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 from our February issue. For a free sample copy and subscription form, contacteditor@expeditionnews.com
STORMIN' NORMAN COMMEMORATES
ALASKAN MEDICAL MISSION
As you go through life, there are people you never forget. A fourth grade
teacher. An assistant principal. Perhaps a mentor that provided valuable
assistance during a critical juncture in a career path. For those of us
at EN, one such unforgettable character is Col. Norman D. Vaughan - at the
age of 92, the exploration field's Energizer bunny. The last surviving member
of Admiral Richard E. Byrd's original 1928 expedition to Antarctica, Vaughan
is a living link to the early 20th century's rich history of discovery.
Another planned Vaughan adventure is the Serum 25 Expedition, scheduled
to leave Nenana, Alaska by dog sled in March 1999, and arrive in Nome around
three weeks later.
EXPEDITION UPDATE
Breitling Keeps on Ticking - Although the Breitling Orbiter managed to finally get aloft, January was not a pretty month for the various balloon teams chasing the elusive around-the-world record. Steve Fossett landed his "Solo Spirit" in Russia after just over four days; Dick Rutan and David Melton parachuted from their malfunctioning "Global Hilton" with merely four hours aloft; and a member of Richard Branson's crew was seriously injured in an unrelated parachute jump. In the understatement of the month, Steve Fossett said, "Around-the-world can be done - it's just surprisingly difficult."
EXPEDITION FOCUS
Woman Caver Leads Study of Active Sulfur Cave;
Finds Weird Microbial "Snot-tites"
Louise D. Hose, Ph.D., one of the country's leading female cave explorers, and a geology professor from Missouri's Westminster College, led a team of scientists early last month into an almost unknown subterranean world - an active sulfur spring cave where they studied living creatures so bizarre that for centuries no one realized they were alive. Hose's team traveled to southern Mexico to delve into the Cueva de Villa Luz, or "The Cave of the Lighted House."
EXPEDITION NOTES
Three Australians Walk to South Pole - The first three Australians
to walk to the South Pole without support returned to Sydney on Jan. 16.
Russians Climb McKinley in Winter - Russian climbers achieved a rare midwinter ascent last month of North America's tallest peak. Two of the three - Artur Testov, 32, of Riasan, and Vladimir Ananich, 40, of Moscow - reached McKinley's summit Jan. 16.
Olympic Environmental Expedition Concludes in Nagano - If all goes as planned during the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano this month, an international team of explorers will conclude an 11,160-mi. (18,000 km), 2-1/2-year journey that began during the closing moments of the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway.
National Geographic Offers Exploration Grants - The National Geographic Society has created an Exploration Council to fund exploration in unknown or little-known areas of the earth, sea and space. Working with a million dollar annual budget, the Council expects to make several grants to explorers each year in the six-figure range; smaller grants of $15,000 - $20,000 will also be provided.
EXPEDITION CLASSIFIEDS
Paddle Our Arctic Rivers - Canoe outfitting in the central Northwest
Territories. The Burnside/Mara, Hood, Back, Thelon River and more ... One
call does it all; we supply canoes, spray skirts, paddles, radios, river
reports/maps, other gear, plus air transport. Rental camps available. Other
expediting services available. An Inuit Partnership - owner-operated, 28
years experience. Brochure. Bathurst Inlet Lodge, Box 820 (EP), Yellowknife,
NT X1A 2N6. Tel: 867-873-2595, fax: 867-920-4263. e-mail: bathurst@internorth.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. Zegrahm's
Space Voyages division has begun taking reservations for our space experience
travel program. Address: 1414 Dexter Avenue N #327, Seattle WA 98109; Phone:
800-628-8747; Fax: 206-285-5037; E-mail:
zoe@zeco.com; Website: www.zeco.com.
To receive information about 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.