May 2025 – Volume Thirty-One, Number Five 

Celebrating our 31th 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.



Brian Buma in northern Greenland. (Photo: Jeff Kerby)

EXPLORER SEEKS SIGNS OF MANKIND AT

EARTH’S GEOGRAPHIC EXTREMES 

Twin expeditions led by Dr. Brian Buma, 44, in 2019 and 2023, bookended the world and found the furthest geographic extremes of Indigenous human presence yet found.

His expedition furthest south to the Chilean island of Hornos, home to Cape Horn, found 400-year-old harpoon points, cooking hearths, and a dense butchering site buried under 12 inches (30 cm) of soil. 

It also identified the southernmost tree on earth, a diminutive Magellan’s beech, and established long-term ecological research sites on the southern cliffs overlooking the infamous Drake Passage.

Buma’s second expedition ventured to the northernmost land on earth, Inuit Qeqertaat (Kaffeklubben Island) located off the northern coast of Greenland about 430 miles south of the Geographic North Pole. The island was confirmed as the northernmost permanent land after extensive measurements demonstrated that the several islets “discovered” in prior years, most notably Oodaaq, were gravel banks or debris-covered icebergs.



The team identified the northernmost terrestrial life on earth – a diminutive Arctic poppy, a cosmopolitan moss, and an amiable stoat living just a few paces from the northern shore. The northernmost archaeological site yet confirmed was found across the ice on the mainland, a Thule tent ring, estimated at 700 years old most likely used to hold down the rim of a skin tent.

Aka Simonsen, Indigenous Greenlandic archaeologist, traversing the ice towards Kaffeklubben. (Photo: Jeff Kerby)

Buma is looking to raise $220,000 in funding, for a second expedition to Greenland’s north coast in 2026 to locate further evidence of Thule life on the northern rim of the earth.

“This region may have never before seen human footsteps; visiting on foot and collecting key ecological and ice data that can be tied to satellite imagery, is the only way to explore these lands and set up monitoring for the future,” says Buma, director of the Climate Innovation program at the Environmental Defense Fund, and a National Geographic Explorer since 2014.

Additionally, Buma, a resident of Boulder, Colorado, authored The Atlas of a Changing Climate (Timber Press, 2021), a visually engaging book that combines scientific data with maps and infographics to illustrate the impacts of climate change.​

“Northern Greenland is warming faster than any land on earth; as goes the poles, so goes the planet,” he tells EN.  

For more information:

Brian Buma, brianbuma@gmail.com, www.brianbuma.com 

EXPEDITION UPDATE

Atwater (front) on a previous expedition to Egypt’s

Western Sahara Desert (Photo: NESA.org).

Roy Chapman Andrews Legacy Expedition Prepares for Gobi Desert

Departing next month is the Roy Chapman Andrews Legacy Expedition 2025: Completing the 1925 Gobi Desert Odyssey 100 Years Later (see EN, December 2024). Expedition leader is Robert Atwater, past vice president and life fellow of The Explorers Club, and life fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. He has been a leader or participant in 54 scientific field expeditions in 48 countries.

The expedition’s main goal June 15-29, 2025, is to replicate and complete the scientific field exploration of the Gobi Desert initiated by Roy Chapman Andrews in 1925 using the same type of 38 Bactrian camel caravan he relied upon 100 years ago.

Roy Chapman Andrews (1884-1960), an American explorer and naturalist, carved a significant place in the history of scientific exploration, particularly through his daring expeditions into the Gobi Desert. His early passion for natural history led him to the American Museum of Natural History, where he began his career, initially focusing on marine mammal studies. However, it was his leadership of the Central Asiatic Expeditions in the 1920s that solidified his fame.

Explorers Club archivist Lacey Flint Thorp displays the bullwhip once used by Roy Chapman Andrews. It’s one of many artifacts on

display at Explorers Club headquarters in New York.

Beyond his scientific contributions, Andrews was a skilled communicator, captivating the public with his tales of adventure and discovery. He was one of the characters – among those both fiction and non-fiction – who inspired Hollywood filmmaker George Lucas to create the Indiana Jones film franchise (see EN, May 2023).

Team members include a distinguished and diverse group of 30 men and women explorers, scientists, academicians and field investigators from several countries who collectively have traveled to and explored every continent and virtually every country in the world. Under the guidance of 15 Mongolian colleagues, the team will follow the same geographical pathway Andrews planned in 1925.

For more information: Malayika Singley, malayaika@sbcglobal.net, https://www.instagram.com/rcalegacycamelexpedition/

EXPEDITION NOTES

Colossal squid has some growing up to do. (Photo: Schmidt Ocean Institute)

First Confirmed Footage of Colossal Squid is Just a Baby

Like the term “jumbo shrimp,” the thought of a “baby” colossal squid made us stop and think a moment. One hundred years after its discovery, the colossal squid has been filmed alive in its environment for the first time by a team on board Schmidt Ocean Institute’s R/V Falkor Too in the remote waters off the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean.

The 30-centimeter juvenile squid (nearly one foot long) was captured on video March 9 at a depth of 600 meters (1968 feet) by the Institute’s remotely operated vehicle (ROV) SuBastian. This year is the 100-year anniversary of the identification of the colossal squid, which are estimated to grow up to 23 feet (7 m) in length, and 1,100 lbs., (500 kg) making them the heaviest invertebrate on the planet.

The 35-day expedition that captured the footage of the colossal squid was an Ocean Census flagship expedition searching for new marine life – a collaboration between Schmidt Ocean Institute, the Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census, and GoSouth, a joint project between the University of Plymouth (UK), GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research (Germany), and the British Antarctic Survey. 

“It’s exciting to see the first in situ footage of a juvenile colossal and humbling to think that they have no idea that humans exist,” said Dr. Kat Bolstad of the Auckland University of Technology, one of the independent scientific experts the team consulted to verify the footage. “For 100 years, we have mainly encountered them as prey remains in whale and seabird stomachs and as predators of harvested toothfish.”

Read the announcement here:

https://schmidtocean.org/first-colossal-squid-footage/

Watch the video here:

https://tinyurl.com/BabyColossalSquid

The conga line will likely dance to the top of the world once again this spring.

Over 400 Climbers Secure Permits for Everest Spring 2025

A total of 402 climbers from 53 countries have obtained permits to climb Mt Everest this spring season, according to the Nepal Department of Tourism. Among them, 74 are women, reports The Himalayan Times (April 28).

The Nepal government has collected Rs 684 million ($5.06 million) in royalties from permits issued for climbing various peaks so far this season, a figure expected to rise as more climbers continue to arrive.

To ensure safe and orderly mountaineering activities, tourism officials have established a field office at the Everest Base Camp. In the 72 years since the first ascent of Everest, thousands of climbers have set records, contributing to a growing trend of mountaineers aspiring to reach the summit.

Despite the inherent risks and challenges, enthusiasm for climbing Everest remains high. Among this season's aspirants is Tashi Gyaljen Sherpa of Solukhumbu, who aims to summit Everest four times within 20 days to set a record.

To date, more than 8,000 domestic and international climbers have successfully scaled Everest, with record-breaking attempts continuing each year.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“You’ve got to have a dream to make a dream to come true.”

–  Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960), American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and director. It’s a lyric from the song "Happy Talk" in the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, South Pacific.

EXPEDITION FOCUS 

Dressed to Kill - Attendees at ECAD 2025. (Photo: The Explorers Club / Patricia Koo)

ECAD Weekend 2025 Round-Up

While over 1,500 Explorers Club members and guests trek to New York for the annual dinner (ECAD), much of the action takes place away from the famed award ceremony, now in its 121st year. Here’s a round-up of key highlights.

•          By the Numbers – In a particularly challenging economy, the Club is doing quite well thank you. The headquarters building is worth approximately $42.5 million, not counting the artifacts within which are insured for $9.6 million. …. The four-year Warner Bros. Discovery deal was valued at $6 million and considered a lifesaver during the Covid years when ECAD was cancelled. Some funds went to restoring the historic headquarters at 46 East 70th street which faced floods, fires, leaks and asbestos remediation. … ECAD 2025 netted $1.1 million, up 31% from its previous record. … There are 3,709 members, 69.6% male, 30.4% female – an 8% increase year over year. … Membership is trending younger, although the largest age category is 61-70, and there are 15 members aged 100-plus. … The Club has 35 chapters. … This is a record year for Explorers Club flags in the field: 64. … Between 2020-2025, 595 exploration grants were issued to explorers in 46 countries. Total value was $3.7 million.

The original Waldorf Astoria grand ballroom (1932), site of numerous Explorers Club Annual Dinners. (Photo: newyorkyimby.com)

•          Return to Waldorf Astoria Unlikely – Members still pine for the past annual dinners in the majestic Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria which can seat 1,450 banquet style, even more in adjacent rooms and upper tiers. But if members thought ECAD 2025 ticket prices were high at $950 pp, it’s estimated that a return to the Waldorf would potentially double the price considering the a.v. and staging required, according to former Club president Richard Garriott at the April 27 TEC annual meeting.

•          Explorers are Nothing if Not Resourceful – Considering pushback over the relatively high cost of the annual dinner, some chapters held their own concurrent evcnts; ECAD was already sold out, so these sidebar activities were hardly competition. The Texas chapter held its TexCad at a nearby restaurant ($250 pp), and a group of thrifty members without tickets to the main dinner held their own pay-as-you-go “Cheap Cad” at a country music bar in Hell’s Kitchen. They even created a somewhat cornpone video to promote it (tinyurl.com/cheapcad).

Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas and friend. (Photo: OrangutanFoundation.org)

•          Look in Their Eyes – On April 26 in the nearby Asia Society auditorium, during a presentation by awardees (see EN, March 2025), Explorers Medal winner Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas, the world’s foremost authority on orangutans, said she’s dedicated to helping these so-called “gardeners of the forest” escape extinction. “These are God’s creatures lost in time. We will never get as close to our ancestors as when we look into the eyes of an orangutan,” she said, revealing that during her 54-year career she’s had typhoid, dengue fever, and cholera. “They haven’t all been magic moments.”

•          Protect the Stingless Bees – Sounds like a dream come true: a stingless bee (meliponines). New Explorer awardee Dr. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza, a Peruvian chemical biologist of Andean-Amazonian heritage, said stingless bees don’t have stingers but they can bite, “although it feels like a tickle.” Espinoza reveals they create medicinal honey that can treat over 14 illnesses. She warns that not all is benevolent in the rainforest, warning against the South American bushmaster snake (Lachesis muta) that can chase its prey, and the killer caterpillar (Lonomia obliqua) whose sting will make your eyeballs bleed. (Ed. note: now there’s a fact that will be hard to unlearn).

“The rainforest is the indigenous world’s ‘supermarket,’ clothing store, hardware store, and pharmacy … I live between modern science and one shaped by ancestral knowledge and stories.” 

Frederick Paulsen, Jr. (left) describes his past expeditions with

former Explorers Club president Ted Janulis.

•          Wishing for Another 30 Years – Dr. Frederick Paulsen, Jr., is a renowned businessman, academic, and philanthropist, and recipient of the TEC President’s Medal for Excellence in Exploration. He is also one of the few to have travelled to all eight of the Earth’s poles (yes, eight), including reaching the true North Pole, its sea bottom in 2007. In 2010, Paulsen, alongside his travelling companion François Bernard, completed the first crossing of the Bering Strait from America to Russia in an ultralight aircraft.

When planning an expedition project, his goal is, “when you put your foot down somewhere, you know you’re the first human to do so.” Paulsen, 74, believes this is truly the golden age of exploration.

“I just wish I had another 30 years.”

MEDIA MATTERS

(Illustration by Nicholas Konrad)

New Yorker Chronicles the Decline of Outside Magazine

The pile-on created by the firing of most of Outside magazine’s long-time editorial staff and a focus more towards “content” (see EN, March 2025) continued last month with a critical review of the 48-year-old magazine in the New Yorker (April 18, 2025). Rachel Monroe writes that after its purchase by Robin Thurston, a tech entrepreneur, the publication is now a shadow of itself.

In February, Outside, Inc., the parent company, announced its third round of layoffs in as many years. Nearly the entire Outside editorial team that was in place at the time of the acquisition has now left, transitioned to non-editorial roles, or been laid off, according to Monroe.  

A handful of full-time staffers edit the website; the print magazine, once a monthly but now a quarterly, has just one full-time dedicated editor.

Last January, Outside published an extensive investigation, by Annette McGivney, into a prominent California climber’s long history of violence and sexual assault.

“Shortly afterward, editorial staffers were called into a meeting with Heather Dietrick, Outside’s new chief media officer, who had formerly worked at Gawker and the Daily Beast. Dietrick cited the story about the climber, saying that although it was praiseworthy it was an example of the kind of content that Outside should consider moving away from,” the New Yorker’s Monroe writes.

Monroe says Dietrick believes the company’s mission was to inspire people to go outside; dark and depressing investigative reporting did the exact opposite.

Read the story here:

https://tinyurl.com/NewYorkerOutside

WEB WATCH



Lethbridge has hitchhiked more than 200 times in the UK and

abroad (Photo: Collect/PA Real Life)

Through Britain by Thumb

One way to explore is by thumb. But today, hitchhiking is a lost art. What killed it? The answer is not that simple. Probably the creeping sense of fear rolling through society. Brit Nico Lethbridge (@nlethers) realized most people aren’t psychopaths. He was picked up by a coal miner, horse farrier, and someone who gave him the keys to his spare bedroom.

“You receive an amazing vignette of people’s lives,” he told a Royal Geographical Society “micro lecture” last month. See it here:

https://tinyurl.com/BritainByThumb

BUZZ WORDS

Blue Origin’s all-female crew traveled to space on April 14 on an

automated flight. (Photo: Blue Origin).

Astronaut

“Astronaut” makes EN’s Buzz Words this month because there seems to be confusion over definition of the term, most recently when U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy last month brought the all-female Blue Origin NS-31 crew back down to Earth saying they did nothing to meet the criteria to be called astronauts.

The highly publicized passengers were Jeff Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sanchez, pop star Katy Perry, CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, ex-NASA engineer Aisha Bowe, and film producer Kerianne Flynn. All experienced weightlessness on the 11-minute New Shepard mission from West Texas. It soared 62 miles to the Karmen line, a widely recognized, though not universally accepted, boundary marking the transition from Earth's atmosphere to outer space.

Blue Origin referred to the women as “astronauts,” as did King’s co-hosts on CBS.

Writing April 17 on X, Duffy begged to differ. “The crew who flew to space this week on an automated flight by Blue Origin were brave and glam, but you cannot identify as an astronaut.

“They do not meet the FAA astronaut criteria,” he added.

Since 2021, the FAA requires passengers “demonstrate activities during flight that were essential to public safety or contributed to human space flight safety,” to earn the prestigious title of astronaut.

The Internet blew a head gasket. Model Emily Ratajkowski said it was “beyond parody,” and actor Jessica Chastain shared an op-ed on X from The Guardian that said it “showcased the utter defeat of American feminism.” Actor Olivia Munn called it "gluttonous.” Internet trolls called them “astro-NOTS, and the flight a "glorified joyride" or a "rich person's bouncy castle." 

Space passenger Aisha Bowe pushed back, "We advanced science today. More people are going to be able to do meaningful research with Blue Origin because we collected data. ... We contributed to the knowledge base of what people know about women. ... We are inspiring the world right now."

Who best to define the term “astronaut” than an experienced NASA astronaut? EN turned to Scott E. Parazynski, an American physician and a veteran of five Space Shuttle flights and seven spacewalks.

In an email to EN, he writes, “Quite frankly I was pretty shocked by all of the negativity surrounding the latest Blue Origin suborbital launch, especially since other celebrities and HNW (high net worth) individuals had flown on prior missions without all the memes and outrage.

No question what to call Scott Parazynski (photo taken 2008).

“I may be an outlier amongst my peers, but I consider anyone who has the courage to strap into a rocket ship and fly above the Karman Line to be an astronaut, even if they're just going along for the ride.

"That being said, there are different flavors of astronauts these days: highly trained, professional orbital astronauts; commercial orbital astronauts with varying degrees of training and qualifications; and a rapidly growing group of suborbital astronauts – a handful of whom conduct some very basic science or have traditional flight duties (like Virgin Galactic pilots),” Parazynski writes.

He goes on to say that talented artists, journalists, and the rich will pave the way to reducing the costs for those who follow.

The Blue Origin crew in space on April 14, 2025 (Photo: Blue Origin)

“With Lauren Sanchez and her posse we're witnessing the barnstorming era of commercial human spaceflight, but I think we'll see other pathways for those of lesser means to also get a chance to travel into space in the near future, for tourism, for science and even for work... and I believe that will be a good thing for humanity.”

Long-time space journalist Leonard David of Inside Outer Space (leonarddavid.com) writes, “In my view, in watching the post-landing remarks coming from each person that flew, they are contributing to the aspirations of many to fly into space. Each offered their reactions to the ‘Overview Effect’ – of seeing our planet from high above.

“Those viewpoints help shape public interest in the ever-growing space tourism and travel market. Their post-landing sharing of the experience broadens the acceptance of public space travel and is a welcomed contribution to human spaceflight safety. Therefore, they are deserved of their ‘astronaut wings,’” David tells EN.

Here at EN, we believe whatever you call them, they are to be recognized for their trailblazing in what is still a rather risky endeavor, despite what one might conclude from the false eyelashes and skintight flight suits.

Mystery solved.

Sailing Stones

The sailing stones are a geological phenomenon found in the Racetrack playa, a scenic dry lake feature with "sailing stones" that inscribe linear "racetrack" imprints. It is located above the northwestern side of Death Valley, in Death Valley National Park, California.

Slabs of dolomite and syenite ranging from a few hundred ounces to hundreds of pounds inscribe visible tracks as they slide across the playa surface, without human or animal intervention. Instead, rocks move when ice sheets just a few millimeters thick start to melt during periods of light wind. These thin floating ice panels create an ice shove that moves the rocks at up to 16 feet per minute. 

The 2017 documentary Principles of Curiosity explores as its central theme the story of how the sailing stones' movement had been a mystery which came to be solved in 2014 using scientific method and critical thinking. 

Watch the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKY6jJbyCo0 (start at 15:00)

(Source: Credit goes to Boulder-based Preston Sowell, environmental scientist/consultant, naturalist, and photographer, for the tip about this natural phenomena.) 

EDITOR’S NOTE

LISTEN TO EN ON THE GO

Hear this month’s Expedition News Deep Dive courtesy of those brilliant highly- caffeinated minds at Google NotebookLM:

https://tinyurl.com/ENDeepDiveMay2025

EXPEDITION CLASSIFIEDS

Sail Through the Arctic with Scientist Dr. Ulyana Horodyskyj Peña

Embark on an extraordinary 21-day voyage across the Arctic from September 5–25, 2025, aboard PONANT's Le Commandant Charcot. Join The Explorers Club Fellow and scientist Dr. Ulyana Horodyskyj Peña as you journey from Svalbard to both the Magnetic and Geographic North Poles, and then onwards to Alaska. A seasoned glaciologist and expedition leader, Ulyana brings a spirit of discovery and a passion for sharing the wonders of the polar regions, as seen in her recent TEDx talk:

https://tinyurl.com/TedXUlyana

The expedition features expert-led lectures, hands-on science workshops, plenty of time off-ship exploring the ice, and the chance to see polar bears in the wild. Sign up soon!

For more information: ules2025@gmail.com, https://us.ponant.com/the-arctic-transarctic-the-quest-for-the-two-north-poles-cc050925-12

Read Fancy Dancer and the Seven Drums (Reverie, 2023)

Nine-year-old Nez Perce Fancy Shawl dancer, Beth Louie, is killed on the reservation by a hit-and-run drunk driver. Tribal law enforcement and the FBI are stymied at first but soon find circumstantial evidence that points to a white cattle rancher from Omak as the prime suspect.

Jack Johnson knows he’s being investigated. What he doesn’t know is the law is the least of his worries. A prior assault on a Mexican ranch hand triggers a family’s revenge. In the prejudicial environment of the 1950s, will an all-white jury convict him and perhaps save his life?

John Roskelley, a writer familiar with characters who are defined by their terrain, tells a sweeping tale of Eastern Washington, with its mix of Indigenous and White characters, spanning over 50 years. 

John received the International Piolets d’Or Walter Bonatti Lifetime Achievement award in 2014 and is an honorary member of the Alpine Club of Great Britain, the Mountaineers, the Mazamas, and the American Alpine Club. Available on Amazon.com.

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

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

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