that it’s no walk in the park. Less than a week after getting started, they hobble out of the canyon, barely surviving the ordeal.
They try again and after a few more missteps, they start making progress. More than a story of a hike, Fedarko paints a powerful portrait of the canyon: the river that carved it, its geology, and the cultural and human history imprinted on it.
A list of all 2024 winners may be found at the National Outdoor Book Awards at: www.noba-web.org
?WEB WATCH
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Buzz Drank Wine in Space. Time to Par-tay.
Few know that astronaut Buzz Aldrin drank wine during his 1969 moon mission; an elder at Webster Presbyterian Church near Houston, he from a plastic container while taking communion in the Lunar Module Eagle.
NASA kept it quiet – they were dealing with a lawsuit from Madalyn Murray O'Hair, an atheist who wanted to prevent religious practices in space.
A new documentary now pops the cork on spaceborne bootleg.
On October 11, the Alcohol in Space doc premiered at the Explorers Club in New York City to a standing-room-only audience. Based on the book authored by Chris Carberry, Culture in Space Productions (CiSP) has released its first full-length documentary film now available on Amazon Prime, according to Leonard David’s Inside Outer Space (Nov. 30).
Attending the Explorers Club premiere was Greg Olsen, the third private civilian in space, a self-funded rocket sojourn in October 2005 to the International Space Station via a Russian Soyuz.
“The increased population of both non-orbital and orbital flyers will make this an ongoing experiment since many of them will have no crew duties and would be free to sample a drink or two,” Olsen explains.
“Alcohol in Space is an interesting movie that discusses not only the possibility of it having already been used in space, but also what the effects of weightlessness might be on people who would consume it.”
As noted in a CiSP media statement, Alcohol in Space is the first of many films that will examine the expansion of human culture in space. CiSP will tell the stories of the next wave of astronauts, innovators, and dreamers pushing to expand human culture into space.
“While rockets and spaceships are essential to get there, a viable human civilization beyond Earth will require all human culture. This includes art, labor, literature, culinary arts, friendships, families, and of course a healthy dose of ‘sex, drugs, and rock and roll.’”
Wait until the 66,000-member Facebook group Space Hipsters hears about this!
Read the movie review:
https://www.leonarddavid.com/movie-review-alcohol-in-space/
View the trailer:
https://cultureinspace.org/
Get hip:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/spacehipsters/
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JR Harris says exploring has shaped who he has become. | |
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“Fear is Part of the Game”
J. Robert “JR” Harris, an 80-year-old member of The Explorers Club, and founder of its Society of Forgotten Explorers (see EN, December 2021), was profiled on Matter of Fact, hosted by broadcast journalist Soledad O’Brien. In the segment, JR, who discovered the outdoors at a Boy Scout camp in the Catskills, says, “exploring has shaped who I became.” He adds, “fear in the outdoors is part of the game … it has its place.”
Director Emeritus and current chair of the Club’s DEI Committee, he speaks to predominantly underdeveloped and disenfranchised New York schools, a talk titled, “If I can do it, you can do it.”
Watch the 3:48 piece here:
https://www.matteroffact.tv/a-septuagenarian-explorer-whos-been-to-50-countries-inspires-new-generation/
Earlier this year, Harris’ book, Way Out There: Adventures of a Wilderness Trekker (Mountaineers Books, 2017), was named by Peter Moore in Backpacker.com (April 16, 2024) among “The 50 Best Hiking, Trekking, and Walking Books of All Time.”
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EN HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
It’s that time of year again: you’ve got your Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, Travel Deals Tuesday, Giving Tuesday, Super Saturday, and probably more. Before we get all slogan-y on you, might we suggest first consulting EN’s Holiday Guide for great gift ideas to place under the Christmas tree or Chanukkah bush.
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At My Signal
Go ahead. Give your friend or loved one a Garmin InReach, Google Pixel or GPS-enabled Apple Watch so they don’t get lost on the trail. Give them a box of breadcrumbs or sextant (plus a 300-page instruction manual – they’re complicated).
Our money is on a simple, analog Wazoo signal mirror. Target planes, helicopters, and distant search and rescue teams with its ultra-bright signal that is visible from up to 30 miles away. About the size of a thick credit card. At night, sadly, your recipient is on their own. Of course, the better idea is not to get lost in the first place. (WazooGear.com, $8)
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Hug a Geographer
Get those young’uns on your gift list interested in geography with this soft, yet detailed reference pillow-globe for kids. The Hugg-a-Planet globe comes in three sizes (6-, 12-, and 24-in. diameter) and is printed with over 600 places of interest, including countries, continents, oceans, islands, states, and political boundaries. Sorry, flat earthers, you’ll have to shop elsewhere. (Huggaplanet.com, $25-$150)
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Make Batman Jealous
As any former comics-reading boomer can tell you, Batman fought the bad guys with his Utility Belt. Now explorers on your list can have its modern-day equivalent: the Pro-180X Chest Pack, perfect for the essentials of modern-day exploring: iPhone, credit card wallet, Red Bull, and portable JBL speaker to play Taylor Swift fit inside this oversized “merse.” Pockets are so 1970. (westslopegear.com, $118.40)
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DIY Wings
Many of us grew up building Revell model airplanes. In fact, that’s where most kids first learned the word “fuselage.” This gift suggestion takes that to the next logical step: a DIY Carbon Cub light aircraft kit which includes every part needed to finish the airplane, including the engine, prop and panel.
A typical CubCrafters kit will take 800 - 1,000 hours to complete; perfect way to fight the post-holiday blues.
Cost is $100,000 - $200,000, depending upon whether you want to throw in a Halon fire extinguisher ($300), extended landing gear ($2,100), a right landing light ($1,370), and long-range fuel tanks ($4,800).
We’re not flight certified, but we watched the 1950s TV show Sky King very carefully and think these options seem rather important to include with your gift. Just don’t try to land in the Hudson with it. (cubcrafters.com)
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Feet Don’t Fail Me Now
That trek to Everest Base Camp can be quite a slog, but not with Skip’s MO/GO, designed to help your gift recipient tackle any elevation with less exertion, muscle fatigue and joint discomfort. It boosts leg power 40%, supports knees on the way down, and makes the wearer feel 30 lbs. lighter. It’s the leading edge of a new product category called movewear - integrating exoskeleton technology into consumer products. It's like a Sherpa for your legs. (skipwithjoy.com, pre-order for $4,500)
Text Link
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DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS | |
Ten members of the Full Circle Everest team, the first all-Black team to summit Everest, reached the top on May 12, 2022. | |
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All-Black Full Circle Expedition Postpones North Pole Trek
Last month, in our coverage of the Full Circle Expedition, we reported that the eight-person all-Black team planned to depart in 2025. Those plans have been delayed until April 2026 to provide additional time to develop sponsorship funding, according to team leader Jeska Clark.
“The exact departure location is still to be determined – likely either Krasnoyarsk, Russia or Longyearbyen, Norway, depending on geopolitical conditions,” she emails. Current supporters include Smartwool and Protect Our Winters.
The 501(c)(3) nonprofit Full Circle North Pole team will honor the legacy of Matthew Henson, the first African American to reach the North Pole (1909).
For more information:
www.fullcircle-expeditions.com
EXPEDITION CLASSIFIEDS
First Responder Seeks to Join Expedition
Whether I am backcountry snowboarding with friends, taking clients on backpacking trips, or leading a team of healthcare workers/mental health providers into a disaster zones, my role has been safety and security for everyone involved. Being a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) for almost 15 years has taught me how to venture into the unknown with humility, curiosity, and how to use the resources available to find creative solutions and solve complex problems.
I am often drawn towards things that are deemed difficult and run towards crisis to help people in danger. Being on a team traveling into the unknown is where I am meant to be.
Please contact me for more information.
– Tommy Adanalian, LCSW, LAC, WFR, Westminster, Colorado, 303 884 6768, tadanalianmmt@gmail.com
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Travel With Purpose, A Field Guide to Voluntourism (Rowman & Littlefield) by Jeff Blumenfeld – Travel has come roaring back and so has voluntourism. 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 | |
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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).
Buy 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. ©2024 Blumenfeld and Associates, Inc. All rights reserved. ISSN: 1526-8977. Subscriptions: US$36/yr. available by email only. Credit card payments are accepted through www.paypal.com to blumassoc@aol.com
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