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, environmentalists, and outdoor enthusiasts. This forum on the outdoors covers projects that stimulate, motivate and educate.
Here are highlights from the January issue. If you'd like to receive the complete version of the latest issue and remain informed about leading expeditions and adventures all year long, we invite you to subscribe for USD$36/year for 12 issues; international airmail rate is USD$46/year. Contact Blumenfeld and Associates, Inc., 397 Post Road - Suite 202, Darien, CT 06820 USA.
Highlights from EXPEDITION NEWS can also be found on the World Wide Web at ExpeditionNews.com. You can reach us at editor@expeditionnews.com.
HAMS HEAD FOR HEARD
This month a group of "ham" operators travel to Australia's remote Heard Island in the South Indian Ocean near the Antarctic Circle to establish a field communications site, study various types of fauna, and in a series of high-tech radio experiments, make short voice and Morse code contact with an estimated 60,000 other hams worldwide.
EXPEDITION SOLVES MYSTERY OF PERUVIAN PYRAMIDS
The 1996 Pyramids of Paratoari Expedition reached a site containing gigantic pyramid-shaped hills deep in the tropical rainforest of southeastern Peru's Manu province. The site, with its evenly-spaced and symmetrical land formations, was dubbed "the Dots" when first noticed on a NASA satellite photo released in 1976.
They cut their way through untrod jungle to reach the site and gather photographic and video documentation which they believe refutes the theories that the formations are manmade or related to the legendary Incan refuge of "Paititi."
SMALLEST FROG DISCOVERED
A new frog discovered in Cuba by scientists funded by the National Science Foundation is the smallest in the Northern Hemisphere, and is tied for the world record with the smallest frog in the Southern Hemisphere, says a biologist from Pennsylvania State University in a paper published in the December issue of the journal Copeia.
FIENNES STRICKEN AS OUSLAND
AND KAMINSKI CONTINUE
It wasn't the cold. Nor the wind. Nor the hidden crevasses that got to Sir Ranulph Fiennes. Instead, it was a case of kidney stones, inflicting one of the worse pains known to man. While Borge Ousland and Marek Kaminski continue in their attempt to cross Antarctica solo and unsupported, Ranulph Fiennes withdrew for medical reasons.
Ousland Reaches Beyond South Pole
By Dec. 27, when EN went to press, Norwegian Borge Ousland had reached 1,041 miles (1,678.5 km) over the course of 43 days since his departure from the northern tip of Berkner Island on Nov. 15 - an average of approximately 24 miles per day (39 km/day).
Kaminski Lags Behind
News about the expedition of Poland's Marek Kaminski is limited. What we do know, however, is that while he left the same day as Fiennes and Ousland, and is following roughly the same route in his solo unsupported crossing, by Dec. 22 he had reached only 362 miles out of a planned 1,674-mi. expedition.
EXPLORER ALMOST SINGS HIS FINAL SWAN SONG
By late December, Robert Swan and fellow British explorers Crispin Day and Geoff Somers had traveled 113 miles (183 km), with 600 miles (967 km) to go in their bid to walk across Antarctica in two separate expeditions 10 years apart.
Organizers of Swan's trek report he came close to quitting after a previous back injury flared up as he tried to grab a falling pot of curry during Christmas dinner.
They Can See Clearly Now
Lonnie Dupre's planned International Greenland Expedition, a 13-month, 4,600-mi. circumnavigation departing May 1997 (See EN, August 1996), will use a new tough, UV-resistant clear plastic film for windows and catamaran kayak sails.
Chinese Erect First Statue of Explorer
The Chinese have erected a 7 ft. statue, the country's first to memorialize an explorer.
Outdoor Gear Saves Lives
Outdoor manufacturers of expedition gear have found a novel use for their surplus equipment. Sleeping bags, tents, food, footwear, and apparel are regularly donated to AmeriCares, the international relief organization, for use in their Emergency Module Program.
Voices From the Rock
Funds for a video history of American women climbers are being raised by Lee Goss, 34, a Seattle writer and film producer. "Voices from the Rock" will examine strong female role models, honor women who have received little recognition for their achievements, and, according to Goss, "tell a history which remains virtually unknown."
In response to inquiries from EN subscribers, sponsors, and suppliers within the expedition community, a new Classified advertising section will start within these pages next month. The cost to reach an estimated 3,000 targeted readers worldwide is 50 cents per word (minimum 50 words; maximum 100 words), payable in advance each month. A 10 percent discount is available on a minimum of three insertions. For more information contact Jeff Blumenfeld, editor and publisher.
EXPEDITION NEWS is published by Blumenfeld and Associates, Inc., 28 Center Street, Darien, CT 06820 USA. Tel. 203-656-3300, fax 203-655-7710. Editor/publisher: Jeff Blumenfeld. Copyright © 1999 Blumenfeld and Associates, Inc. All rights reserved. Subscription rate: US $36/year. E-mail: editor@expeditionnews.com or CompuServe 76226,773. Highlights from EXPEDITION NEWS can be found on the World Wide Web at ExpeditionNews.com.