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, explorers, environmentalists and outdoor enthusiasts. This forum on exploration covers projects that stimulate, motivate and educate.
Here are Highlights of our November 1997 issue. For a free sample issue contact us at editor@expeditionnews.com or 203-656-3300.
JOURNEY INTO THE ARCTIC NIGHT
Canadian physician Dr. Graeme Magor will spend the winter of 1999-2000
icebound in polar darkness off Ellesmere Island in a bid to commemorate
Norwegian explorer Otto Sverdrup's little-known four-year expedition of
100 years ago. After the long winter's night, the eight-person team, which
will include Magor's three-year-old daughter, will begin a 930-mi1,500
km ski trek across the island.
IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA
A strange, rarely-seen fish first caught 60 years ago off the Comoro islands in the Indian Ocean is the focus of a 10-year rescue effort by Jerome Hamlin, 54, a Greenwich, Conn. video producer and robot designer. Unfortunately, a nasty civil war threatens plans to return to the Comoros with a robotic version of the coelacanth (pronounced "see-la-kanth") designed to educate local fisherman about the importance of saving this endangered species.
BALLOONISTS HOPE TO BAG AVIATION RECORD
Favorable launch conditions have returned to the world of ballooning, encouraging a number of balloonists to attempt the holy grail of lighter-than- air transportation - nonstop circumnavigation of the globe by balloon. This month EN examines four of the reported eight teams planning attempts between now and next spring.
SEND IN THE MARINES
Two Royal Marines are planning the first British expedition to walk to the North Pole from Canada unsupported by animal or machine. The 85-day, 600-mi. expedition will involve the two-man team of expedition leader Sergeant Sean Chapple, 30, and Corporal Alan Chambers, 28, who will serve as equipment manager. Departure from Ward Hunt Island is planned for Mar. 20-22, 1999.
FROM THE SHORES OF GITCHI GOOMI TO HUDSON BAY
Lake Superior, which the Ojibway tribe called "Gitchi Goomi," will be the start of a 2,017-mi. kayak expedition for Daniel Larson, 30, of Benson, Minn. Using a custom-built Kevlar-reinforced kayak, he plans a four-month paddling trek starting May 1999 to Churchill, Manitoba on Hudson Bay.
EXPEDITION NOTES
Bird Rows From California to Hawaii - Adventurer/musician Michael "Mick" Bird arrived into Hilo on the island of Hawaii on Oct. 23 after rowing 2,460 miles for 64 days from Fort Bragg, California. Not content to rest on his accomplishment, he is already planning the next leg, a nine month rowing expedition to Australia, part of his personal 27,000-mi., three-year quest to row around the world.
Tiny Kite a Lifesaver - A credit card-sized wallet which inflates into a multi-purpose kite could save an explorer's life. The Skystreme, a marker which can help rescuers find a stranded person, weighs just 1.5 oz. and lifts off the ground in winds as light as four mph.
MEDIA MATTERS
Into Thin Air on TV - The dramatic story of the controversial climb of Mt. Everest in which eight climbers lost their lives is chronicled in "Into Thin Air: Death on Everest," the ABC Sunday Night Movie airing Nov. 9. The two- hour, made-for-television movie stars Peter Horton ("thirtysomething") as expedition leader Scott Fischer. Jon Krakauer is portrayed by Christopher McDonald ("Thelma & Louise").
EXPEDITION CLASSIFIEDS
The Microship Project Seeks Space - WWW.Microship.Com needs 2,500 sq. ft. lab near water, technical volunteers, additional funding (108 sponsors already), technology transfer partnership, and market for weekly video productions underway. To participate in this pedal/solar/sail aquatic successor to the BEHEMOTH bicycle adventure (or request e-mail updates), contact Steve Roberts, wordy@qualcomm.com
Zegrahm Expeditions - Offers small group travel to unusual destinations in the company of the world's leading experts. Destinations include: Antarctica, South Georgia and The Falklands; Antarctica The Far Side, including Kerguelen Islands, Crozet Islands, and Heard Island; Seychelles, Madagascar, Comoros and Zanzibar; Australia's Kimberley; the first-ever circumnavigation of Baffin Island; Aleutian Islands, Kuril Islands, and Kamchatka Peninsula; snorkel and diving expeditions to Palau and Yap; and many more. Look for an announcement in the fall of 1997 regarding our VOYAGES TO SPACE. Address: 1414 Dexter Avenue N #327, Seattle WA 98109; Phone: 800-628-8747; Fax: 206-285-5037; E-mail: zoe@zeco.com; Web site: www. zeco.com. To be put on an interest list for our Space Voyages, call 1-888-SPACE66 or access www.spacevoyages.com.
EXPEDITION NEWS is published by Blumenfeld and Associates, Inc., 28 Center Street, Darien, CT 06820 USA. Tel. 203-656-3300, fax 203-655-7710, e-mail editor@expeditionnews.com. Editor/publisher: Jeff Blumenfeld. Copyright © 1999 Blumenfeld and Associates, Inc. All rights reserved. Subscriptions: US$36/yr.; international postal rate US$46/yr. Highlights from Expedition News are also located at www.mountainzone.com/news/expedition where you can order a subscription to the full edition with your credit card.