EXPEDITION NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Here are Highlights from our May issue. If you'd like to receive the entire publication - which contains many more stories in greater depth than what you see here - please refer to subscription information below.

Highlights from May 1999 - Volume Six, Number Five

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.

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EXPLORING ALASKA'S ISLANDS OF FOUR MOUNTAINS

Writer Jon Bowermaster and three others are organizing a 40-day kayaking and climbing expedition next month through the Alaskan Aleutian Islands to explore the little-known Islands of Four Mountains.

According to Bowermaster, "Our simple goal is to sea kayak from one island to another, from west to east, circumnavigating some and making two crossings of at least 20 miles of open ocean. We plan to climb all four of the volcanoes, and explore the islands by foot.

"As far as our research proves no one has explored this chain of islands at one go. Certainly no one has published such efforts."

HIGH TECH DE TOCQUEVILLE EXPLORES EASTERN U.S.

Traffic would stop and pedestrians would stare as Steven K. Roberts pedaled by in his high tech recumbent bicycle fitted with a veritable CompUSA of communications and navigation gear. His BEHEMOTH ("Big Electronic Human-Energized Machine, Only Too Heavy") traveled 3-1/2 years and 17,000 widely-publicized miles through 28 states, combining Robert's twin passions for adventure and technology (See EN, January 1995).

Now with the BEHEMOTH about to go on loan to the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, Calif., Roberts has spent the past six years developing two equally souped up 19-ft. trimarans. Roberts and his wife, Lisa, plan to travel under sail, solar and pedal-power some 12,000 miles through the Eastern U.S. in spring 2000. The two craft - called Microships - will be tricked out with as much gear as can be crammed within 19 feet, including shortwave radios, GPS, solar panels, video cameras, weather fax, wireless palmtops to access the Web, five remote cameras, and speech synthesizers.

EXPEDITION UPDATE

11 Down, 3 To Go - Seattle climber and five-time Mount Everest summiter, Ed Viesturs, the man they call "Steady Ed," is nearing his Endeavor 8000 goal of being the first American to summit the world's 14 tallest peaks. On April 21, Viesturs, and partner Veikka Gustafsson, successfully summited 26,781-ft. Manaslu, making him the first American to climb 11 of the world's 14 peaks over 8000 meters. According to www.MountainZone.com, he was also planning to summit Dhaulagiri (26,795-ft.) via the Northeast ridge while still acclimatized.

EXPEDITION NOTES

Liberty Bell-7 Search Called "Disgusting" - The Discovery Channel launched an expedition that will attempt to locate and recover NASA's Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft. In 1961, the capsule, after successfully carrying the second Mercury Astronaut, Virgil "Gus" Grissom, into space, sank after the vehicle's explosive hatch jettisoned prematurely while Grissom was being rescued on July 21, 1961.

Grissom's widow hopes that expedition comes up empty-handed. Betty Grissom said she finds it "disgusting" that the family wasn't consulted from the beginning about the underwater salvage effort for the 38-year-old spacecraft.       Remembering Vanderbeek - A memorial climb of the West Buttress of Mt. McKinley later this month is planned in memory of volunteer rescue ranger Mike Vanderbeek. The climb, organized by Vanderbeek's friend, Craig Barber, a 36-year-old Salt Lake City contractor, will raise funds and awareness for the volunteer rescue efforts of Denali's Volunteer in the Park (VIP) Program established by the National Park Service. Another beneficiary is The Vanderbeek Fund, a memorial program which extends wilderness experience to scholarships to underprivileged youth.

There's Nothing Up There - "You don't climb Mount Everest to get to the top, because there's nothing up there," says Yvon Chouinard, 60, owner and founder of apparel company Patagonia. The purpose of adventure, he tells Ann Goodman in the April issue of Delta Airlines' Sky magazine, "is the process itself, the opportunity for striving, changing yourself and becoming a better person."

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

"Every time we read about today's explorers having hard times, we laugh. They have it easy."

- Antoinette Mooy-Hurley, 84, daughter of Frank Hurley (1885-1962), photographer of Sir Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated 1914-16 expedition.

Welcome to the 90's - It took a while, but EN now has its own exclusive home on the Web. Highlights from each issue will be posted on the first of the month at www.expeditionnews.com.  

EXPEDITION CLASSIFIEDS

Zegrahm Expeditions - Join TOP EXPLORERS as ZEGRAHM EXPEDITIONS travels to Earth's remote and compelling places. September finds us among MELANESIAN ISLANDS of Vanuatu & Fiji with oceanographer JEAN-MICHEL COUSTEAU. In December, adventurer WILL STEGER is aboard in ANTARCTICA exploring the Peninsula, South Georgia & the Falklands. Oceanographer SYLVIA EARLE leads first-ever submarine expeditions observing SIXGILL SHARKS in July, 2000. Best-selling author CAROLINE ALEXANDER tells the story of Shackleton during a CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF SOUTH GEORGIA, November, 2000. For reservations and more information: ZEGRAHM EXPEDITIONS, 1414 Dexter Avenue N. #327, Seattle, WA 98109. Phone: 800-628-8747, 206-285-4000; Fax: 206-285-5037; Web site: www.zeco.com; E-mail: zoe@zeco.com.

 

EXPEDITION NEWS. is published by Blumenfeld and Associates, Inc., 28 Center Street, Darien, CT 06820 USA. USA. Tel. 203 855 9400, fax 203 855 9433, 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.


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