the explorers journal the climate change issue - The Explorers Club
the explorers journal the climate change issue - The Explorers Club
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<strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> <strong>journal</strong><br />
fall 2007 vol. 85 no.3<br />
<strong>the</strong> <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong> <strong>issue</strong><br />
cover photo: <strong>the</strong> cover image was taken two days out from Pangnirtung<br />
as will steger and his team were climbing a frozen waterfall on <strong>the</strong><br />
Weasel River. This is <strong>the</strong> sou<strong>the</strong>rn entrance of <strong>the</strong> Auyuittuq National<br />
Park, a 90km river valley leading to Qikiqtarjuaq. © 2007 Will Steger<br />
Foundation, Abby Fenton<br />
features<br />
Venturing to <strong>the</strong> Ends of <strong>the</strong> Earth<br />
by Paul Andrew Mayewski, p. 22<br />
It’s not Easy Being Dry<br />
by W. Berry Lyons, p. 32<br />
Realm of <strong>the</strong> ice-cloaked mountain gods<br />
by Constanza Ceruti, p. 36<br />
heading north with Will Steger<br />
interview by Jeff Stolzer, p. 38<br />
frozen lake, Taylor valley, Antarctica, Photo by kathy welch<br />
specials<br />
regulars<br />
Points Unknown: Into <strong>the</strong> wilds of Patagonia<br />
by Paul Jeffrey, p. 13<br />
A M o u nta i n o f Th e i r O w n<br />
by Brett Prettyman, p. 16<br />
In <strong>the</strong> Footsteps of Alexander<br />
by Marilyn Bridges, p. 44<br />
president’s note, p. 2<br />
editor’s note, p. 4<br />
exploration news, p. 8<br />
extreme cuisine, p. 54<br />
expedition Medicine, p .56<br />
ex Post Facto, p. 58<br />
reviews, p. 60<br />
what were <strong>the</strong>y thinking?, p. 64
<strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> <strong>journal</strong><br />
fall 2007<br />
president’s letter<br />
A pivotal point in our history<br />
During our successful 2007 <strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong> Annual Dinner, which<br />
highlighted major advances in polar exploration, Paul Andrew Mayewski<br />
gave a captivating presentation on <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong> in Greenland. In <strong>the</strong><br />
weeks that followed, I could not help but think about <strong>the</strong> topic, knowing<br />
that so many members of our <strong>Club</strong> have been involved in <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong><br />
research. Among our members are some of <strong>the</strong> world’s most recognized<br />
experts in <strong>the</strong> fields of atmospheric science, oceanography, geochemistry,<br />
glaciology, underwater filmmaking, and polar exploration—fields<br />
of science crucial to our understanding of Earth’s ecosystems and <strong>the</strong><br />
ongoing causes of global warming. Given <strong>the</strong> importance of <strong>the</strong> subject,<br />
I began to discuss <strong>the</strong> idea of honoring those <strong>explorers</strong> and scientists<br />
on <strong>the</strong> forefront of <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong> research at this year’s Lowell Thomas<br />
Awards Dinner with as many members as I could. <strong>The</strong> response I received<br />
was overwhelmingly enthusiastic.<br />
This summer, our members carried <strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong> Flag N o 42 aboard<br />
<strong>the</strong> Russian MIR submersible that became <strong>the</strong> first manned underwater<br />
device to reach “<strong>The</strong> Real North Pole”—landing on <strong>the</strong> seabed some four<br />
kilometers below <strong>the</strong> ice at 90° N. As many of you are aware from <strong>the</strong><br />
press, <strong>the</strong>re is <strong>the</strong> political debate over this expedition, and because of<br />
<strong>the</strong> political controversy that surrounds this subject as well as our dinner<br />
topic, I think it is important to point out that according to our <strong>Club</strong>’s<br />
bylaws, we take no stand on politics.<br />
As your president, I take pride in celebrating <strong>the</strong> accomplishments of<br />
our fellow members. This new first is an achievement for us as well as<br />
<strong>the</strong> mission of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Club</strong>. Congratulations to Frederik Paulsen, Michael<br />
McDowell, and Anatoly Sagalevitch.<br />
Please accept my personal invitation to enjoy a fabulous and informative<br />
evening on Thursday, October 18th, at Cipriani Wall Street, and<br />
help us honor <strong>the</strong> work of fellow <strong>explorers</strong> Richard Feely, Ph.D., W.<br />
Berry Lyons, Ph.D., Paul A. Mayewski, Ph.D., Julie Palais, Ph.D., Adam<br />
Ravetch, Sarah Robertson, Susan Solomon, Ph.D., and Will Steger.<br />
Invitations are still available online at www.<strong>explorers</strong>.org. Seating is<br />
limited and reservations will be taken on a first-come first-served basis.<br />
Rob Jutson, dinner chair, his entire committee, and I look forward to<br />
seeing you <strong>the</strong>re.<br />
Lowell Thomas Awards Dinner<br />
EXPLORINGCLIMATECHANGE<br />
THE PRESIDENT, DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, OF THE<br />
EXPLORERS CLUB & ROLEX WATCH USA,INC.SALUTE<br />
THE 2007 LOWELL THOMAS AWARD WINNERS.<br />
Richard A. Feely, Ph.D.<br />
W. Berry Lyons, Ph.D. FN’92<br />
Paul A. Mayewski, Ph.D. FN’78<br />
Julie M. Palais, Ph.D. FN’03<br />
Sarah Robertson and Adam Ravetch FN’95<br />
Susan Solomon, Ph.D.<br />
Daniel A. Bennett<br />
Will C. Steger FN’85
<strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> <strong>journal</strong><br />
fall 2007<br />
editor’s note<br />
Something Familiar,<br />
Something Peculiar…<br />
So you have noticed a few <strong>change</strong>s, have you—<strong>the</strong> smaller trim, a higher<br />
page count, <strong>the</strong> perfect bind, and a host of new columns and features?<br />
Driven in large part by a growing concern for <strong>the</strong> environment, we<br />
have redesigned Th e Ex p l o r e r s Jo u r n a l with two goals in mind. Our first<br />
has been to visually capture <strong>the</strong> mystique that is <strong>the</strong> very essence of<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong> and literally “put it on paper.” Our second has been<br />
to minimize our ecological footprint by using every square centimeter of<br />
paper on press.<br />
Guiding us in this effort has been Jesse Alexander, a New Yorker with<br />
a passion for exotic travel and a keen eye for all that is cool in <strong>the</strong> world.<br />
Over <strong>the</strong> course of <strong>the</strong> summer, Jesse and I found ourselves in <strong>the</strong> archives<br />
of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, poring over back <strong>issue</strong>s of Th e Ex p l o r e r s<br />
Jou r n a l since its launch as a pamphlet in 1921. Charting its evolution in<br />
size and use of type, we noted each innovation—<strong>the</strong> first use of images<br />
inside ra<strong>the</strong>r than only on <strong>the</strong> cover, <strong>the</strong> first use of color, and so on—and<br />
marveled at <strong>the</strong> edge of its editorial, particularly during <strong>the</strong> 1950s and<br />
1960s. In recasting Th e Ex p l o r e r s Jo u r n a l , our cues have come from its<br />
past as well as its future.<br />
This <strong>issue</strong> we have brought toge<strong>the</strong>r some of <strong>the</strong> best minds in <strong>climate</strong><br />
research, who are elucidating <strong>the</strong> inner workings of our planet—<br />
separating fact from fiction and human induced <strong>change</strong> from Earth’s<br />
natural process. According to <strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong> Fellow Paul Andrew<br />
Mayewski, who penned <strong>the</strong> lead story in our <strong>climate</strong> package, “more<br />
knowledge is needed, not to demonstrate <strong>the</strong> direction of <strong>change</strong>, but<br />
ra<strong>the</strong>r to reduce uncertainty in <strong>the</strong> degree and style of future <strong>change</strong>.”<br />
Having spent <strong>the</strong> better part of four decades on <strong>the</strong> forefront of <strong>climate</strong><br />
research, Mayewski spearheaded <strong>the</strong> Greenland Ice Sheet Project,<br />
which pushed back our knowledge of Earth’s <strong>climate</strong> history by nearly<br />
a million years.<br />
We hope you enjoy our new format and look forward to your feedback!<br />
Angela M.H. Schuster<br />
Acting Editor-in-Chief<br />
image courtesy of © 2007 Will Steger Foundation<br />
salutes <strong>the</strong> 2007 recipients of<br />
<strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> club<br />
Lowell Thomas Award<br />
f o r t h e i r c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o o u r<br />
understanding of Global Climate Change<br />
congratulations to<br />
Richard Feely, Ph.D.<br />
W. Berry Lyons, Ph.D.<br />
Paul Mayewski, Ph.D.<br />
Julie Palais, Ph.D.<br />
Adam Ravetch & Sarah Robertson<br />
Susan Solomon, Ph.D.<br />
Will Steger<br />
Thank you for your efforts to keep our<br />
world in Balance
<strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> <strong>journal</strong><br />
fall 2007<br />
<strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> club<br />
President<br />
Daniel A. Bennett<br />
Board Of Directors<br />
Officers<br />
PATRONS & SPONSORS<br />
Honorary Chairman<br />
Sir Edmund Hillary,<br />
KG, ONZ, KBE<br />
Honorary President<br />
James M. Fowler<br />
Honor a ry Direc tors<br />
Robert D. Ballard, Ph.D.<br />
George F. Bass, Ph.D<br />
Eugenie Clark, Ph.D.<br />
Sylvia A. Earle, Ph.D.<br />
Col. John H. Glenn Jr., USMC (Ret.)<br />
Gilbert M. Grosvenor<br />
Donald C. Johanson, Ph.D.<br />
Richard E. Leakey, D.Sc.<br />
Roland R. Puton<br />
Johan Reinhard, Ph.D.<br />
George B. Schaller, Ph.D.<br />
Don Walsh, Ph.D.<br />
CLASS OF 2008<br />
Garrett R. Bowden<br />
Jonathan M. Conrad<br />
Kristin Larson, Esq.<br />
Margaret D. Lowman, Ph.D.<br />
Robert H. Whitby<br />
CLASS OF 2009<br />
Daniel A. Bennett<br />
Kenneth M. Kamler, M.D.<br />
Lorie Karnath<br />
<strong>The</strong>odore M. Siouris<br />
Alicia Stevens<br />
CLASS OF 2010<br />
Anne L. Doubilet<br />
William Harte<br />
Kathryn Kiplinger<br />
Daniel A. Kobal, Ph.D.<br />
R. Scott Winters, Ph.D.<br />
Vice President, Chapters<br />
Robert H. Whitby<br />
Vice President, Membership<br />
Lynda Roy<br />
Vice President For Operations<br />
Garrett R. Bowden<br />
Vice President, Research & Education<br />
Margaret D. Lowman, Ph.D.<br />
Treasurer<br />
Mark Kassner<br />
Assistant Treasurer<br />
Kevin O’Brien<br />
Secretary<br />
Daniel A. Kobal, Ph.D.<br />
Assistant Secretary<br />
Anne Doubilet<br />
Patrons Of Exploration<br />
Robert H. Rose<br />
Michael W. Thoresen<br />
Corporate Partner Of Exploration<br />
Rolex Watch U.S.A., Inc.<br />
Corporate Benefactors Of Exploration<br />
Lenovo<br />
Redwood Creek Wines<br />
Corporate Supporter Of Exploration<br />
National Geographic Society<br />
mas<strong>the</strong>ad<br />
EDITORS<br />
Acting Editor-in-Chief<br />
Angela M.H. Schuster<br />
Managing Editor<br />
Jeff Stolzer<br />
Contributing Editors<br />
Jeff Blumenfeld<br />
Jim Clash<br />
Clare Flemming, M.S.<br />
Michael J. Manyak , M .D., FAC S<br />
Milbry C. Polk<br />
Carl G. Schuster<br />
Nick Smith<br />
Copy Chief<br />
Valerie Saint-Rossy<br />
ART DEPARTMENT<br />
Art Director<br />
Jesse Alexander<br />
Deus ex Machina<br />
Steve Burnett<br />
<strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> <strong>journal</strong> © (ISSN 0014-5025) is published<br />
quarterly by <strong>The</strong> <strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, 46 East 70th Street, New<br />
York, NY 10021, telephone: 212-628-8383, fax: 212-288-<br />
4449, website: www.<strong>explorers</strong>.org, e-mail: editor@<strong>explorers</strong>.<br />
org. <strong>The</strong> views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily<br />
reflect those of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong> or <strong>The</strong> <strong>Explorers</strong><br />
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All paper used to manufacture this magazine comes from<br />
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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, <strong>The</strong> <strong>Explorers</strong> Journal, <strong>The</strong> <strong>Explorers</strong><br />
<strong>Club</strong> Travelers, World Center for Exploration, and <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong> Flag and Seal are registered trademarks of<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, Inc., in <strong>the</strong> United States and elsewhere.<br />
All rights reserved. © <strong>The</strong> <strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, 2007.<br />
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exploration news<br />
edited by Jeff Blumenfeld<br />
Panel Decides<br />
Rules for true circumnavigation<br />
Definitive rules for circumnavigations<br />
of <strong>the</strong> world completed<br />
under human power have been<br />
published by AdventureStats<br />
of <strong>Explorers</strong> Web, Inc., an independent<br />
panel of international<br />
historians, geographers, and<br />
<strong>explorers</strong>. <strong>The</strong>ir conclusions will<br />
ratify existing guidelines held by<br />
<strong>the</strong> Guinness Book of World<br />
Records. <strong>The</strong> rulings will also<br />
clarify <strong>the</strong> recent dispute between<br />
teams from three nations—Britain,<br />
Canada, and Turkey—regarding<br />
<strong>the</strong> first circumnavigation of <strong>the</strong><br />
planet by human power.<br />
Last April a major row erupted<br />
in <strong>the</strong> international press<br />
between Briton Jason Lewis<br />
(above), Canadian Colin Angus,<br />
and Turkish son and long-time<br />
U.S. resident Erden Eruc over<br />
<strong>the</strong> definition of a legitimate human-powered<br />
circumnavigation<br />
(HPC). Angus, who claims to<br />
have completed an HPC in May<br />
2006, traveled exclusively in <strong>the</strong><br />
Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Hemisphere, which,<br />
according to Lewis and Eruc,<br />
does not entitle him to claim a<br />
circumnavigation of <strong>the</strong> entire<br />
world. Guinness also refuted<br />
<strong>the</strong> claim by Angus as <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
criteria for human-powered<br />
circumnavigation feats require<br />
<strong>the</strong> traveler to cross both <strong>the</strong><br />
equator and at least one pair of<br />
antipodal points (locations on<br />
<strong>the</strong> surface of <strong>the</strong> planet that are<br />
diametrically opposite to each<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r). In turn, Angus accused<br />
Guinness of setting <strong>the</strong> rules<br />
on what constitutes a humanpowered<br />
circumnavigation to<br />
suit a Briton—Lewis.<br />
<strong>The</strong> new rules come down<br />
heavily in favor of <strong>the</strong> existing<br />
guidelines set by Guinness,<br />
and for <strong>the</strong> circumnavigation<br />
attempts currently underway by<br />
Lewis and Eruc. <strong>The</strong> panel of experts<br />
recognize Lewis as being<br />
first in line to complete a humanpowered<br />
circumnavigation<br />
when he completes his expedition<br />
October 6 in Greenwich,<br />
England. Lewis’s quest has<br />
been a long-sought grail of circumnavigation<br />
aspirants since<br />
Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition<br />
completed <strong>the</strong> first circumnavigation<br />
of <strong>the</strong> world in 1522.<br />
<strong>The</strong> rules set by<br />
<strong>explorers</strong>web require<br />
<strong>the</strong> circumnavigator to:<br />
• Start and finish at <strong>the</strong> same point,<br />
traveling in one general direction<br />
• Reach two antipodes<br />
• Cross <strong>the</strong> equator<br />
• Cross all longitudes<br />
• Cover a minimum of 40,000 km or<br />
21,600 nautical miles (a great circle)<br />
British yachtsman Adrian<br />
Flanagan, who is sailing <strong>the</strong><br />
first-ever single-handed “vertical”<br />
circumnavigation of <strong>the</strong><br />
globe—considered <strong>the</strong> last great<br />
sailing prize in long-distance,<br />
single-handed sailing—says, “I<br />
agree with all points in <strong>the</strong> defining<br />
criteria, but would expand on<br />
one. In crossing <strong>the</strong> equator, it<br />
needs to be crossed twice in opposite<br />
directions. <strong>The</strong> one really<br />
important point, which <strong>the</strong> panel<br />
does make, is for <strong>the</strong> necessity<br />
of at least one pair of antipodal<br />
points on <strong>the</strong> track. Many sailors<br />
ignore this—all <strong>the</strong> Vendée Globe<br />
racers and <strong>the</strong> Volvo competitors<br />
THE EXPLORERS CLUB TRAVELERS<br />
Please contact us at:<br />
800-856-8951<br />
9am - 6pm Mon-Fri, ET<br />
Toll line: 603-756-4004<br />
Fax: 603-756-2922<br />
Email: ect@studytours.org<br />
Website: www.<strong>explorers</strong>.org<br />
Travel with <strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong> members<br />
and friends on luxurious adventures far<br />
off <strong>the</strong> beaten path in <strong>the</strong> company of<br />
distinguished & engaging leaders.<br />
FEATURED JOURNEY:<br />
Himalayas by Air<br />
March 21–April 7, 2008(18 days)<br />
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groups, religious traditions, wildlife habitats,<br />
and biodiversity in a single, unforgettable 18-day<br />
journey, visiting India, Bhutan, Myanmar, and<br />
China, with an extension to Nepal.<br />
SELECTED JOURNEYS<br />
<strong>The</strong> Farside of Antarctica<br />
December 1, 2007–January 7, 2008 (38 days)<br />
Ultimate Serengeti Safari<br />
February 12–24, 2008 (13 days)<br />
Chile’s Patagonian Fjords &<br />
<strong>the</strong> Falkland Islands<br />
February 18–March 2, 2008 (14 days)<br />
From Cape Horn to<br />
<strong>the</strong> Cape of Good Hope<br />
February 28–March 22, 2008 (24 days)<br />
8
EXPLORATION NEWS<br />
<strong>The</strong>yLivedAd_FINAL.qxp:Layout 1 6/25/07 4:04 PM Page 1<br />
are thus probably not completing<br />
a ‘true’ circumnavigation.” A<br />
complete set of rules and regulations<br />
for human-powered circumnavigation<br />
are posted at http://<br />
www.adventurestats.com/rules.<br />
shtml#around. For information<br />
on Jason Lewis’s expedition see:<br />
www.expedition360.com.<br />
Happy Birthday Sputnik<br />
Space Race turns 50<br />
October 4 marks <strong>the</strong> fiftieth<br />
anniversary <strong>the</strong> Soviet launch<br />
of Sputnik I, and “<strong>the</strong> singular<br />
event that launched <strong>the</strong> space<br />
age and <strong>the</strong> US–USSR Space<br />
Race,” says NASA web historian<br />
Steve Garber. According to<br />
Garber, <strong>the</strong> world’s first artificial<br />
satellite was about <strong>the</strong> size of<br />
a basketball, weighed only 183<br />
pounds, and took about 98<br />
minutes to orbit <strong>the</strong> Earth on its<br />
elliptical path. “As a technical<br />
achievement, Sputnik caught<br />
<strong>the</strong> world’s attention and <strong>the</strong><br />
American public off guard,”<br />
he says. “More important, <strong>the</strong><br />
launch ushered in new political,<br />
military, technological, and scientific<br />
developments.” For more,<br />
write to histinfo@hq.nasa.gov.<br />
SOUTH POLE THEN<br />
AND NOW<br />
Looking into deep space<br />
It has been 50 years since a team<br />
of 18 men under <strong>the</strong> leadership<br />
of scientist Paul Siple and naval<br />
officer Lt. John Tuck spent <strong>the</strong><br />
first winter/austral summer in<br />
history at <strong>the</strong> South Pole as part<br />
of <strong>the</strong> 1956–57 International<br />
Geophysical Year. <strong>The</strong> “winterovers,”<br />
as <strong>the</strong>y were known,<br />
witnessed sunset and sunrise at<br />
<strong>the</strong> South Pole, events that are<br />
separated in Antarctica by six<br />
months of darkness and almost<br />
unimaginable cold. During that<br />
time, temperatures dropped<br />
to -74.5° Celsius (-102.1°<br />
Fahrenheit) on September 18,<br />
1957, <strong>the</strong> coldest temperature<br />
recorded on Earth at <strong>the</strong> time.<br />
<strong>The</strong>se men laid <strong>the</strong> foundation<br />
for <strong>the</strong> scientific legacy<br />
that continues with <strong>the</strong> recent<br />
inauguration of <strong>the</strong> $19.2-million<br />
South Pole Telescope as part<br />
of <strong>the</strong> International Polar Year<br />
2007–2008. <strong>The</strong> telescope—23<br />
meters high, ten meters across,<br />
and weighing 280 tons—was<br />
test-built in Kilgore, TX, <strong>the</strong>n<br />
taken apart, shipped by boat<br />
to New Zealand, and flown<br />
to <strong>the</strong> South Pole. Since last<br />
November, <strong>the</strong> SPT team under<br />
<strong>the</strong> guidance of project manager<br />
Steve Padin, Senior Scientist in<br />
Astronomy and Astrophysics at<br />
<strong>the</strong> University of Chicago, have<br />
worked to reassemble and deploy<br />
<strong>the</strong> telescope, which is now<br />
up and running. <strong>The</strong> cold, dry<br />
atmosphere above <strong>the</strong> South<br />
Pole will allow <strong>the</strong> SPT to more<br />
easily detect <strong>the</strong> CMB (cosmic<br />
microwave background) radiation,<br />
<strong>the</strong> afterglow of <strong>the</strong> big<br />
bang, with minimal interference<br />
from water vapor. For more on<br />
<strong>the</strong> South Pole Telescope:<br />
http://spt.uchicago.edu/spt.<br />
P e a r y C e n t e n n i a l<br />
Expedition Planned<br />
<strong>The</strong> north beckons Dupre<br />
On February 17, 2009, polar<br />
AVAILABLE NOVEMBER 2007<br />
ISBN: 978-1-59228-991-2<br />
AVAILABLE WHERE BOOKS ARE SOLD<br />
COMINGTO BOOKSTORESTHIS FALL<br />
is <strong>the</strong> latest collection from <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong> book series, published<br />
by <strong>The</strong> Lyons Press. Ga<strong>the</strong>red here<br />
are <strong>the</strong> firsthand accounts of more<br />
than forty current members of <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>Club</strong>, ranging from <strong>the</strong> remarkable to<br />
<strong>the</strong> captivating to <strong>the</strong> bizarre, which<br />
are sure to become a memorable<br />
part of exploration lore for generations<br />
to come.<br />
Included in this exciting collection<br />
are stories such as “A Bad Day at <strong>the</strong><br />
Office” by Robert Ballard, “Flying<br />
Giant of <strong>the</strong> Andes” by Jim Fowler,<br />
“<strong>The</strong> Running of <strong>the</strong> Boundaries” by<br />
Wade Davis, “Race to <strong>the</strong> Moon” by<br />
James Lovell, “Out on a Limb” by<br />
Margaret Lowman, and many more.<br />
This collection redefines what <strong>the</strong><br />
original members called exploration,<br />
reflecting a modern adventurer—<br />
including several women—whose<br />
aim has shifted to protecting national<br />
treasures, preserving <strong>the</strong> planet, and<br />
making discoveries that will benefit<br />
<strong>the</strong> whole of humankind while<br />
expanding <strong>the</strong> world’s knowledge.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Lyons Press is an imprint of<br />
<strong>The</strong> Globe Pequot Press<br />
10
explorer Lonnie Dupre, 46, and<br />
a team of Inuit companions<br />
and <strong>explorers</strong> will begin an<br />
epic dogsled journey through<br />
<strong>the</strong> High Arctic, traveling in <strong>the</strong><br />
footsteps of Robert E. Peary,<br />
who with Mat<strong>the</strong>w A. Henson<br />
and a team of Inuit, became <strong>the</strong><br />
first men to reach <strong>the</strong> North Pole<br />
on April 6, 1909. Although <strong>the</strong><br />
claim was disputed by skeptics,<br />
it was upheld in 1989 by <strong>the</strong><br />
Navigation Foundation (www.<br />
navigationfoundation.org).<br />
According to Dupre, a resident<br />
of Grand Marais, MN, <strong>the</strong><br />
five-month project will begin in<br />
January 2009 with a month and<br />
a half of training dogs, preparing<br />
equipment, and living with<br />
<strong>the</strong> polar Inuit of <strong>the</strong> Qaanaaq<br />
district of northwest Greenland.<br />
<strong>The</strong>n, on February 17, <strong>the</strong> day<br />
<strong>the</strong> sun comes back at <strong>the</strong> end<br />
of four months of polar night,<br />
a team of six <strong>explorers</strong>, three<br />
sleds, and 36 dogs will depart<br />
on <strong>the</strong> 2,400-kilometer journey.<br />
While <strong>the</strong> team is not venturing<br />
to <strong>the</strong> North Pole, <strong>the</strong>y plan to<br />
document all of Peary’s historic<br />
huts, camps, depots, and cairns<br />
in Canada and Greenland.<br />
Dupre will also develop a “Not<br />
Cool” campaign to explain how<br />
<strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong> is affecting Inuit<br />
culture and how pollution is<br />
threatening wildlife. For more<br />
information contact: Lonnie<br />
Dupre at lonnie@boreal.org, or<br />
visit www.lonniedupre.com.<br />
How North is North?<br />
12<br />
A once and future land<br />
In July, <strong>the</strong> Euro-American North<br />
Greenland Expedition 2007<br />
flew to <strong>the</strong> nor<strong>the</strong>rnmost coast<br />
of Greenland, <strong>the</strong>n headed<br />
out on <strong>the</strong> sea ice to establish<br />
EXPLORATION NEWS<br />
whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong>re is a more nor<strong>the</strong>rly<br />
point of permanent land<br />
than Kaffeklubben Island, <strong>the</strong><br />
currently established nor<strong>the</strong>rn<br />
point. Oodaaq Island was<br />
discovered some 1360 meters<br />
north of Kaffeklubben in 1978,<br />
but it has since vanished into<br />
<strong>the</strong> ocean.<br />
Team member Jeff Shea of<br />
Point Richmond, CA, told us,<br />
“We stood on an ‘island’ north<br />
of Kaffeklubben. I put it in quotes<br />
because it appeared to be sitting<br />
on top of <strong>the</strong> sea ice, but we’re<br />
not sure if it was connected to<br />
land. This is representative of<br />
<strong>the</strong>se impermanent features off<br />
<strong>the</strong> north coast of Greenland<br />
near Kaffeklubben. This feature<br />
was shown in a 2005 satellite<br />
image appearing in much <strong>the</strong><br />
same shape as it is in now.<br />
“It looks like an island, but<br />
time will tell if it’s determined<br />
to be <strong>the</strong> nor<strong>the</strong>rnmost,” Shea<br />
says. “For now, we dubbed it<br />
Stray Dog West.”<br />
Nepal seeks peak<br />
fee cut<br />
Everest more economical?<br />
Ang Tshering Sherpa, president<br />
of <strong>the</strong> Nepal Mountaineering<br />
Association, is campaigning to<br />
reduce peak fees in his country<br />
in order to attract more climbers.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Nepalese government<br />
has formed a Royalty Revision<br />
Committee, and Ang Tshering’s<br />
hope is that fees will be reduced<br />
across <strong>the</strong> board, according to<br />
<strong>the</strong> American Alpine <strong>Club</strong> News.<br />
In general, Nepal’s peak fees are<br />
higher than those of comparable<br />
mountains in Pakistan, India,<br />
and even China. According to<br />
Reuters, Nepal is already considering<br />
a 50 percent cut in its<br />
peak fees for Everest’s relatively<br />
unpopular fall season.<br />
With <strong>the</strong> end of <strong>the</strong> decadeold<br />
Maoist insurgency last year,<br />
tourism has rebounded in Nepal<br />
(up 36 percent in <strong>the</strong> first seven<br />
months of 2007 compared to<br />
2006) but it is still far below<br />
historical levels. Ang Tshering<br />
asks that climbers and guides<br />
e-mail <strong>the</strong>ir comments on reducing<br />
peak fees to office@nepal<br />
mountaineering.org and to<br />
<strong>the</strong> Ministry of Tourism at<br />
tourism@mail.com.np.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Not So<br />
B l u e D a n u b e<br />
Pollution threatens a European wonder<br />
Eighteen environmental scientists<br />
spent seven weeks traveling<br />
down <strong>the</strong> 2,375-kilometer<br />
Danube to “give <strong>the</strong> river a health<br />
checkup,” according to Philip<br />
Weller, executive secretary of<br />
<strong>the</strong> International Commission<br />
for <strong>the</strong> Protection of <strong>the</strong><br />
Danube River, which organized<br />
<strong>the</strong> study. Known as <strong>the</strong> Joint<br />
Danube Survey 2, <strong>the</strong> trip began<br />
on August 14 in Regensburg,<br />
Germany, and ended in late<br />
September in in Romania and<br />
<strong>the</strong> Ukraine. Weller said <strong>the</strong><br />
goal was to ga<strong>the</strong>r information<br />
to improve Danube-related<br />
policies of <strong>the</strong> countries along<br />
<strong>the</strong> river, home to more than 80<br />
million people. For more on this<br />
project, see www.icpdr.org/jds.
P o i n t s<br />
Unknown<br />
into <strong>the</strong> wilds of Patagonia<br />
text by Paul Jeffrey<br />
photographs by Cristian Donoso<br />
Eager to protect <strong>the</strong> dramatic landscapes of western<br />
Patagonia, Cristian Donoso is leading an<br />
expedition by kayak to this region, one of <strong>the</strong> most<br />
inhospitable places on earth. Spending five months<br />
navigating open seas and fjords and pulling <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
kayaks across glaciers, Donoso and his team will<br />
face daunting physical and mental challenges as<br />
<strong>the</strong>y ga<strong>the</strong>r information that will inform Chile and<br />
<strong>the</strong> world about this little-known area.<br />
With its labyrinth of rocky islands, serpentine channels<br />
and icy fjords, western Patagonia, in sou<strong>the</strong>rn<br />
Chile, is one of <strong>the</strong> least-explored areas on Earth,<br />
with annual rainfall reaching up to eight meters and<br />
winds frequently rising to hurricane force. Nestled<br />
among glaciers that hug <strong>the</strong> slopes of steep Andean<br />
peaks and drenched by storms that blow out of <strong>the</strong><br />
sou<strong>the</strong>rn Pacific, <strong>the</strong> harsh region deters all but <strong>the</strong><br />
hardiest <strong>explorers</strong>.<br />
That has not stopped Cristian Donoso, a young<br />
Chilean lawyer who over <strong>the</strong> past 14 years has<br />
ventured some 40 times into <strong>the</strong> region’s most<br />
inaccessible corners. Just like <strong>the</strong> indigenous<br />
peoples who paddled here in fragile canoes for<br />
thousands of years before <strong>the</strong> arrival of Europeans,<br />
he often travels in a sea kayak, which allows him<br />
to manoeuvre around <strong>the</strong> narrowest fjords and<br />
discover <strong>the</strong>ir hidden beauty.<br />
“In order to streng<strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong> protection of this<br />
territory, we have got to know what’s <strong>the</strong>re,” says<br />
Donoso, who reports that today most Chileans<br />
have little knowledge of it. He warns that such<br />
ignorance makes it easier for those seeking<br />
commercial gain to exploit <strong>the</strong> region’s natural<br />
resources—seafood, water, virgin forests—with<br />
little respect for its biodiversity.<br />
With his team of three men and one woman,<br />
<strong>the</strong> 31-year-old explorer has embarked on an<br />
ambitious five-month Transpatagonia Expedition<br />
that started this September. <strong>The</strong>y will traverse<br />
2,039 kilometers of <strong>the</strong> central part of western<br />
Patagonia on open sea, lakes, and rivers, as well<br />
as travelling overland for about 150 kilometers,<br />
dragging kayaks with provisions—weighing some<br />
100 kilograms each—behind <strong>the</strong>m as sledges.<br />
<strong>The</strong> group will ascend unclimbed peaks and visit<br />
<strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> <strong>journal</strong>
uncharted territories.<br />
To enhance understanding of <strong>the</strong> region’s<br />
geological past, soil and rock samples will<br />
be collected and analyzed by scientists.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> will also collect geological<br />
evidence, including stalagmites in caves<br />
on Madre de Dios Island, showing how <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>climate</strong> has <strong>change</strong>d over time.<br />
Scholars of <strong>the</strong> region’s human history<br />
eagerly await <strong>the</strong> expedition’s reports on<br />
<strong>the</strong> remains of fishing and hunting camps<br />
that belonged to <strong>the</strong> Kaweskars, who lived<br />
in <strong>the</strong> region for more than 4,000 years.<br />
A famous incident, <strong>the</strong> 1741 sinking<br />
of <strong>the</strong> English frigate Wager on <strong>the</strong> north<br />
coast of <strong>the</strong> Guayaneco Archipelago, will<br />
come alive again when expedition divers<br />
search for <strong>the</strong> wreck’s exact location. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
will <strong>the</strong>n trace <strong>the</strong> route described in <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>journal</strong> of John Byron, who survived <strong>the</strong><br />
shipwreck thanks to assistance from two<br />
indigenous groups, who spirited him and<br />
three o<strong>the</strong>r survivors through <strong>the</strong> treacherous<br />
waters in <strong>the</strong>ir canoes.<br />
Donoso, a 2006 Rolex Enterprise Awards Laureate,<br />
is planning to produce a documentary video for<br />
broadcast on Chilean television in 2008. To follow<br />
his expedition, September through January, see his<br />
website at: http://patagoniaincognita.blogspot.com.<br />
biography<br />
Paul Jeffrey is an Oregon-based writer and photographer<br />
who has covered international emergencies<br />
such as <strong>the</strong> genocide in Darfur, Sudan, and <strong>the</strong> tsunami<br />
in South Asia.<br />
14 <strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> <strong>journal</strong>
A M o u n ta i n<br />
of <strong>The</strong>ir Own<br />
after leading dozens of clients up<br />
<strong>the</strong> world’s highest peak, two of<br />
Everest’s best climb for <strong>the</strong>mselves<br />
text by Brett Prettyman<br />
From his first glimpse of <strong>the</strong> tiny man with <strong>the</strong> effervescent<br />
smile, Geoff Tabin knew Apa Sherpa was<br />
different. It was 1988, and Tabin was serving as <strong>the</strong><br />
doctor on an expedition on Mount Everest that had<br />
hired Apa as part of <strong>the</strong> climbing support team.<br />
“He was very shy, very cheerful, and unbelievably<br />
strong,” Tabin said. “He had<br />
this incredible balance about<br />
him. While o<strong>the</strong>r Sherpas<br />
carrying <strong>the</strong> same<br />
loads were plodding<br />
along he<br />
was skipping<br />
and dancing up <strong>the</strong> mountain. And that smile…he<br />
just never quit smiling.”<br />
While Apa didn’t make it to <strong>the</strong> top of<br />
Chomolungma in 1988—Tabin did—<strong>the</strong> Sherpa<br />
man from Thame managed to string toge<strong>the</strong>r an<br />
unbelievable list of summits in <strong>the</strong> ensuing years.<br />
Today, 19 years later, <strong>the</strong> 5-foot-4 and 120-pound<br />
Apa is still displaying what has become <strong>the</strong> trademark<br />
grin of <strong>the</strong> man who has skipped to <strong>the</strong> summit<br />
of Everest more than any o<strong>the</strong>r human, most<br />
recently on May 16, 2007. This past spring, <strong>the</strong><br />
reserved yet still distinctly feisty 47-year-old broke<br />
his own world record with a seventeenth trip to<br />
<strong>the</strong> highest point on <strong>the</strong> planet—four of which<br />
were made without oxygen. Apa made his first<br />
16 Everest summits while employed by clients<br />
to get <strong>the</strong>m to 29,035 feet above sea level. This<br />
time <strong>the</strong>re were no clients, just family, friends, and<br />
fellow Everest record setter Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa,<br />
who in 2003 set a speed record for <strong>the</strong> fastest<br />
summit from basecamp in just under 11 hours.<br />
Apa and Lhakpa surrounded <strong>the</strong>mselves with<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r Sherpas, many of <strong>the</strong>m extended family and<br />
friends, to round out <strong>the</strong> climbing members of <strong>the</strong><br />
SuperSherpas Expedition.<br />
“All <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r times I was <strong>the</strong>re for a job to<br />
16 <strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> <strong>journal</strong>
get o<strong>the</strong>rs to <strong>the</strong> top to try and support my family.<br />
This time Lhakpa and I did it not only for our<br />
families but for all <strong>the</strong> Nepali people,” Apa said<br />
from his current home in Salt Lake City, UT, where<br />
Lhakpa also lives. “I am very proud of our team,<br />
<strong>the</strong> history we made, and <strong>the</strong> awareness we have<br />
brought to <strong>the</strong> Sherpa people.”<br />
Free of <strong>the</strong> constraints and obligations to get<br />
clients to <strong>the</strong> top, <strong>the</strong> SuperSherpas basically<br />
raced from Camp 2 to <strong>the</strong> summit, passing o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
climbers hunkered down in tents trying to acclimatize<br />
to <strong>the</strong> elevation. <strong>The</strong> SuperSherpas team<br />
started its final push for <strong>the</strong> summit on May 14,<br />
spending <strong>the</strong> night at Camp 2 (21,300 feet), and<br />
<strong>the</strong>n climbed to Camp 4—a gain of more than<br />
4,200 feet—in nine hours. After a four-hour rest at<br />
Camp 4, <strong>the</strong>y took off at 10 P.M. and summitted<br />
at approximately 8:45 A.M. on May 16. <strong>The</strong> team<br />
climbed more than 7,700 vertical feet in less than<br />
24 hours—and at <strong>the</strong> highest altitude in <strong>the</strong> world.<br />
“This trip was not as hard as o<strong>the</strong>rs when we<br />
had to help o<strong>the</strong>rs so much,” Lhakpa said. “Our<br />
Sherpa team was so strong and we didn’t have<br />
to turn around for anything. I am so very proud of<br />
how we worked as a team.”<br />
“If <strong>the</strong>re is anything good that comes from our<br />
summit…our goal would be to create a more<br />
peaceful world,” Apa and Lhakpa radioed <strong>the</strong><br />
SuperSherpas basecamp shortly after reaching<br />
<strong>the</strong> summit. “Our second goal would be to<br />
continue in Sir Edmund Hillary’s footsteps and<br />
contribute to education and improving health care<br />
in <strong>the</strong> Khumbu region, and for all Nepali people<br />
in <strong>the</strong> remote regions.” To raise awareness of <strong>the</strong><br />
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF SUPERSHERPAS LLC<br />
role of Sherpas and <strong>the</strong> need for a better education<br />
system in <strong>the</strong>ir home country, a documentary<br />
is being made about <strong>the</strong> expedition—filmed entirely<br />
by Sherpas, of course.<br />
Apa and Lhakpa never made it out of grade<br />
school in Nepal. <strong>The</strong>y both became porters for<br />
Everest expeditions at an early age to support<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir families. <strong>The</strong> men eventually proved <strong>the</strong>mselves<br />
worthy of becoming part of climbing teams<br />
and started leading people to <strong>the</strong> top. Even as<br />
<strong>the</strong> most accomplished climber on Everest, Apa<br />
still made less than 20 percent of <strong>the</strong> money<br />
Western guides pull in for taking clients to <strong>the</strong> top.<br />
Because <strong>the</strong>y spend more time on <strong>the</strong> mountain<br />
helping prepare camps for <strong>the</strong> climbers, Sherpas<br />
are also exposed to <strong>the</strong> dangers of Everest more<br />
frequently than Western climbers.<br />
Apa and Lhakpa decided it was time to draw<br />
attention to <strong>the</strong> Sherpa people and <strong>the</strong> fact that<br />
<strong>the</strong>y have been involved in some way on every<br />
expedition attempt since people started trying to<br />
conquer Everest in <strong>the</strong> 1920s. <strong>The</strong> men are also<br />
hoping that <strong>the</strong>ir success will help raise money for<br />
more and better education for all Nepali children,<br />
and create a better pay scale for Sherpas involved<br />
in expeditions.<br />
Because <strong>the</strong>y live at high elevations <strong>the</strong>ir entire<br />
lives, Sherpas do not need to go through <strong>the</strong><br />
lengthy process of acclimating <strong>the</strong>ir bodies to <strong>the</strong><br />
grueling demands of extreme heights. Amazingly,<br />
research on <strong>the</strong> Sherpas’ ability to cope with high<br />
elevations has not been done. Researchers from<br />
<strong>the</strong> Orthopedic Specialty Hospital in Utah asked<br />
Apa and Lhakpa to undergo a barrage of tests<br />
before leaving Salt Lake City for Kathmandu, and<br />
again during <strong>the</strong> climb. Results from <strong>the</strong> medical<br />
and nutritional research are still being analyzed,<br />
but it is clear that <strong>the</strong>re is something unique about<br />
<strong>the</strong> Sherpas that allows <strong>the</strong>m to excel at elevation<br />
where o<strong>the</strong>rs break down.<br />
Making it to <strong>the</strong> top is always a thrilling, but all<br />
climbers know an expedition is only a success if<br />
<strong>the</strong>y make it back home. Apa and Lhakpa were<br />
almost back to basecamp, about halfway through<br />
<strong>the</strong> Khumbu Icefall, when <strong>the</strong>y were asked to head<br />
back up <strong>the</strong> mountain to help retrieve <strong>the</strong> body of<br />
a climber who had been killed in an avalanche.<br />
Although <strong>the</strong>y had never met <strong>the</strong> Korean man who<br />
perished, Apa and Lhakpa honored his family by<br />
helping to bring his body back down <strong>the</strong> mountain.<br />
This required going through <strong>the</strong> icefall at <strong>the</strong><br />
time of highest risk, late in <strong>the</strong> day after warming<br />
from <strong>the</strong> intense sun. Many climbers, including<br />
Apa, believe <strong>the</strong> icefall is <strong>the</strong> most dangerous part<br />
of <strong>the</strong> Everest climb.<br />
<strong>The</strong> record-holders finally made it back to<br />
basecamp, albeit on a sad note, but <strong>the</strong>y still<br />
found energy enough to celebrate with <strong>the</strong> basecamp<br />
team. <strong>The</strong>y started by calling <strong>the</strong>ir families.<br />
Missing his wife and three children in Utah, Apa<br />
was in a hurry to get back to <strong>the</strong> United States,<br />
so <strong>the</strong> team wasted little time packing up camp.<br />
“We were <strong>the</strong> last to arrive and <strong>the</strong> first to leave,”<br />
Lhakpa said about <strong>the</strong> mere 22-days <strong>the</strong> team<br />
spent at basecamp, surely ano<strong>the</strong>r record for<br />
Everest expeditions. “Everybody was jealous that<br />
we had managed to make <strong>the</strong> climb so quick.”<br />
Lhakpa was also excited to get home, but he<br />
had a present to pick up for his wife Fuli. <strong>The</strong> team<br />
headed to Kathmandu, where <strong>the</strong>y were treated<br />
like royalty and swarmed by <strong>the</strong> media and wellwishers.<br />
When things finally settled down for<br />
<strong>the</strong> heroes, <strong>the</strong>y headed for <strong>the</strong> U.S. Embassy in<br />
Kathmandu, hoping to get final permission to take<br />
Lhakpa’s three children—ages 10 to 16—to North<br />
America. It took some work, but permission was<br />
granted and <strong>the</strong> team plus three returned to Utah<br />
on May 30. “I feel like we have accomplished so<br />
many goals, but it is most important that <strong>the</strong> children<br />
are here now with <strong>the</strong>ir mo<strong>the</strong>r,” said Lhakpa.<br />
“Education is so important and now <strong>the</strong>y can go to<br />
schools here and be with us.”<br />
Although <strong>the</strong>y both hint that <strong>the</strong>ir time on<br />
Everest is over, Apa and Lhakpa both say it is<br />
too soon after <strong>the</strong>ir latest expedition to decide<br />
if <strong>the</strong>y will return to attempt ano<strong>the</strong>r climb. “One<br />
never knows. We will have to see what happens<br />
in <strong>the</strong> future. <strong>The</strong> mountain will always be <strong>the</strong>re,”<br />
<strong>the</strong>y said.<br />
information<br />
For more information on <strong>the</strong> SuperSherpas Expedition visit<br />
www.supersherpas.com. For a detailed day-by-day account<br />
of <strong>the</strong> expedition with pictures, video, and notes from Mount<br />
Everest basecamp visit: www.sherpas.sltrib.com.<br />
biography<br />
Brett Prettyman has been an outdoors writer and editor for<br />
<strong>The</strong> Salt Lake Tribune since 1990.<br />
18 <strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> <strong>journal</strong>
exploring <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong><br />
charting a new course<br />
for<br />
Plan e t<br />
Earth<br />
by margaret D. Lowman<br />
<strong>The</strong> Dry Valleys in Antarctica, photo by David Marchant, Boston University<br />
“A race is now on between <strong>the</strong> techno-scientific<br />
forces that are destroying <strong>the</strong> living environment<br />
and those that can be harnessed to save it.”<br />
- E.O. Wilson<br />
For more than a century, <strong>the</strong> collective talents<br />
of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong> have tested <strong>the</strong> limits of<br />
human stamina. Our members have rocketed<br />
into space, dived deep into our oceans, and<br />
ventured into cave systems and rainforest canopies.<br />
And, in <strong>the</strong> process of exploring our planet,<br />
<strong>the</strong>y have been instrumental in pioneering new<br />
technologies to facilitate <strong>the</strong> discovery and<br />
recovery of information, whe<strong>the</strong>r a new species<br />
or previously unknown geophysical process.<br />
Perhaps more important, our colleagues have<br />
championed <strong>the</strong> need to conserve Earth’s wild<br />
places not only for <strong>explorers</strong> of <strong>the</strong> future but<br />
for humanity as a whole.<br />
In his new book, <strong>The</strong> Revenge of Gaia, British<br />
environmental writer James Lovelock, who has<br />
long viewed our planet as a complex superorganism,<br />
claims that Earth is about to catch a<br />
morbid fever that may last as long as 100,000<br />
years. Climate <strong>change</strong> is not a localized phenomenon—restricted<br />
to developing countries or<br />
expanding urban areas. It is a global <strong>issue</strong> that<br />
affects <strong>the</strong> entire planet. Hurricanes are increasing<br />
in numbers and intensity as a consequence<br />
of <strong>the</strong> warmer oceans that trigger increased<br />
storm cycles. Warmer temperatures are melting<br />
polar ice at unprecedented rates, and also drying<br />
out remaining fragments of tropical rainforest,<br />
leading to increased fire frequency. Most<br />
scientists, myself included, agree that Earth<br />
is rapidly approaching a tipping point, beyond<br />
which <strong>the</strong> costs and technology for ecosystem<br />
repair may become prohibitive.<br />
For <strong>The</strong> <strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, what began as an<br />
idea embraced by a select few of our members<br />
has become a mandate for our organization—to<br />
ensure a healthy future for global exploration.<br />
As <strong>the</strong> club’s vice president for research and<br />
education, I will be working with our president,<br />
Daniel A. Bennett, and our board of directors<br />
to guarantee that research and education become<br />
primary components of all expeditions<br />
supported by <strong>the</strong> organization.<br />
While <strong>the</strong> future may look bleak for <strong>the</strong> environment,<br />
we believe our profound desire to chart<br />
a new course for our planet offers exciting economic<br />
opportunities for new green technologies<br />
and initiatives. As <strong>explorers</strong>, our goal is not only<br />
to explore, but to educate and inspire.<br />
20 <strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> <strong>journal</strong>
exploring <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong> No. 1<br />
Venturing<br />
Of <strong>the</strong><br />
to <strong>the</strong> Ends<br />
Earth<br />
exploring our planet’s polar regions:<br />
chroniclers of <strong>the</strong> past and portents of <strong>the</strong> future<br />
by Paul Andrew Mayewski<br />
It has been 50 years since <strong>the</strong> first International<br />
Geophysical Year (IGY) invited <strong>the</strong> best minds in<br />
science from around <strong>the</strong> globe to join forces in tackling<br />
<strong>issue</strong>s such as understanding Earth’s oceans<br />
and atmosphere and <strong>the</strong> delicate relationship<br />
between <strong>the</strong>m. Since <strong>the</strong>n, many advances have<br />
been made in this area, among <strong>the</strong> most important,<br />
<strong>the</strong> understanding of <strong>the</strong> role of greenhouse<br />
gases such as carbon dioxide (CO 2<br />
) in determining<br />
Earth’s <strong>climate</strong>. In more recent years, a realization<br />
that gases such as CO 2<br />
are on <strong>the</strong> rise has led to an<br />
interest in determining and documenting past levels<br />
of greenhouse gases. Ga<strong>the</strong>ring such information,<br />
however, entails journeying literally to <strong>the</strong> ends of<br />
<strong>the</strong> Earth. For <strong>the</strong>re, locked in thousands of meters<br />
of ice, are records of our planet’s changing chemical<br />
and physical <strong>climate</strong> that stretch back nearly a<br />
million years.<br />
When I began my <strong>climate</strong> research nearly 40<br />
years ago, few in <strong>the</strong> scientific community regarded<br />
Earth’s polar regions as important to <strong>the</strong><br />
vast majority of civilization. At that time, Antarctica<br />
was viewed as not only a frozen continent but also<br />
a continent frozen in time. This view seemed to<br />
be amply supported by <strong>the</strong> ice-free valleys of <strong>the</strong><br />
Victoria Land Coast in East Antarctica, where<br />
rocks had been exposed to millions of years of<br />
wind erosion, creating timeless landscapes. <strong>The</strong><br />
vast interior of <strong>the</strong> polar plateau also appeared to<br />
be <strong>change</strong>less to <strong>the</strong> few limited expeditions that<br />
passed but once across <strong>the</strong> surface.<br />
Increased access to <strong>the</strong> most remote portions<br />
of Antarctica and <strong>the</strong> Arctic—afforded by aircraft<br />
and ship in recent years—complemented by our<br />
ability to mount lighter, faster, and more efficient<br />
expeditions and establish well-equipped field stations,<br />
has resulted in <strong>the</strong> acquisition of an abundance<br />
of information that is dramatically changing<br />
our understanding of <strong>the</strong> critical role polar regions<br />
play in Earth’s complex ecosystem.<br />
Remarkably, <strong>the</strong>se regions have now emerged<br />
as “first responders” for monitoring current <strong>climate</strong><br />
because <strong>the</strong>y are so sensitive to warming;<br />
<strong>the</strong> vast ice-trapped environmental libraries <strong>the</strong>y<br />
host chronicle hundreds of thousands of years of<br />
Earth’s <strong>climate</strong> history. <strong>The</strong> ice cores we extract<br />
from <strong>the</strong> polar regions contain highly robust records<br />
of past <strong>climate</strong>. <strong>The</strong>se ancient records not<br />
only allow us to better understand <strong>the</strong> long-term<br />
cyclical <strong>change</strong>s in <strong>climate</strong> caused by natural phenomena<br />
such as <strong>the</strong> 26,000-year precession of<br />
<strong>the</strong> equinoxes, which is in part responsible for <strong>the</strong><br />
ice ages; volcanic eruptions; and solar activity, but<br />
to separate <strong>the</strong>se factors from variations in <strong>climate</strong><br />
22 <strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> <strong>journal</strong>
Discovery of abrupt <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong> by <strong>the</strong> Greenland<br />
Ice Sheet Project Two (GISP2) in 1992 revolutionized<br />
<strong>the</strong> understanding of <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong>.<br />
Prior to 1992 <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong> was viewed as a slow<br />
process, taking thousands of years. Following<br />
1992 <strong>change</strong>s in temperature and atmospheric<br />
circulation intensity were demonstrated to operate<br />
frequently and rapidly (<strong>change</strong> in less than 10<br />
and in some cases less than two years). Data for<br />
this figure from: Mayewski et al., 1994, Science,<br />
1997, Journal of Geophysics; Grootes et al., 1997,<br />
Journal of Geophysics.<br />
wrought by human activity. Moreover, <strong>the</strong> study of<br />
particularly deep ice cores such as those we have<br />
recovered from Greenland and Antarctica is yielding<br />
a number of paradigm-changing concepts<br />
about how <strong>the</strong> <strong>climate</strong> system operates.<br />
When I directed <strong>the</strong> Greenland Ice Sheet<br />
Project 2 (GISP2) in 1993, we recovered <strong>the</strong> first<br />
ice core to bedrock, extending to 3,056 meters,<br />
below <strong>the</strong> surface in Greenland. <strong>The</strong> resulting <strong>climate</strong><br />
record was annually dated back to 110,000<br />
years ago and instead of demonstrating, as<br />
assumed to that date, that <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong>s slowly<br />
over hundreds to thousands of years, showing<br />
that temperature, precipitation, and atmospheric<br />
circulation can <strong>change</strong> dramatically in <strong>the</strong> span of<br />
a decade. <strong>The</strong> finding was an absolute break with<br />
scientific consensus.<br />
<strong>The</strong> idea that in less than a decade—and in some<br />
cases within two years—<strong>the</strong> <strong>climate</strong> in a region<br />
could <strong>change</strong> so rapidly opened up <strong>the</strong> possibility<br />
for significant <strong>climate</strong> surprises. Close correlation<br />
between <strong>the</strong> abrupt <strong>climate</strong> events evident in ice<br />
core records and those found in cores taken from<br />
ocean floor sediments suggested that <strong>change</strong>s<br />
in ocean circulation accompany <strong>change</strong>s in <strong>the</strong><br />
atmosphere.<br />
Such abrupt <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong> events appear to<br />
be most dramatic in <strong>the</strong> North Atlantic, no doubt a<br />
consequence of <strong>the</strong> fortuitous shape of <strong>the</strong> North<br />
Atlantic basin with respect to sea ice formation,<br />
which allows <strong>the</strong> extent of sea ice to vary over<br />
a considerable area. Examination of <strong>the</strong> GISP2<br />
ice cores reveal that since <strong>the</strong> departure of <strong>the</strong><br />
major Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Hemisphere ice sheets some<br />
10,000 years ago, abrupt <strong>climate</strong> events are of<br />
significantly smaller magnitude—a mere 1º to 2ºC<br />
in temperature—than <strong>the</strong>ir Ice Age counterparts.<br />
Yet such seemingly small <strong>change</strong>s in <strong>climate</strong> can<br />
have a major impact on ecosystems and civilizations.<br />
<strong>The</strong> demise of <strong>the</strong> Akkadian culture in Mesopotamia<br />
4,200 years ago and <strong>the</strong> decline of <strong>the</strong> Maya civilization<br />
ca. A.D. 900 can both be attributed in large<br />
part to shifts in atmospheric circulation, which led to<br />
drought. <strong>The</strong> Norse colonies in Greenland in A.D.<br />
1400 found <strong>the</strong>mselves more isolated with each<br />
passing year as a consequence of increased sea<br />
ice, which made it impossible for European ships<br />
to resupply <strong>the</strong> settlements. <strong>The</strong>se findings send a<br />
clear and imperative message to modern society: we<br />
are not immune to even small <strong>change</strong>s in <strong>climate</strong>.<br />
When <strong>the</strong> Arctic Climate Impact Assessment<br />
(AICA)—which included not only our ice core data,<br />
but research from many o<strong>the</strong>r Arctic projects—was<br />
released in 2004, it demonstrated without a doubt<br />
that our planet was well into <strong>the</strong> initial stages of<br />
warming and, as expected, early evidence would<br />
come from <strong>the</strong> polar regions, notably temperaturesensitive<br />
Arctic sea ice and surrounding glaciers.<br />
Earth’s nor<strong>the</strong>rn polar reaches consist of a vast<br />
ocean encircled by land—<strong>the</strong> inverse of <strong>the</strong> sou<strong>the</strong>rn<br />
polar region. Arctic seas and lands are home<br />
to diverse populations of wildlife, vegetation, and<br />
people. In recent decades, <strong>the</strong> delicate Arctic <strong>climate</strong><br />
balance has begun to <strong>change</strong> dramatically<br />
as a consequence of greenhouse gas warming.<br />
<strong>The</strong> extent and thickness of sea ice has diminished,<br />
permafrost is thawing, coastal erosion is<br />
accelerating, <strong>the</strong> abundance and distribution of<br />
plants and animals has been altered, and glaciers<br />
are retreating at accelerating rates.<br />
A soon-to-be-released study developed by<br />
several of us under <strong>the</strong> auspices of <strong>the</strong> Scientific<br />
Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR), entitled<br />
<strong>the</strong> State of <strong>the</strong> Antarctic and <strong>the</strong> Sou<strong>the</strong>rn<br />
Ocean Climate System, emphasizes <strong>the</strong> critical<br />
role that region plays in <strong>the</strong> global <strong>climate</strong> system.<br />
Climate over <strong>the</strong> Antarctic is profoundly influenced<br />
by its massive ice sheet, which in places is more<br />
than 4,000 meters thick. Antarctica holds some 80<br />
percent of <strong>the</strong> world’s fresh water as ice (glaciers<br />
outside Antarctica comprise ano<strong>the</strong>r ten percent)<br />
and along with its surrounding sea ice, <strong>the</strong> resulting<br />
whiteness plays a major role in Earth’s ability to reflect<br />
incoming solar radiation. <strong>The</strong> white reflective<br />
surface of <strong>the</strong> Antarctic ice sheet is doubled in size<br />
during <strong>the</strong> maximum yearly extent of sea ice and<br />
sea ice is highly sensitive to <strong>change</strong>s in ocean and<br />
surface air temperatures, making it a highly dynamic<br />
component of <strong>the</strong> global <strong>climate</strong> system. <strong>The</strong> extent<br />
of <strong>the</strong> sea ice and its duration determines <strong>the</strong> vigor<br />
of heat ex<strong>change</strong> between <strong>the</strong> ocean and overlying<br />
atmosphere.<br />
Surface and subsurface melting of Antarctic ice<br />
into <strong>the</strong> Sou<strong>the</strong>rn Ocean leads to <strong>the</strong> production<br />
of <strong>the</strong> coldest, densest water on <strong>the</strong> planet. <strong>The</strong><br />
strongest winds on Earth encircle <strong>the</strong> Antarctic<br />
and blow over <strong>the</strong> Sou<strong>the</strong>rn Ocean. <strong>The</strong> combination<br />
of winds and dense bottom water production<br />
are primary drivers of <strong>the</strong> world’s largest ocean<br />
current system and <strong>the</strong>refore are of critical importance<br />
to <strong>the</strong> transport of heat and moisture<br />
throughout <strong>the</strong> planet.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Antarctic ice sheet is today one-and-a-half<br />
times <strong>the</strong> size of <strong>the</strong> United States and has a<br />
sea level equivalent, if completely melted, of 57<br />
meters. By virtue of its size, reflectivity, and its<br />
surrounding ocean that acts as a heat sink, <strong>the</strong><br />
warming impact of human source <strong>change</strong>s in<br />
greenhouse gases (rise in CO 2<br />
, CH 4<br />
, and N 2<br />
O,<br />
and decrease in upper atmosphere O 3<br />
) may be<br />
partially buffered, but for how long? Mounting<br />
evidence suggests that warming is beginning to<br />
impact ever-increasing portions of <strong>the</strong> Antarctic<br />
and Sou<strong>the</strong>rn Ocean. Model projections suggest<br />
that over <strong>the</strong> twenty-first century <strong>the</strong> Antarctic interior<br />
will warm by approximately 3º to 4ºC, which<br />
exceeds temperatures of <strong>the</strong> last few million years<br />
for this region, and sea ice extent will decrease by<br />
some 30 percent. Estimates for sea level rise are<br />
on <strong>the</strong> order of six to seven meters over <strong>the</strong> next<br />
2,000 years, but <strong>the</strong>re is no reason to assume that<br />
<strong>the</strong> rate of <strong>change</strong> will be linear. Massive melting<br />
and sea level rise could occur at any time as a<br />
consequence of ice sheet destabilization (through<br />
heating of surface ice, basal ice, or ocean-ice<br />
contact points). Changes in <strong>climate</strong> (temperature,<br />
precipitation, ocean and atmospheric circulation,<br />
sea ice, atmospheric chemistry) over <strong>the</strong> Antarctic<br />
and <strong>the</strong> Sou<strong>the</strong>rn Ocean will have a dramatic impact<br />
on <strong>the</strong> global <strong>climate</strong> system.<br />
Significant regional <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong>s have<br />
already taken place in <strong>the</strong> Antarctic during <strong>the</strong><br />
past 50 years. Atmospheric temperatures have<br />
increased markedly over <strong>the</strong> Antarctic Peninsula.<br />
Glaciers are retreating on <strong>the</strong> Antarctic Peninsula,<br />
in Patagonia (see page 36), on <strong>the</strong> sub-Antarctic<br />
islands, and in West Antarctica adjacent to <strong>the</strong><br />
peninsula. <strong>The</strong> penetration of marine air masses<br />
has become more pronounced over portions<br />
of West Antarctica. Well above <strong>the</strong> surface,<br />
<strong>the</strong> Antarctic atmosphere has warmed during<br />
winter. <strong>The</strong> upper kilometer of <strong>the</strong> circumpolar<br />
Sou<strong>the</strong>rn Ocean has warmed, Antarctic bottom<br />
water across a wide sector of east Antarctica<br />
has freshened, and <strong>the</strong> densest bottom water in<br />
<strong>the</strong> Weddell Sea has also warmed. In contrast<br />
to <strong>the</strong>se regional <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong>s, over most of<br />
Antarctica near-surface temperature and snowfall<br />
have not increased significantly during at least<br />
<strong>the</strong> past 50 years (<strong>the</strong>refore no offset thus far for<br />
rising sea level due to melting), and ice-core data<br />
suggest that <strong>the</strong> atmospheric circulation over <strong>the</strong><br />
interior has thus far remained in a similar state for<br />
at least <strong>the</strong> past 200 years.<br />
Due to its unique meteorological and photochemical<br />
environment, <strong>the</strong> atmosphere over<br />
Antarctica has experienced <strong>the</strong> most significant<br />
depletion of stratospheric O 3<br />
on <strong>the</strong> planet, detected<br />
through monitoring that began with <strong>the</strong> IGY<br />
five decades ago. <strong>The</strong> depletion is in response<br />
to <strong>the</strong> stratospheric accumulation of man-made<br />
chemicals produced largely in <strong>the</strong> Nor<strong>the</strong>rn<br />
Hemisphere. <strong>The</strong> ozone hole influences <strong>the</strong> <strong>climate</strong><br />
of Antarctica (smaller ozone holes also impact <strong>the</strong><br />
24 <strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> <strong>journal</strong>
sou<strong>the</strong>rn victoria land<br />
antartica<br />
Mt. Erebus, <strong>the</strong> only active volcano exposed on <strong>the</strong> Antarctic<br />
continent; <strong>the</strong> massive Ross Ice Shelf, which drains glaciers<br />
flowing out of <strong>the</strong> Transantarctic Mountains and portions of<br />
West Antarctica; and <strong>the</strong> city block-size icebergs spawned off<br />
<strong>the</strong> ice shelf can be seen from <strong>the</strong> coast of Sou<strong>the</strong>rn Victoria<br />
Land, East Antarctica.<br />
Arctic), allowing solar radiation to penetrate to <strong>the</strong><br />
surface, and along with <strong>the</strong> global rise in CO 2<br />
,<br />
CH 4<br />
, and N 2<br />
O, provides immense potential for <strong>climate</strong><br />
<strong>change</strong> over <strong>the</strong> Sou<strong>the</strong>rn Hemisphere. <strong>The</strong><br />
Sou<strong>the</strong>rn Ocean is our most biologically productive<br />
ocean and a significant sink for both heat and<br />
CO 2<br />
, making it critical to <strong>the</strong> evolution of <strong>climate</strong><br />
past and present. <strong>The</strong>refore it acts as a wild card<br />
for future <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong> that is human-induced.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Arctic Ocean is expected to be nearly ice<br />
free by <strong>the</strong> latter twenty-first century in response to<br />
greenhouse gas warming. In <strong>the</strong> process, habitats<br />
and lifestyles throughout <strong>the</strong> Arctic will continue to<br />
<strong>change</strong> dramatically. A <strong>climate</strong> surprise portented<br />
by our ice core research in Greenland may appear<br />
in <strong>the</strong> cooling of nor<strong>the</strong>rn Europe, induced through<br />
warming, which increases Arctic ice melt. This in<br />
turn increases <strong>the</strong> influx of fresh water into <strong>the</strong> North<br />
Atlantic. <strong>The</strong> salinity decrease as a consequence<br />
of <strong>the</strong> freshening in <strong>the</strong> Arctic may be sufficient to<br />
reduce <strong>the</strong> density of North Atlantic surface water,<br />
leading to a reduction in deepwater production and,<br />
as a consequence, reduced heat transport to nor<strong>the</strong>rn<br />
Europe. In addition, <strong>change</strong>s in precipitation<br />
and atmospheric circulation are evolving over <strong>the</strong><br />
Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Hemisphere as a result of warming over<br />
<strong>the</strong> Arctic and lower latitudes.<br />
Temperatures of <strong>the</strong> last few decades are <strong>the</strong><br />
highest recorded in <strong>the</strong> instrumental era—<strong>the</strong><br />
last 100 years—and through examination of temperature<br />
reconstructions utilizing ice core, tree<br />
ring, historical, and o<strong>the</strong>r data series, it is clear<br />
that Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Hemisphere temperatures are <strong>the</strong><br />
highest of at least <strong>the</strong> last millennium. This finding,<br />
repeated by several investigators and validated by<br />
numerous reviews of <strong>the</strong> data, is a consequence<br />
26 <strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> <strong>journal</strong>
nor<strong>the</strong>rn victoria land<br />
antartica<br />
During our first over-snow exploration of a vast region of<br />
Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Victoria Land in 1974-75, our four-member University<br />
of Maine team spent more than 100 days traversing<br />
<strong>the</strong> mountains and crevasse fields of this remote region of<br />
Antarctica<br />
of human activities that have led to rapid recent<br />
rise in greenhouse gases. <strong>The</strong> effects of this rise<br />
will be part of <strong>the</strong> <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong> system for many<br />
decades to come.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is, however, even more to <strong>the</strong> story of human<br />
impact on <strong>the</strong> chemistry of <strong>the</strong> atmosphere<br />
that is revealed through ice cores. Dramatic and<br />
unprecedented increases over <strong>the</strong> last few decades<br />
in acid rain, toxic elements, radioactivity<br />
products, and <strong>the</strong> appearance of humanly engineered<br />
chemicals are all recorded. <strong>The</strong>re is hope<br />
that <strong>the</strong> impact of clean air legislation can also be<br />
identified in <strong>the</strong> ice cores in <strong>the</strong> form of stabilization<br />
or a decrease in acid rain and some toxic metals<br />
such as lead. Ice cores provide <strong>the</strong> basis for assessing<br />
natural versus human controls on <strong>climate</strong><br />
and chemistry of <strong>the</strong> atmosphere. Changes in<br />
physical and chemical <strong>climate</strong> have already taken<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir toll on <strong>the</strong> health of both humans and ecosystems<br />
through disease, drought, and storms.<br />
Drawing upon <strong>the</strong>se two forms of evidence—<br />
monitoring of <strong>the</strong> present-day atmosphere and<br />
reconstruction of <strong>the</strong> past atmosphere—it has<br />
become clear that greenhouse gases such as<br />
CO 2<br />
have risen dramatically in recent years. With<br />
a rise clocked at nearly 30 percent in <strong>the</strong> last few<br />
decades, <strong>the</strong> increase is nearly 100 times faster<br />
than any rise that occurred over <strong>the</strong> past 650,000<br />
years. <strong>The</strong> cause of this rise as well as rise in<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r greenhouse gases (such as CH 4<br />
and N 2<br />
O<br />
); <strong>the</strong> decrease in upper atmospheric O 3<br />
; <strong>the</strong> rise<br />
in acid rain, toxic elements, and radioactive fallout;<br />
and many o<strong>the</strong>r significant alterations to <strong>the</strong><br />
natural state of <strong>the</strong> chemistry of <strong>the</strong> atmosphere<br />
is undoubtedly—because of its timing, rate, and in<br />
some cases unique chemical signature—human<br />
28 <strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> <strong>journal</strong>
MICROBES ON THE ROCKS<br />
Germs frozen in glaciers for millions of years<br />
might revive as global warming melts <strong>the</strong> icecaps.<br />
Scientists investigated samples of <strong>the</strong> oldest known<br />
ice on Earth, which lies frozen in <strong>the</strong> Dry Valleys of<br />
<strong>the</strong> Transantarctic Mountains. After melting five<br />
ice blocks 100,000 to 8 million years old, Rutgers<br />
University marine microbiologist Kay D. Bidle<br />
and his colleagues found microbes in all <strong>the</strong> ice and<br />
grew <strong>the</strong>m in <strong>the</strong> lab, <strong>the</strong> first time scientists have<br />
ever resurrected such ancient, frozen life.<br />
While <strong>the</strong> young microbes grew very quickly,<br />
doubling in number every couple of days, <strong>the</strong><br />
older samples grew very slowly, doubling only<br />
every 70 days. Genetic analysis revealed <strong>the</strong> older<br />
DNA had deteriorated significantly, likely due to<br />
cosmic rays destroying it over time.<br />
While more ancient germs might not last<br />
past especially long deep freezes, <strong>the</strong>ir DNA still<br />
could. <strong>The</strong> researchers —whose findings are described<br />
online in <strong>the</strong> Proceedings of <strong>the</strong> National<br />
Academy of Sciences—suggest that as global<br />
warming melts <strong>the</strong> ice, prehistoric microbes or<br />
genes could flow into <strong>the</strong> seas, altering <strong>the</strong> evolution<br />
of microbes in <strong>the</strong> oceans.<br />
—CHARLES Q. CHOI<br />
30<br />
activity. This alarming trend is a critical finding that<br />
is now reshaping politics and becoming a factor in<br />
both our health and our economy. Without intervention,<br />
it will increasingly determine our overall<br />
quality of life. However, it is important to remember<br />
that we have options.<br />
While <strong>the</strong>re is no quick fix for our environmental dilemma,<br />
<strong>the</strong>re clearly needs to be action. Immediate<br />
reduction in <strong>the</strong> emissions of greenhouse gases<br />
such as CO 2<br />
and CH 4<br />
will reduce <strong>the</strong> time it takes<br />
<strong>the</strong> planet to recover, <strong>the</strong> severity of future <strong>change</strong>,<br />
and <strong>the</strong> probability of <strong>climate</strong> surprises. Immediate<br />
and more stringent reductions in <strong>the</strong> emissions of<br />
toxic metals and acid rain, for example, will yield<br />
a cleaner and healthier environment in months to<br />
years depending upon <strong>the</strong> degree of restriction.<br />
While it is certainly true that legislation will lay a major<br />
foundation for a cleaner, healthier environment,<br />
it will also depend to a large degree on <strong>the</strong> actions<br />
of those in <strong>the</strong> private and public sectors.<br />
Our future could be one characterized by energy<br />
efficiency and a return to more natural states of <strong>the</strong><br />
atmosphere. We have <strong>the</strong> ice cores to set our standards.<br />
<strong>The</strong> decision is ours and <strong>the</strong> opportunities<br />
for creativity in technology and lifestyle could drive<br />
us toward an amazing future.<br />
Acknowledgments<br />
U.S. research in <strong>the</strong> Arctic and Antarctica is supported by <strong>the</strong><br />
Office of Polar Programs of <strong>the</strong> National Science Foundation.<br />
Our research has been made possible through <strong>the</strong> combined<br />
efforts of national agencies such as <strong>the</strong> National Science<br />
Foundation; logistics support provided by <strong>the</strong> U.S. Navy<br />
and U.S. Air National Guard; help from contractors such as<br />
Ray<strong>the</strong>on Polar Services and VECO; <strong>the</strong> Scientific Committee<br />
for Antarctic Research (SCAR); and <strong>the</strong> efforts of <strong>the</strong> international<br />
scientific community.<br />
biography<br />
A Fellow of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong> and director of <strong>the</strong> Climate<br />
Change Institute at <strong>the</strong> University of Maine, Paul Andrew<br />
Mayewski has led more than 45 expeditions to <strong>the</strong> Arctic,<br />
Antarctic, Himalayas, and <strong>the</strong> Andes. Co-author of <strong>The</strong><br />
Ice Chronicles, Mayewski received <strong>the</strong> first SCAR Medal<br />
for Excellence in Antarctic Research in 2006. In October,<br />
Mayewski and colleagues will carry <strong>the</strong> <strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong> Flag<br />
as <strong>the</strong>y undertake an over-snow traverse to <strong>the</strong> South Pole to<br />
collect ice cores and pursue related glaciological research.<br />
Dramatic human impact on <strong>the</strong> chemistry of <strong>the</strong> atmosphere over <strong>the</strong> past few decades compared to <strong>the</strong> last 5000 years as<br />
inferred from ice core records. Data for this figure from: Petit et al., 1999, Nature; Indermuhle et al., 1999, Nature; E<strong>the</strong>ridge<br />
et al., 1996, Journal of Geophysical Research; Blunier et al., 1995, Nature; E<strong>the</strong>ridge et al., 1998, Journal of Geophysical Research;<br />
Chappallez et al., 1999, Nature; Leuenberger and Sigenthaler, 1994, Trends; E<strong>the</strong>ridhe et al., 1994, Trends; Kang et<br />
al., 2002, Atmospheric Research; Mayewski et al., 1986, Science; 1990, Nature; Hong et al., 1994, 1996, Science; Schuster et al.,<br />
2002, Environmental Science and Technology.
exploring <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong> No. 2<br />
Hassan Basagic prepares to sample sediment melting out of<br />
Canada Glacier, Taylor Valley, Antarctica<br />
I t ’ s<br />
N o t<br />
E a s y<br />
B e i n g<br />
Dry<br />
<strong>the</strong> remote valleys<br />
of Antarctica<br />
by W. Berry Lyons<br />
I was a young faculty member in <strong>the</strong> earth<br />
sciences department at <strong>the</strong> University of<br />
New Hampshire when, in 1981, my good<br />
friend and colleague, Paul A Mayewski,<br />
asked me to accompany him on a trip to<br />
<strong>the</strong> Antarctic. And, as <strong>the</strong>y say, “<strong>the</strong> rest is<br />
history.” After a snowmobile traverse of <strong>the</strong><br />
Rennick Glacier in Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Victoria Land,<br />
we returned to <strong>the</strong> primary U.S. scientific<br />
station at McMurdo. From <strong>the</strong>re we took a<br />
short helicopter ride into <strong>the</strong> Dry Valleys to<br />
check on a number of rock glacier sites that<br />
Paul had been monitoring.<br />
I was struck by <strong>the</strong> stark beauty and <strong>the</strong><br />
unusual scenery of <strong>the</strong> valleys. <strong>The</strong> western<br />
portion of Wright Valley reminded me of <strong>the</strong><br />
desert of <strong>the</strong> American Southwest, save<br />
for <strong>the</strong> vast East Antarctic Ice Sheet dripping<br />
over <strong>the</strong> edge of <strong>the</strong> Transantarctic<br />
Mountains. <strong>The</strong> Dry Valleys have a number<br />
of ice-covered lakes as landscape features.<br />
As a marine scientist, I was intrigued by <strong>the</strong><br />
Photo by Sarah Fortner
A view of Canada Glacier and <strong>the</strong> perennially ice-covered<br />
Lake Fryxell, Taylor Valley, Antarctica.<br />
fact that lakes could actually exist in such a harsh<br />
environment.<br />
Throughout <strong>the</strong> 1980s, I returned to Antarctica<br />
with Paul a number of times to investigate <strong>the</strong><br />
chemistry of many of <strong>the</strong> small ice bodies in <strong>the</strong><br />
Tranantarctics, but could not forget about those<br />
fantastically strange lakes in <strong>the</strong> Dry Valleys.<br />
In <strong>the</strong> early 1990s, Bob Wharton, a Fellow of<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong> and currently provost at Idaho<br />
State University, asked me if I would join a diverse<br />
group of scientists—hydrologists, glaciologists,<br />
and geochemists such as myself, as well as<br />
stream, lake, and soil ecologists and ecological<br />
modelers—in drafting a grant proposal to <strong>the</strong><br />
National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish<br />
a Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) project<br />
in <strong>the</strong> McMurdo region. Knowing I would have<br />
an opportunity to investigate <strong>the</strong> lakes of <strong>the</strong> Dry<br />
Valleys, I jumped at <strong>the</strong> chance.<br />
<strong>The</strong> NSF had established <strong>the</strong> LTER program a<br />
decade earlier to facilitate <strong>the</strong> collection of observational<br />
data and monitoring of <strong>the</strong> manipulation of<br />
experiments over time within a number of ecological<br />
settings. <strong>The</strong> idea was to better understand how<br />
ecosystems function and how <strong>the</strong>y are affected by<br />
disturbances, such as <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong>.<br />
In 1993, our grant was approved and <strong>the</strong><br />
McMurdo Dry Valley (MCM) region of Antarctica<br />
(77º–78ºS) was designated an LTER site. Our<br />
activities have focused on <strong>the</strong> Taylor Valley where<br />
Robert Falcon Scott first observed its unusual environment.<br />
Taylor Valley is a mosaic of perennially<br />
ice-covered lakes, ephemeral streams, soils, outcroppings<br />
of bedrock and glaciers. MCM-LTER is<br />
classified as a polar desert ecosystem with a mean<br />
annual temperature of ~-20ºC and a precipitation<br />
rate of ~5 centimeters per year. <strong>The</strong> MCM-LTER is<br />
now one of <strong>the</strong> 26 sites in <strong>the</strong> LTER network and is<br />
considered a real end-member ecosystem. <strong>The</strong>re<br />
are no vascular plants, <strong>the</strong> streams only flow four<br />
to ten weeks per year during <strong>the</strong> austral summer,<br />
and <strong>the</strong> lakes, although having liquid water, have<br />
three to five meters of permanent ice-cover that<br />
blocks a high proportion of <strong>the</strong> incoming radiation<br />
needed for phytosyn<strong>the</strong>sis.<br />
Yet despite physical constraints, Taylor Valley<br />
has an active ecosystem dominated by singlecelled<br />
eukaryotes and prokaryotes; in fact, life<br />
Photo by Christopher Gardner<br />
exists anywhere <strong>the</strong>re is liquid water—from <strong>the</strong><br />
soils to cryoconite holes in <strong>the</strong> glacier surfaces.<br />
Because <strong>change</strong>s in this polar desert ecosystem<br />
are so closely coupled to <strong>the</strong> generation<br />
of liquid water and <strong>the</strong> <strong>change</strong> of state of ice/<br />
snow to water, ecosystem dynamics are driven<br />
by <strong>climate</strong>. Very small temperature <strong>change</strong>s by<br />
temperate <strong>climate</strong> standards are amplified in <strong>the</strong><br />
hydrologic cycle of Taylor Valley. Like o<strong>the</strong>r desert<br />
ecosystems, <strong>the</strong> relationship of <strong>the</strong> abundance of<br />
water to life is paramount, but unlike warm deserts,<br />
variations of <strong>the</strong> degree days above freezing<br />
ra<strong>the</strong>r than rainfall become <strong>the</strong> critical factor in<br />
<strong>the</strong> well-being of <strong>the</strong> ecosystem as a whole.<br />
Since <strong>the</strong> relationship between <strong>climate</strong> variation,<br />
hydrology, and biology may be as tightly<br />
bonded in this ecosystem as any o<strong>the</strong>r on our<br />
planet, our fieldwork includes <strong>the</strong> monitoring of<br />
ice/snow gain/loss on <strong>the</strong> glaciers, <strong>the</strong> flow of water<br />
in <strong>the</strong> streams, and <strong>the</strong> water volume <strong>change</strong><br />
in <strong>the</strong> three closed-basin lakes in Taylor Valley.<br />
<strong>The</strong>se climatically driven hydrological <strong>change</strong>s<br />
are <strong>the</strong>n related to <strong>change</strong>s in nutrient—carbon,<br />
nitrogen, and phosphorus—transport, biological<br />
production, biomass gain or loss, and biodiversity<br />
in all components of <strong>the</strong> landscape, including<br />
streams, lakes, soils, and glaciers.<br />
Today, after nearly 15 years of MCM-LTER<br />
investigations of <strong>the</strong> ecology of Taylor Valley, five<br />
of <strong>the</strong> original eight principal investigators are still<br />
toge<strong>the</strong>r. Our group places around 30 scientists<br />
in <strong>the</strong> field every year. <strong>The</strong>se include <strong>the</strong> now old<br />
and grizzled principal investigators as well as<br />
technicians, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate<br />
and undergraduate students. Because Antarctic<br />
research is international by nature, we also maintain<br />
strong research collaborations with a number<br />
of colleagues from New Zealand and Britain. In addition,<br />
we have had team members from Germany,<br />
<strong>the</strong> Czech Republic, Austria, Russia, and Japan in<br />
<strong>the</strong> field with us.<br />
biography<br />
W. Berry Lyons is currently director of <strong>the</strong> Byrd Polar<br />
Research Center and a professor in <strong>the</strong> School of Earth<br />
Sciences at Ohio State University.<br />
34 <strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> <strong>journal</strong>
For centuries, if not millennia, people of <strong>the</strong> Andes<br />
have venerated <strong>the</strong>ir ice-capped mountains, which<br />
harbor within <strong>the</strong>ir glaciers <strong>the</strong> sacred waters<br />
upon which all life in <strong>the</strong> region is dependent. It is<br />
a tradition evident not only in <strong>the</strong> region’s rich archaeological<br />
record, but one that continues today<br />
in <strong>the</strong> many communities that thrive in <strong>the</strong> shadows<br />
of <strong>the</strong> awe-inspiring peaks. Over <strong>the</strong> past decade,<br />
our team from Catholic University of Salta has recovered<br />
bundles of offerings and sacrifices left on<br />
Andean summits, which attest a profound devotion<br />
to <strong>the</strong> mountain gods—<strong>the</strong> highest found to date<br />
atop Llullaillaco, a 6,700-meter-high volcanic peak<br />
in nor<strong>the</strong>rn Argentina. <strong>The</strong>re, 500 years ago, three<br />
Inca children were sacrificed and buried along<br />
with textiles and amulets on this lofty mountain. As<br />
messengers to <strong>the</strong> realms of <strong>the</strong> gods, <strong>the</strong>y would<br />
intercede for <strong>the</strong> good health of <strong>the</strong> Inca emperor<br />
and for a plentiful supply of water to ensure fertility<br />
of <strong>the</strong> llama herds and abundant crops.<br />
Archaeologist and National Geographic<br />
Explorer-in-Residence Johan Reinhard and I could<br />
not believe our eyes when we first came across<br />
<strong>the</strong> face of <strong>the</strong> six-year-old girl after almost a month<br />
of archaeological fieldwork, enduring <strong>the</strong> cold<br />
and <strong>the</strong> extreme altitude of Llullaillaco’s summit.<br />
exploring <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong> No. 3<br />
Realm of <strong>the</strong><br />
I c e - C l o a k e d<br />
Mountain Gods<br />
high in <strong>the</strong> Andes hope is melting away<br />
by Constanza Ceruti<br />
In Quechua, <strong>the</strong> language of <strong>the</strong> Inca, Llullaillaco,<br />
means “that which lies about water, or which hides<br />
<strong>the</strong> water.” It is a fitting moniker as Llullaillaco is<br />
<strong>the</strong> only mountain in <strong>the</strong> area to have a permanent<br />
ice field on its high slopes, which one might liken<br />
to a small hanging glacier. Yet this volcano feeds<br />
no streams or rivers that might quench <strong>the</strong> thirst of<br />
<strong>the</strong> Atacama Desert at its feet. Instead its waters<br />
are contained in a hidden lagoon, 1,000 meters<br />
down from its summit. Our sense of wonder would<br />
only grow stronger in <strong>the</strong> months that followed<br />
when we studied <strong>the</strong> mummified remains of a 15-<br />
year-old Inca maiden, and <strong>the</strong> seven-year-old boy<br />
back in our university laboratories; <strong>the</strong> CT scans<br />
showing all <strong>the</strong>ir organs, including <strong>the</strong> brains, in a<br />
near-perfect state of preservation.<br />
Seven years have passed since we discovered<br />
<strong>the</strong> Llullaillaco ice mummies, and <strong>the</strong>ir presence<br />
among <strong>the</strong> living has contributed substantially to<br />
our knowledge of ancient Andean cultural heritage<br />
and <strong>the</strong> need to preserve it.<br />
Looting has long been a major threat to <strong>the</strong><br />
archaeological sites in South America, and <strong>the</strong><br />
Inca mountaintop shrines are no exception. On<br />
a previous expedition to <strong>the</strong> 6,100-meter summit<br />
of nearby Mount Quehuar, we recovered a partly<br />
destroyed mummy bundle that had been dynamited<br />
by treasure-hunters. But extraordinary sites<br />
such as <strong>the</strong>se face a far greater foe in <strong>the</strong> form<br />
of global warming, a silent destroyer of Andean<br />
heritage and an ancient tradition of mountain god<br />
worship that continues to this day.<br />
<strong>The</strong> retreating glaciers, brought on by everincreasing<br />
summertime temperatures, are taking<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir toll on <strong>the</strong> religious life of <strong>the</strong> Andes. This<br />
became evident during a recent pilgrimage I observed<br />
while in <strong>the</strong> Vilcanota Range of <strong>the</strong> Andes<br />
in sou<strong>the</strong>rn Peru.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Taytacha Qoyllur Ritti (Festival of <strong>the</strong> Fa<strong>the</strong>r<br />
of <strong>the</strong> Star of Snow) is one of <strong>the</strong> most important<br />
mountain pilgrimages in <strong>the</strong> Andean world. Every<br />
June, some 70,000 people ga<strong>the</strong>r at <strong>the</strong> glacier<br />
basin of Sinacara, <strong>the</strong> vast majority of pilgrims,<br />
merchants, and dancers coming from <strong>the</strong> Peruvian<br />
Sierra and <strong>the</strong> highlands of Bolivia. Some come<br />
from places as distant as nor<strong>the</strong>rn Argentina and<br />
Chile, which, in <strong>the</strong> fifteenth century, were part of<br />
<strong>the</strong> greater Inca Empire.<br />
Sinacara lies at an elevation of some 5,100<br />
meters at <strong>the</strong> foot of <strong>the</strong> snow-capped Qolque<br />
Punku (<strong>the</strong> Silver Gate), not far from Ausangate,<br />
a sacred mountain revered by <strong>the</strong> ancient Inca<br />
and still invoked during initiation ceremonies and<br />
divination rituals. Today, however, <strong>the</strong> festivity is<br />
nominally dedicated to <strong>the</strong> worship of an image of<br />
Christ depicted on a sacred rock near <strong>the</strong> glacier,<br />
where, according to legend, Jesus is said to have<br />
miraculously appeared to a young indigenous<br />
peasant in <strong>the</strong> eighteenth century.<br />
During <strong>the</strong> five-day festival, masked dancers don<br />
costumes representing <strong>the</strong> different ethnic groups<br />
of <strong>the</strong> Andes and dance day and night for hours.<br />
<strong>The</strong> qhapaq chunchos, adorned with fea<strong>the</strong>red<br />
headdresses, incarnate <strong>the</strong> indomitable tribes of<br />
<strong>the</strong> Amazonian rainforest, on <strong>the</strong> lower slopes of<br />
<strong>the</strong> eastern Andes, while <strong>the</strong> qhapaq collas represent<br />
<strong>the</strong> wealthy Aymara herders of <strong>the</strong> Bolivian<br />
highlands. <strong>The</strong> physical endurance of <strong>the</strong> dancers<br />
is in itself an offering to <strong>the</strong> nearby mountain spirits<br />
or Apus, especially to Apu Ausangate.<br />
During <strong>the</strong> climax of <strong>the</strong> festival, young “bearmen”<br />
known as ukukus, climb <strong>the</strong> glaciers that<br />
flow down from Qolque Punku. Acting as mediators<br />
between <strong>the</strong> pilgrims and <strong>the</strong> mountain<br />
spirits, <strong>the</strong> ukukus climb at night—braving freezing<br />
temperatures, bridging crevasses, and confronting<br />
<strong>the</strong> ghosts of condemned souls—to retrieve ice<br />
revered for its healing properties.<br />
In years past, <strong>the</strong> ukukus would extract large<br />
chunks of ice—as big as <strong>the</strong>y could carry on <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
backs—and return to <strong>the</strong>ir home communities,<br />
where it would be broken up and distributed among<br />
<strong>the</strong> villagers as blessings from <strong>the</strong> Apus. But sadly,<br />
things have begun to <strong>change</strong> and global warming is<br />
to blame. As <strong>the</strong> ukukus descended <strong>the</strong> glaciers of<br />
Qolque Punku, many now returned empty-handed.<br />
In an attempt to halt <strong>the</strong> retreat of <strong>the</strong> glaciers,<br />
mountain police now forbid <strong>the</strong> extraction of ice.<br />
Pilgrims are only permitted to collect melt-water in<br />
small bottles to take back as relics.<br />
One man I encountered brought a tiny effigy<br />
doll, representing a bear-man, on whose back<br />
he had placed a small handful of ice, hoping to<br />
be able to smuggle his precious cargo down <strong>the</strong><br />
mountain, without catching <strong>the</strong> attention of <strong>the</strong> police.<br />
With a saddened heart, I could not help but<br />
admiring his strategy of resistance, and his fierce<br />
determination to honor <strong>the</strong> ancestral traditions, in<br />
spite of adversity.<br />
As in ages past, pilgrims, including young children,<br />
climbed <strong>the</strong> lower reaches of <strong>the</strong> glaciers<br />
in daylight to light small candles on <strong>the</strong> ice. Bare<br />
footed and kneeling on <strong>the</strong> snow, <strong>the</strong>y contemplated<br />
<strong>the</strong> flame in hopes of finding answers to<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir greatest concerns. Surely <strong>the</strong>y would have<br />
preferred to use larger candles, of <strong>the</strong> kind that<br />
<strong>the</strong> Lord of <strong>the</strong> Star of Snow is said to like best.<br />
But <strong>the</strong>se too are forbidden in ano<strong>the</strong>r desperate<br />
attempt to stop <strong>the</strong> glacial retreat.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Quechua fear that once <strong>the</strong> ice is gone,<br />
<strong>the</strong> Lord of <strong>the</strong> Star of Snow will no longer hear<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir prayers. In <strong>the</strong> heart of <strong>the</strong> Andes, <strong>the</strong><br />
impact of global warming reaches beyond <strong>the</strong><br />
imaginable.<br />
BIOgraphy<br />
A high-altitude archaeologist and <strong>the</strong> author of six books<br />
and numerous o<strong>the</strong>r publications, Constanza Ceruti is<br />
a scientific investigator for <strong>the</strong> National Council for <strong>the</strong><br />
Scientific Research in Argentina and a professor of Inca<br />
archaeology at Catholic University of Salta. She has climbed<br />
more than 100 mountains above 5,000 meters. A recipient<br />
of <strong>the</strong> Gold Condor, <strong>the</strong> most important award given by <strong>the</strong><br />
National Army of Argentina, Ceruti was named an Emerging<br />
Explorer of <strong>the</strong> National Geographic Society in 2005. In 2007<br />
she received <strong>the</strong> Courage Award from <strong>the</strong> Wings Worldquest.<br />
36 <strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> <strong>journal</strong>
exploring <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong> No. 4<br />
h e a d i n g<br />
north<br />
with<br />
Will Steger<br />
F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, “<strong>The</strong>re are no second<br />
acts in American lives,” but <strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong> great American<br />
writer never met Will Steger. Over <strong>the</strong> period of a<br />
decade from 1986 to 1996, Steger completed <strong>the</strong><br />
first confirmed, unresupplied dogsled journey<br />
to <strong>the</strong> North Pole; traversed Greenland; crossed<br />
Antarctica and <strong>the</strong> Arctic Ocean by dogsled; and<br />
was named <strong>the</strong> first Explorer-in-Residence by <strong>the</strong><br />
National Geographic Society. Steger’s “second act”<br />
has focused on education. He founded <strong>the</strong> Global<br />
Center for Environmental Education at Hamline<br />
interview by Jeff Stolzer<br />
University and <strong>the</strong> World School for Adventure<br />
Learning at <strong>the</strong> University of St. Thomas. He also<br />
founded <strong>the</strong> Will Steger Foundation, launching <strong>the</strong><br />
Global Warming 101 initiative to raise broad public<br />
awareness about global warming as witnessed<br />
through his polar expeditions.<br />
Managing Editor Jeff Stolzer recently spoke to<br />
Steger about <strong>the</strong> Global Warming 101 Expedition<br />
(www.globalwarming101.com), a 1,900-kilometer<br />
dogsled traverse of Canada’s Baffin Island, which<br />
he completed in May of this year.<br />
head shot by Jim Paulson, dogteam photo by John Huston<br />
JS: One of <strong>the</strong> goals of <strong>the</strong> expedition was to visit<br />
Inuit living in remote villages and learn about <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
experience with <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong>. What did <strong>the</strong><br />
Inuit share with you?<br />
WS: We traveled with three Inuit hunters who are all<br />
in <strong>the</strong>ir 50s or 60s, men who were born in igloos or<br />
huts. <strong>The</strong>y were nomadic and had a traditional culture<br />
when <strong>the</strong>y were young, so <strong>the</strong>y have seen all<br />
<strong>the</strong> <strong>change</strong>s. We also interviewed more than 100<br />
hunters, elders, and women in <strong>the</strong> villages to get<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir input. We were able to see <strong>the</strong> surroundings<br />
through <strong>the</strong>ir eyes so we got quite a bit of feedback<br />
on <strong>the</strong> expedition. It is remarkable how fast things<br />
are changing up <strong>the</strong>re. <strong>The</strong> Inuit are basically marine<br />
people who rely on <strong>the</strong> sea ice to hunt walrus, seal,<br />
and fish. In some areas <strong>the</strong>y do hunt caribou, but<br />
<strong>the</strong> sea ice is really <strong>the</strong>ir hunting platform and also<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir means of transportation. <strong>The</strong>y told us how <strong>the</strong><br />
reduction of sea ice by almost a third over <strong>the</strong> past<br />
year alone has affected <strong>the</strong>ir culture.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Inuit are noticing much<br />
later freeze-ups, anywhere<br />
from six weeks to two months,<br />
and <strong>the</strong>n earlier break-ups. In<br />
<strong>the</strong> area that we traveled in,<br />
<strong>the</strong> sea ice would normally be<br />
around for about nine months<br />
out of <strong>the</strong> year, but it’s now<br />
reduced to six months. Losing<br />
<strong>the</strong> sea ice, especially <strong>the</strong> summer sea ice, is real<br />
bad news for any animals like <strong>the</strong> walrus and polar<br />
bear that live on <strong>the</strong> sea ice, or a human being that<br />
relies on it for hunting.<br />
JS: What signs of global warming did you personally<br />
witness on your recent expedition?<br />
WS: <strong>The</strong> ice in Cumberland Sound—a large sound<br />
about 80 kilometers across and 190 kilometers<br />
long—had totally broken up at <strong>the</strong> end of January,<br />
which <strong>the</strong> Inuit hunters in that area said <strong>the</strong>y had<br />
never seen before. We normally would have crossed<br />
that sound to get to <strong>the</strong> village of Pangnirtung but<br />
we had to go around. It wasn’t a major deal but it<br />
cost us an extra three days and <strong>the</strong>n after we went<br />
around it, ano<strong>the</strong>r storm came in and broke up <strong>the</strong><br />
ice that we had just traveled on. It was also very obvious<br />
that <strong>the</strong> glaciers are in rapid retreat up <strong>the</strong>re.<br />
Ano<strong>the</strong>r thing we noticed was that in some areas<br />
thaws in <strong>the</strong> springtime and <strong>the</strong> summer and <strong>the</strong><br />
snow is melting all <strong>the</strong> way down to <strong>the</strong> ground and<br />
<strong>the</strong>n freezing solid in <strong>the</strong> winter, which is impacting<br />
<strong>the</strong> lemming population, which thrives under <strong>the</strong><br />
snow, where its warm. Small rodents, lemmings<br />
are <strong>the</strong> basic food for <strong>the</strong> wolf, <strong>the</strong> fox, to some<br />
extent <strong>the</strong> wolverine, and almost entirely for <strong>the</strong><br />
snowy owl. In areas where <strong>the</strong> lemming population<br />
is dropping, you have fox and wolf populations that<br />
are competing directly with <strong>the</strong> polar bear, because<br />
<strong>the</strong>y’re now going after <strong>the</strong> ring seals. So when you<br />
have one section of <strong>the</strong> food chain caving in, it<br />
affects <strong>the</strong> entire system because <strong>the</strong> chain is so<br />
delicate. And <strong>the</strong> Inuit kept pointing that out to us,<br />
very clearly. When it affects one, it affects all.<br />
But it is actually a lot more serious than that,<br />
because we are starting to upset <strong>the</strong> heat balance<br />
on <strong>the</strong> globe. Eighty percent of <strong>the</strong> extra heat that<br />
is now being captured on <strong>the</strong> surface of <strong>the</strong> globe<br />
because of human-induced global warming is being<br />
added to <strong>the</strong> ocean. So <strong>the</strong> whole ocean is warming<br />
and <strong>the</strong> sea level rise is probably due to this <strong>the</strong>rmal<br />
expansion of <strong>the</strong> warming ocean.<br />
This is being played out in <strong>the</strong><br />
Arctic, where we are starting to<br />
lose sea ice. In <strong>the</strong> summer we<br />
used to have ice on <strong>the</strong> Arctic<br />
Ocean in that nor<strong>the</strong>rn area<br />
that would reflect 99 percent of<br />
<strong>the</strong> energy of <strong>the</strong> sun back into<br />
<strong>the</strong> atmosphere. Now, with <strong>the</strong><br />
thawing of <strong>the</strong> ice, you’re getting exposed water and<br />
ground, which is a darker surface. That absorbs up<br />
to 96 percent of <strong>the</strong> sun’s energy. It’s like <strong>the</strong> difference<br />
on a hot sunny day between wearing a white<br />
t-shirt and a black t-shirt. That’s what is happening<br />
up north now, and that’s why we’re seeing this rapid<br />
<strong>change</strong> that is three to five times faster than down<br />
here.<br />
JS: Did you find evidence of global warming everywhere<br />
on your expedition or was it a more localized<br />
phenomenon?<br />
WS: It differs from region to region. Global warming<br />
isn’t a blanket warming of <strong>the</strong> Earth—some<br />
areas are actually getting colder. We saw that<br />
on Baffin Island. In some areas, <strong>the</strong>re were much<br />
stronger winds in <strong>the</strong> fall. And <strong>the</strong>y never had<br />
thawing wea<strong>the</strong>r before. As a result <strong>the</strong> snow was<br />
really hard-packed or iced up. And that affected<br />
<strong>the</strong> caribou—<strong>the</strong>re was virtually no game in that<br />
38 <strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> <strong>journal</strong>
<strong>the</strong> Fjord<br />
Steger and his team nears <strong>the</strong> head of Clyde Inlet at <strong>the</strong> mouth<br />
of <strong>the</strong> Clyde River on <strong>the</strong> fourth and last leg of <strong>the</strong> expedition.<br />
Photo by Elizabeth Andre<br />
40 <strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> <strong>journal</strong>
Polar Bear tracks<br />
A polar bear has left his mark on a<br />
desolate track between Qikiqtarjuaq to<br />
Clyde River, a region heavily populated<br />
by <strong>the</strong> animals.<br />
area. And in those areas it is very difficult to make<br />
igloos, because <strong>the</strong> ice is so hard-packed, particularly<br />
around <strong>the</strong> Probiscer and Callowan area. At<br />
Home Bay in eastern Baffin <strong>the</strong> snow is really quite<br />
deep, <strong>the</strong> wind hadn’t blow much. In that area, it<br />
seemed quite normal, <strong>the</strong> bear population was<br />
up. But we’re seeing <strong>the</strong> bear population starting<br />
to be affected by global warming on <strong>the</strong> fringes,<br />
like in sou<strong>the</strong>rn Hudson Bay—that population has<br />
dropped by more than 20 percent. And <strong>the</strong>n you<br />
have up at <strong>the</strong> Beaufort Sea north of Alaska on<br />
<strong>the</strong> Arctic Ocean, that population is dropping, and<br />
Spitzbergen and Svalbard—that area is also seeing<br />
<strong>the</strong> bear population go way down. So on <strong>the</strong><br />
fringes, you’re getting a polar bear decline. But in<br />
<strong>the</strong> center, that population is still really viable. But<br />
if this warming trend continues, within 20 years<br />
that population is also going to drop.<br />
JS: You had some encounters with polar bears on<br />
this expedition. Tell me about those.<br />
WS: Yes, we had quite a few. We had 50 dogs and<br />
<strong>the</strong>y were always staked between <strong>the</strong> camp and<br />
downwind, so <strong>the</strong>y were our early warning system<br />
for bears and we always had plenty of notice when<br />
<strong>the</strong> bears came in. We had one bear that actually<br />
wandered into our camp at about two o’clock<br />
in <strong>the</strong> morning, but we were very much aware of<br />
it and we used a couple of explosive devices to<br />
scare it off. <strong>The</strong> problem with bears is if <strong>the</strong>y come<br />
into camp unexpectedly and <strong>the</strong>n you go out of<br />
your tent in <strong>the</strong> evening and suddenly you’re face<br />
to face with a bear, that’s when it’s dangerous. So<br />
having <strong>the</strong> dogs, we stayed relatively safe.<br />
JS: In 1986, you and seven companions dogsledded<br />
to <strong>the</strong> North Pole, roughly during <strong>the</strong> same<br />
months as your recent expedition. <strong>The</strong> 1986 expedition<br />
started and ended north of Baffin Island, but<br />
were you able to see major differences in terms of<br />
<strong>the</strong> ice, open leads, temperatures, etc?<br />
WS: Yes, you can compare <strong>the</strong> two expeditions because<br />
<strong>the</strong> route that we did in 1986 now has open<br />
water, very thin ice, so right now that route has<br />
totally <strong>change</strong>d. Baffin and <strong>the</strong> region that we were<br />
recently in are <strong>the</strong> coldest of <strong>the</strong> Canadian Arctic<br />
and <strong>the</strong>re <strong>the</strong>y would normally have three months<br />
of solid winter—40 to 50 degrees below zero, <strong>the</strong><br />
ice doesn’t move, it’s very good for hunting. This<br />
year <strong>the</strong>y had about a three-week period of that 40<br />
Photo by Sarah McNair-Landry<br />
to 50 below wea<strong>the</strong>r. So <strong>the</strong>re was a remarkable<br />
difference. It was a relatively mild winter compared<br />
to what it would normally be <strong>the</strong>re.<br />
JS: Mountaineer Ed Viesturs and entrepreneur<br />
Richard Branson participated in this expedition.<br />
How did <strong>the</strong>y respond to <strong>the</strong> rigors of traveling by<br />
dogsled and <strong>the</strong> frigid conditions?<br />
WS: <strong>The</strong>y responded quite well. <strong>The</strong>y joined us in<br />
<strong>the</strong> Spring, when we had fantastic wea<strong>the</strong>r. <strong>The</strong><br />
temperature didn’t get much below zero and we<br />
had 24-hour light, so it was ideal to travel. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
got a break that way. Ed Viesturs is a very tough<br />
guy, he can handle anything and he did very well.<br />
He’s a great guy to work with and is used to working<br />
in close groups. Richard has been on expeditions<br />
before in close quarters, he is an easy guy<br />
to please, he’s not grumping over <strong>the</strong> food rations,<br />
he’s always good-natured and a very upbeat guy.<br />
His son, Sam, was <strong>the</strong>re, a great young man, 21<br />
years old. I think he’s going to be a future leader<br />
in dealing with <strong>the</strong> challenge of global warming.<br />
So <strong>the</strong>se three guys were really fun to travel with.<br />
Before <strong>the</strong>y joined us we had been traveling as a<br />
group of eight, so it was nice to have some new<br />
blood and we had some great conversations. You<br />
know, Richard showed up at our expedition after<br />
traveling and conducting business for two months<br />
and despite a shoulder injury he really did quite<br />
well. On <strong>the</strong> first day he did 50 kilometers. It was<br />
also great to be around a person who is working<br />
on finding solutions to global warming.<br />
JS: I understand that Richard Branson is working<br />
on a film about your expedition.<br />
WS: Yes, we’re doing a film, and our main goal is to<br />
put a cultural face on global warming, in addition to<br />
<strong>the</strong> science. <strong>The</strong> field has <strong>change</strong>d a lot in <strong>the</strong> last<br />
six months—global warming is everywhere, people<br />
are talking about it. But I still think people are really<br />
confused about <strong>the</strong> science of it. If <strong>the</strong>y can<br />
perceive it from a cultural and human perspective,<br />
it really touches <strong>the</strong>m. If we look at global warming<br />
as an ethical and moral <strong>issue</strong>, a human rights <strong>issue</strong>,<br />
and show people who are really affected by it<br />
right now, I think it will drive people to action. We<br />
also wanted to get <strong>the</strong> Inuit voice out <strong>the</strong>re. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
are innocent victims in global warming and <strong>the</strong>y<br />
don’t really have a say in what’s going on.<br />
JS: You had a major educational component to this<br />
expedition. Can you talk about what did in terms<br />
of using <strong>the</strong> internet and developing classroom<br />
lesson plans?<br />
WS: Yes, globalwarming101.com was our website<br />
and we had quite a bit of traffic on that.<br />
We did a couple things for K-12 education<br />
with lessons plans and we were connected to<br />
a number of schools around <strong>the</strong> United States<br />
and in Canada. We broke ground on this during<br />
<strong>the</strong> expedition. When I was up here 20 years<br />
ago, before <strong>the</strong> internet, we used primitive<br />
technology to bring <strong>the</strong> adventure live into <strong>the</strong><br />
classroom. Now it’s live on <strong>the</strong> internet. So <strong>the</strong><br />
expedition is <strong>the</strong> spark that drives people into<br />
your program and we used <strong>the</strong> expedition as an<br />
educational platform around which we weaved<br />
<strong>the</strong> content. Once people are drawn in, <strong>the</strong>y’re<br />
curious and open about learning things about<br />
<strong>the</strong> Arctic and what’s changing <strong>the</strong>re.<br />
JS: In terms of expeditions, what is up next for you?<br />
WS: My next major expedition will be March to<br />
May in 2008, up in Ellesmere Island. It’s a 2,250-<br />
kilometer expedition and I’ll be traveling with<br />
five teammates, all ages 21 to 25. Everybody<br />
has a considerable amount of experience on<br />
<strong>the</strong> ice and with dog mushing, so we’re going<br />
to work with National Geographic and do our<br />
own program, to first of all be an eyewitness<br />
to global warming. We’re going to look at <strong>the</strong><br />
ice shelves of nor<strong>the</strong>rn Ellesmere and survey<br />
what’s left <strong>the</strong>re—most of <strong>the</strong>m have slipped into<br />
<strong>the</strong> ocean. Also, we’re going to be working with<br />
photographer Jim Balog, who just did <strong>the</strong> cover<br />
story for National Geographic, to put out some<br />
remote control, time-lapse cameras to photograph<br />
<strong>the</strong> glaciers <strong>the</strong>re on an hourly basis for<br />
several years to record <strong>the</strong>ir retreat. So we have<br />
a great scientific package, but I’m also passing<br />
<strong>the</strong> torch to <strong>the</strong> next generation. It’s going to be<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir <strong>issue</strong> and I wanted to show <strong>the</strong>m firsthand,<br />
as eyewitnesses, what’s left up <strong>the</strong>re. <strong>The</strong>y will<br />
be ambassadors to <strong>the</strong>ir own generation. I really<br />
have a lot of faith that this younger generation is<br />
going to take ownership of this and <strong>the</strong>y will be<br />
a political force in <strong>the</strong> near future. I really want to<br />
do what I can to encourage that and help people<br />
empower <strong>the</strong>mselves.<br />
42 <strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> <strong>journal</strong>
In <strong>the</strong><br />
F o o t s t e p s<br />
of Alexander<br />
an aerial adventure<br />
by Marilyn BridgeS<br />
HERAKLEIA UNDER LATMO<br />
On a promontory extending into Lake Bafa, <strong>the</strong> ancient cemetery<br />
of Herakleia slumbers in silence. Hundreds of Carian<br />
tombs, some in pairs, a few in family groups, are cut deeply<br />
into <strong>the</strong> bare rock. <strong>The</strong> ruins of a Byzantine fortress guard<br />
<strong>the</strong> headland.<br />
As I fly across <strong>the</strong> vastness of Anatolia,<br />
something in <strong>the</strong> distance catches my eye,<br />
beckoning me to come closer. What at first<br />
appeared to be an incongruity in <strong>the</strong> landscape<br />
resolves into a pattern made by ancient<br />
hands. Passing beneath my wingtips,<br />
my quarry reveals itself to be <strong>the</strong> sublime<br />
remains of a once-great city, silenced by <strong>the</strong><br />
passage of time. For a brief moment I lose<br />
all awareness of <strong>the</strong> present.<br />
Leaning out <strong>the</strong> open door of my single<br />
engine plane, I sometimes feel like Artemis<br />
<strong>the</strong> huntress in my pursuit of <strong>the</strong> past. With<br />
mounting excitement, I wonder how much<br />
of an ancient site might still be visible.<br />
Sometimes, I’m amazed to find much more<br />
than I expected. Given access to almost any<br />
point in three-dimensional space, I control<br />
both <strong>the</strong> airplane and <strong>the</strong> camera at will,<br />
selecting <strong>the</strong> best altitude and direction of<br />
view. Working solely in black and white, I<br />
paint with light, using sun and shadow to<br />
accentuate <strong>the</strong> sculptural forms of my subjects.<br />
I want to create a mood that allows us<br />
to experience <strong>the</strong>se sites as if in a dream,<br />
without <strong>the</strong> distraction of transient colors.<br />
For this journey, I have followed <strong>the</strong> route<br />
taken by Alexander <strong>the</strong> Great when he<br />
began his conquest of <strong>the</strong> Persian Empire<br />
in 334 B.C.—tracing <strong>the</strong> Aegean and<br />
Mediterranean coasts of Turkey from Troy to<br />
Side, and <strong>the</strong>n flying inland to Sagalassos<br />
and <strong>the</strong>n on to Cappadocia.<br />
A crossroads between Asia and <strong>the</strong> West<br />
in Classical and Hellenistic times, Anatolia<br />
was a vibrant wellspring of architecture and<br />
biography<br />
philosophy. Later, as <strong>the</strong> Roman province<br />
of Asia, it boasted some of <strong>the</strong> wealthiest<br />
cities of <strong>the</strong> empire. Now part of modern<br />
Turkey, Anatolia contains more magnificent<br />
Greek and Roman sites than any o<strong>the</strong>r part<br />
of <strong>the</strong> world—its rich history and scenery a<br />
splendid subject for aerial exploration.<br />
I am struck with <strong>the</strong> immensity of <strong>the</strong><br />
transformation of <strong>the</strong>se ancient cities into<br />
magnificent ruins. Human as well as natural<br />
causes produced this metamorphosis. A<br />
succession of cultures occupied and altered<br />
most of <strong>the</strong> sites through many centuries.<br />
Cities were destroyed by earthquakes and<br />
wars, and rebuilt by <strong>the</strong>ir original inhabitants<br />
or <strong>the</strong>ir conquerors. Temples and <strong>the</strong>aters<br />
were quarried and <strong>the</strong>ir stones recycled,<br />
obliterating and accreting layer upon layer<br />
of history.<br />
At Simena, for example, a medieval<br />
fortress with crenellated walls encloses a<br />
Hellenistic <strong>the</strong>ater and overlooks a Turkish<br />
village built among <strong>the</strong> ruins of an ancient<br />
Lycian city. <strong>The</strong> coastal city of Miletos was<br />
one of <strong>the</strong> greatest commercial ports in<br />
<strong>the</strong> world until <strong>the</strong> Maeander River silted<br />
up its harbor, choking off its access to <strong>the</strong><br />
sea. For a few centuries, <strong>the</strong> city held off<br />
its fate by dredging channels through <strong>the</strong><br />
silt, but <strong>the</strong> inexorable river could not be<br />
defeated. Today <strong>the</strong> ruins of Miletos lie half<br />
buried in a desolate plain, many kilometers<br />
from <strong>the</strong> sea. <strong>The</strong> Roman <strong>the</strong>ater <strong>the</strong>re has<br />
a Byzantine fortress strangely perched as<br />
Freya Stark would say, “like a barnacle on<br />
its back.”<br />
Renowned for her extraordinary black-and-white aerial photographs of ancient sites, Marilyn Bridges is <strong>the</strong><br />
visual author of Markings: Aerial Views of Sacred Landscapes (Aperture 1986), Planet Peru: An Aerial Journey<br />
Through a Timeless Land (Aperture 1991), Egypt: Antiquities from Above (Little Brown & Co. 1996), and<br />
This Land is Your Land (Aperture 1997). Her work has been featured in solo exhibitions by over 300 museums<br />
and galleries, including <strong>the</strong> American Museum of Natural History, <strong>the</strong> Smithsonian Institution, <strong>the</strong> Field Museum<br />
of Natural History, and <strong>the</strong> Royal Ontario Museum. Bridges received an MFA from <strong>the</strong> Rochester Institute<br />
of Technology. She was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Fulbright Scholarship, and <strong>the</strong> 2003 Wings<br />
Trust Award, for “Courage and Artistic Excellence”. She is a licensed pilot and a Fellow of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong>.<br />
For more information, see www.marilynbridges.com.<br />
44
Aqueduct at Aspendos<br />
<strong>The</strong> Roman aqueduct carried water across a valley for<br />
nearly two kilometers to <strong>the</strong> acropolis of <strong>the</strong> city. To keep<br />
Aspendos in line, Alexander exacted hostages and tribute<br />
from <strong>the</strong> city in 334 B.C.<br />
46 <strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> <strong>journal</strong>
Islet near Kekova<br />
This tiny islet, near <strong>the</strong> island of Kekova, holds <strong>the</strong> remains of<br />
ancient walls and rock-cut rooms.<br />
48 <strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> <strong>journal</strong>
Temple of Apollo at Didyma<br />
<strong>The</strong> site of a famous oracle, <strong>the</strong> temple was never completed.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Persians destroyed <strong>the</strong> temple in 493 B.C. After conquering<br />
neighboring Miletos in 334 BC, Alexander had <strong>the</strong> temple<br />
reconsecrated. Four years later, when Alexander was in Egypt,<br />
<strong>the</strong> oracle at Didyma reported that he was <strong>the</strong> son of Zeus.<br />
50 <strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> <strong>journal</strong>
Miletos<br />
<strong>The</strong> great <strong>the</strong>ater dates from immediately after <strong>the</strong> time of<br />
Alexander. A Byzantine fortress clings to it, “ like a barnacle<br />
on its back”, in <strong>the</strong> words of <strong>the</strong> English traveler Freya Stark.<br />
Miletos was <strong>the</strong> greatest commercial emporium in Asia Minor.<br />
When Alexander arrived, he found a Persian garrison<br />
in control, and Miletos thus became <strong>the</strong> first city to offer him<br />
resistance. Alexander vigorously besieged <strong>the</strong> city and blockaded<br />
<strong>the</strong> Persian fleet until Miletos surrendered.<br />
52 <strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> <strong>journal</strong>
E x t r e m e C u i s i n e<br />
“...what does he care if he hasn’t got any money: he<br />
doesn’t need any money, all he needs is his rucksack<br />
with those little plastic bags of dried food and a good<br />
pair of shoes and off he goes and enjoys <strong>the</strong> privileges<br />
of a millionaire in surroundings like this.”<br />
—Jack Kerouac, <strong>The</strong> Dharma Bums, 1958<br />
Imagine feasting on hot gourmet meals at 4,000<br />
meters…without cooking in camp. It’s simple:<br />
prepare one-pot meals at home, slide <strong>the</strong>m into<br />
a dehydrator, dry until crumbly, <strong>the</strong>n bag <strong>the</strong>m for<br />
your next adventure. <strong>The</strong> ancient art of food dehydration<br />
is wonderfully basic. Heat and air circulation<br />
remove most of <strong>the</strong> water content from food. This<br />
lack of water keeps microorganisms from living and<br />
growing. Since complete meals can be dried yearround<br />
in any wea<strong>the</strong>r, it is easy to take advantage of<br />
each season’s bounty, using <strong>the</strong> finest ingredients<br />
available. And because home-dried meals can<br />
be stored up to two years, you can keep a ready<br />
supply on hand for extended expeditions or unexpected<br />
weekend escapes. In all my years of home<br />
drying gourmet backpacking meals, I have never<br />
lost food to spoilage. I have, however, encountered<br />
<strong>the</strong> wrath of my fellow travelers, who were destined<br />
to dine on store-bought freeze-dried that was both<br />
expensive and flavorless.<br />
Biography<br />
A California-based writer, Linda Frederick Yaffe is <strong>the</strong><br />
author of Backpack Gourmet, High Trail Cookery, and <strong>the</strong><br />
recently released Solar Cooking for Home and Camp.<br />
food for <strong>the</strong> epicurean adventurer<br />
L i v i n g W e l l<br />
in <strong>the</strong><br />
Outback<br />
by Linda Frederick Yaffe<br />
To enjoy<br />
gourmet dining<br />
in <strong>the</strong> wilderness,<br />
here are <strong>the</strong> basics:<br />
• Buy or borrow a food dehydrator with a heater and fan.<br />
• Cook a soup, stew, or casserole as though you were making<br />
tonight’s dinner, cutting <strong>the</strong> ingredients into small pieces<br />
for faster drying.<br />
• While it’s cooking, cover mesh dehydrator trays with<br />
oven-proof parchment paper or 100 percent polyethylene<br />
plastic wrap to keep liquid foods from leaking through.<br />
• Spread <strong>the</strong> cooked food in a thin layer on <strong>the</strong> covered trays<br />
and place in preheated dehydrator.<br />
• Dry <strong>the</strong> food until it’s crumbly—about 4 to 6 hours.<br />
Check while drying, occasionally turning <strong>the</strong> food and<br />
breaking up large pieces. If you detect any moisture,<br />
continue to dehydrate<br />
• Let <strong>the</strong> food cool completely. <strong>The</strong> next day double-bag<br />
in small plastic bags, label, and store in a cool, dark,<br />
dry place or refrigerate in a black plastic bag for best<br />
long-term quality.<br />
• In camp, pour <strong>the</strong> dried meal into a pot. Cover with water,<br />
boil, stir, and serve. <strong>The</strong>se lightweight meals need no<br />
soaking or simmering. <strong>The</strong> following recipes go from<br />
pack to plate in three minutes.<br />
E x c e l l e n t d e h y d r a t o r s a r e<br />
available by mail:<br />
Excalibur<br />
www.excaliburdehydrator.com<br />
1-800-875-4254<br />
Nesco/American<br />
Harvest<br />
www.nesco.com<br />
1-800-288-4545<br />
Here are two of my camp favorites<br />
Zinfandel Capellini<br />
serves 4, Weight one dried serving: 6 ounce<br />
1. Heat in a large skillet over medium heat:<br />
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil<br />
2. Add and cook until transparent:<br />
• 1 onion, minced<br />
3. Reduce heat, add and cook 5 minutes longer:<br />
• 8 ounces diced fresh brown crimini mushrooms<br />
• 4 cloves garlic, minced<br />
4. Meanwhile, cook until barely tender <strong>the</strong>n drain:<br />
• 12 ounces capellini pasta, broken in thirds<br />
5. Stir into <strong>the</strong> mushroom mixture and cook 5 minutes:<br />
• 15 ounces canned small white beans, rinsed and drained<br />
• 1/3 cup T.V.P. (textured vegetable protein)<br />
• 3 cups finely diced tomatoes plus juice<br />
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves<br />
• 1/3 cup zinfandel wine<br />
• 1/4 cup salsa<br />
• 1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper<br />
6. Remove skillet from heat and stir in:<br />
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese<br />
7. Toss toge<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong> pasta and sauce, stirring to coat.<br />
8. Spread on covered dehydrator trays and dry for 5<br />
hours at 145 degrees.<br />
9. To rehydrate, cover with water 1/4 - 1/2 inch above<br />
level of food in pot, boil, stir, and serve.<br />
Bouillabaisse<br />
Serves 4, Weight one dried serving: 4 ounces<br />
1. Steep toge<strong>the</strong>r in a measuring cup <strong>the</strong>n set aside:<br />
• 1/4 cup warm water<br />
• 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads<br />
2. Heat in a large skillet over medium heat:<br />
• 3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil<br />
3. Add and cook for 8 minutes:<br />
• 1 sweet yellow onion, diced<br />
4. Stir in and cook 5 minutes longer:<br />
• 5 cloves garlic, minced<br />
• 4 fresh mushrooms, diced<br />
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried<br />
• 1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper<br />
• 1/8 teaspoon celery seed<br />
3. Place <strong>the</strong> onion and saffron mixtures in a soup pot.<br />
Stir in:<br />
• 3 cups fresh or canned diced tomatoes plus juice<br />
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless fish fillets cut into 1/2 inch cubes<br />
• 1 whole bay leaf<br />
• 2 cups chicken broth<br />
4. Cover, bring to a boil, <strong>the</strong>n reduce heat and simmer<br />
for 30 minutes.<br />
5. Discard bay leaf. Stir in:<br />
• 1/4 cup dry white wine<br />
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley<br />
6. Spread on covered dehydrator trays and dry for 6<br />
hours at 145 degrees.<br />
7. To rehydrate, cover with water 1 inch above level of<br />
food in pot, boil, stir, and serve with crusty bread<br />
or crackers.<br />
Outdoor Cooking<br />
with<br />
Linda Frederick Yaffe<br />
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54 <strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> <strong>journal</strong>
E X P E D I T I O N M E D I C I N E<br />
your heatlh and safety in <strong>the</strong> field<br />
Rest Insured<br />
by Michael J. Manyak, M.D., FACS<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is nothing more exhilarating<br />
than <strong>the</strong> moment you<br />
realize that you really ARE<br />
seek medical care abroad or<br />
upon reaching home.<br />
So, how do we get medical<br />
• Medicare and most health maintenance<br />
organizations do not provide<br />
coverage for international travel.<br />
going on that expedition, <strong>the</strong> help if something arises on • Even comprehensive medical<br />
one you have been dreaming<br />
about for years or have been<br />
unexpectedly asked to join.<br />
<strong>the</strong> road? An important component<br />
of any trip should be<br />
arranging for travel medical<br />
insurance policies do not cover<br />
evacuation.<br />
• Travel insurance has one or more<br />
Your excitement, however, insurance to include evacuation.<br />
components: 1) travel assistance for<br />
soon becomes tempered by<br />
logistics and by sobering<br />
thoughts of health and safety.<br />
It is a well-known adage at<br />
Do not assume that tour<br />
operators or travel companies<br />
offer more than very basic<br />
services. Often <strong>the</strong>se do not<br />
logistics—lost luggage, trip cancellation,<br />
etc., 2) medical coverage for<br />
treatment, subject to policy limits,<br />
and 3) evacuation. Not all may be<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong> that an exceed minimal temporary included in a policy.<br />
adventure is an expedition that<br />
has gone wrong. Nowhere is<br />
this more apparent than in <strong>the</strong><br />
area of travel medical insurance.<br />
Rest assured that <strong>the</strong><br />
subtleties of your policy for<br />
your particular situation may<br />
not be apparent until you are<br />
in <strong>the</strong> midst of a crisis.<br />
Although we often take our<br />
medical care and emergency<br />
transportation to a regional<br />
medical facility, which may be<br />
inadequate for anything o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
than basic first aid. Without<br />
proper insurance, costs can<br />
be considerable with evacuation<br />
expenses alone frequently<br />
ranging over $100,000.<br />
• Check <strong>the</strong> exclusions in any policy<br />
you have. Many adventurous activities<br />
are excluded from policy coverage<br />
and alcohol or drug-related<br />
incidents often are not covered.<br />
• Medical evacuation occurs by <strong>the</strong><br />
decision of <strong>the</strong> insurance company;<br />
it is not triggered by natural disasters<br />
or outbreak of hostilities.<br />
• <strong>The</strong> insurance company determines<br />
health care for granted in an Here are some k ey <strong>the</strong> destination for <strong>the</strong> evacuee,<br />
industrialized urban society,<br />
we lose that confidence on<br />
points to consider:<br />
• Surgical mortality is almost 20 percent<br />
regardless of patient and family<br />
desires. With few exceptions such as<br />
remote travel…and for a<br />
higher in Western Europe than Global Rescue out of Boston, MA, you<br />
good reason. Travel health in <strong>the</strong> U.S. This rises to nearly 30 percent<br />
do not have a vote.<br />
<strong>issue</strong>s are far more common<br />
in Eastern Europe, to more than • To avoid being transported by<br />
than suspected. As many as<br />
one half of people who travel<br />
to developing areas report<br />
problems. Many of <strong>the</strong>se get<br />
resolved, but some eight percent<br />
of an estimated 50 million<br />
travelers become ill enough to<br />
56<br />
70 percent in Latin America, and<br />
higher still in <strong>the</strong> rest of <strong>the</strong> world.<br />
• Private medical insurance coverage<br />
on domestic policies generally<br />
has similar coverage for international<br />
travel. Check your existing<br />
policy before travel.<br />
oxcart (interpreted by <strong>the</strong> insurance<br />
company as <strong>the</strong> most readily available<br />
means of transfer) to <strong>the</strong> outpatient<br />
clinic in <strong>the</strong> next village (designated<br />
regional medical facility), establish<br />
before departure what would happen<br />
for a serious medical event.<br />
<strong>the</strong> <strong>explorers</strong> <strong>journal</strong>
58<br />
Ex Post Facto<br />
tales from <strong>The</strong> <strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong> archives<br />
I t ’ s A l l A b o u t<br />
Pecking Order<br />
by Clare Flemming, M.S.<br />
“I decided in my teens that I<br />
would do what one woman could<br />
do to show that women had as<br />
much brains as men and could<br />
do things as well if she gave <strong>the</strong>m<br />
her undivided attention.”<br />
~~A. S. Peck<br />
Determination can be everything<br />
in exploration. Nowhere<br />
is this more evident than in <strong>the</strong><br />
research collections of <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong>. For <strong>the</strong>re, among<br />
<strong>the</strong> records of numerous firsts in<br />
exploration, is a file, within which<br />
is a paper trail documenting<br />
a seminal ex<strong>change</strong> between<br />
famed Victorian mountaineer,<br />
Annie Smith Peck, and <strong>the</strong> powers<br />
that be at <strong>the</strong> Peary Arctic<br />
<strong>Club</strong> of New York , more than a<br />
century ago.<br />
Born in 1850, Peck was<br />
educated in classics at<br />
Rhode Island College and <strong>the</strong><br />
University of Michigan, prior to<br />
landing a professorship at Smith<br />
College. Shortly <strong>the</strong>reafter, she<br />
found herself drawn to mountaineering.<br />
Venturing out on her<br />
own, she summited a number<br />
of peaks, including Mexico’s<br />
5,700-meter Pico de Orizaba,<br />
radically breaking with tradition<br />
by climbing in pants. She soon<br />
realized that she could make her<br />
living as a mountaineer and lecturer,<br />
and left her post to engage<br />
in climbing—and its associated<br />
fundraising—full time.<br />
In June, 1899 Peck penned a<br />
letter to Herbert Bridgman, secretary<br />
of <strong>the</strong> Peary Arctic <strong>Club</strong>,<br />
in hopes of joining one of Robert<br />
Peary’s early polar expeditions:<br />
I had <strong>the</strong> pleasure yesterday<br />
of meeting Mr. [Russell] Porter<br />
who told me of <strong>the</strong> expedition to<br />
Greenland this season and gave<br />
me your address. I thought that<br />
if possible I should like to take<br />
this trip if it is not too expensive.<br />
Of course I am used to roughing<br />
it and traveling quite independently,<br />
and I think I should<br />
not bo<strong>the</strong>r any body as some<br />
women might. Three gentlemen<br />
attempted <strong>the</strong> ascent of Orizaba<br />
[Mexico] with me, but only one of<br />
<strong>the</strong>m reached <strong>the</strong> summit.<br />
Very truly yours,<br />
Annie S. Peck<br />
Despite <strong>the</strong> fact that Peary<br />
had previously included his wife<br />
Josephine on his expedition to<br />
Greenland, and certainly relied<br />
on numerous Inuit women for<br />
his numerous Arctic needs,<br />
Bridgman made it clear in his<br />
telegraphed response that Peck<br />
was not welcome:<br />
“Peary Arctic <strong>Club</strong> cannot accept<br />
women in hunting party.”<br />
And so—bo<strong>the</strong>r or no bo<strong>the</strong>r—<br />
Miss Peck was not to be a part<br />
of that or any of Peary’s expeditions.<br />
Instead she set her<br />
sights on <strong>the</strong> majestic Andes<br />
and would become, in 1908,<br />
<strong>the</strong> first person to summit <strong>the</strong><br />
6,768-meter Peruvian peak,<br />
Huascarán. <strong>The</strong> following<br />
year, she planted a suffragette<br />
pennant on top of 6,400-meter<br />
Coropuna, also in Peru.<br />
To this day Peck retains <strong>the</strong><br />
honor of being <strong>the</strong> only woman<br />
to make a first ascent on a<br />
major world peak. Annie Peck<br />
died in 1935 at <strong>the</strong> age of 85 in<br />
Brooklyn, New York.<br />
ownership statement<br />
1. Publication Title: <strong>The</strong> <strong>Explorers</strong><br />
Journal. 2. Publication Number: 0014-<br />
5025. 3. Filing Date: 10/1/07. 4. Issue<br />
Frequency: Quarterly. 5. Number of<br />
Issues Published Annually: 4. 6. Annual<br />
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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, 46 East 70th<br />
Street, New York, NY 10021-4928.<br />
Editor: Angela M.H. Schuster, <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, 46 East 70th Street,<br />
New York, NY 10021-4928. Managing<br />
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<strong>Club</strong>, 46 East 70th Street, New York,<br />
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<strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, 46 East 70th Street,<br />
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or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total<br />
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This Statement of Ownership will be<br />
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Acting Editor-in-Chief.
eviews<br />
THE EXPLORERS CLUB LEGACY SOCIETY<br />
edited by Milbry C. Polk<br />
a troublesome tooth yanked out<br />
by a fellow explorer without so<br />
much as a word.<br />
Rica—encounters with beasts<br />
of <strong>the</strong> deep such as sharks,<br />
calamities, military threats, madness,<br />
hurricanes, and despair.<br />
Along <strong>the</strong> way, Haslett learns<br />
many lessons <strong>the</strong> hard way and<br />
imparts <strong>the</strong>m to us, like pearls<br />
on <strong>the</strong> necklace of a castaway.<br />
“Curiosity and inspiration to<br />
discover nature’s secrets spring<br />
from <strong>the</strong> minds of those driven<br />
to explore. I joined <strong>The</strong> Legacy<br />
Society to help inspire future<br />
<strong>explorers</strong>. Join us!”<br />
— Dr. Martin Nweeia<br />
F o o t s t e p s o n t h e I c e :<br />
T h e A n t a r c t i c D i a r i e s<br />
of Stuart D. Paine,<br />
Second Byrd Expedition<br />
60<br />
By M. L. Paine<br />
384 pp • Columbia: University of Missouri<br />
Press, 2007 • ISBN-10: 0826217419, ISBN-<br />
13: 978-0826217417 • $34.95<br />
According to Paine family lore,<br />
22-year-old Stuart Paine, chafing<br />
in <strong>the</strong> New York summer<br />
heat, decided to remove his coat<br />
while at <strong>the</strong> office. When his<br />
boss told him to put it back on<br />
or go to Antarctica, Paine opted<br />
for Antarctica. Shortly <strong>the</strong>reafter<br />
he signed on as a dog-sled<br />
driver for Admiral Byrd’s 1933<br />
expedition to chart <strong>the</strong> sou<strong>the</strong>rn<br />
part of <strong>the</strong> continent. Paine kept<br />
detailed notes of his experiences<br />
on <strong>the</strong> expedition, which<br />
his daughter, M.L. Paine has edited<br />
in Footsteps on <strong>the</strong> Ice. <strong>The</strong><br />
result is charming. <strong>The</strong> reader<br />
is able to virtually take every<br />
step with Paine, from arduous<br />
1,100-kilometer treks to having<br />
Voyage of <strong>the</strong> Manteño:<br />
<strong>The</strong> Education of a<br />
Modern-Day Expeditioner<br />
By John Haslett<br />
336 pages • New York: St. Martin’s Press,<br />
2006 • ISBN-10: 0312324324, ISBN-13:<br />
978-0312324322 • $25.95<br />
Inspired by his hero, Thor<br />
Heyerdahl, John Haslett decided<br />
in 1993 to make his own<br />
balsa raft and attempt to recreate<br />
<strong>the</strong> sailing feats of <strong>the</strong><br />
ancient coastal Ecuadorians,<br />
by sailing from that coast all <strong>the</strong><br />
way to Hawaii. Haslett ended up<br />
with two balsa raft expeditions,<br />
learned a tremendous amount<br />
about ancient sea craft design<br />
as well as human nature in what<br />
turned into a harrowing series of<br />
near disasters. Odysseus-like<br />
Haslett endured shipwreck—<br />
in Panama and in Costa<br />
Top Secret Tourism<br />
By Harry Helms<br />
277 pp • Los Angeles: Feral House, 2007 •<br />
ISBN: 978-1932595239 • $14<br />
To explore is to go out to discover<br />
and investigate places of<br />
which little is known. In Harry<br />
Helms’ new book, Top Secret<br />
Tourism, those places are U.S.<br />
military installations. Right up<br />
front he warns <strong>the</strong> intrepid that<br />
conducting such exploration is<br />
probably illegal and just might<br />
get you into lots of trouble.<br />
Some like Nevada’s Area 51<br />
are shrouded in mystery and<br />
associated with unexplained<br />
Robert J. Atwater<br />
Capt. Norman L. Baker<br />
Barbara Ballard<br />
Robert D. Ballard, Ph.D.<br />
Samuel B. Ballen<br />
Mark Gregory Bayuk<br />
Daniel A. Bennett<br />
John R. Bockstoce, D.Phil.<br />
Bjorn G. Bolstad<br />
Capt. Bruce M. Bongar, Ph.D.<br />
Garrett R. Bowden<br />
Harry Davis Brooks<br />
Lt. Col. Jewell Richard Browder*<br />
August “Augie” Brown<br />
John C.D. Bruno<br />
Lee R. Bynum*<br />
Virginia Castagnola Hunter<br />
Julianne M. Chase, Ph.D.<br />
Maj. Gen. Arthur W. Clark,<br />
USAF (Ret)<br />
Leslie E. Colby<br />
Jonathan M. Conrad<br />
Ca<strong>the</strong>rine Nixon Cooke<br />
Constance Difede<br />
Mr. & Mrs. James Donovan<br />
Col. William H. Dribben, USA<br />
(Ret)<br />
Sylvia A. Earle, Ph.D.<br />
Lee M. Elman<br />
Michael L. Finn<br />
Robert L. Fisher, Ph.D.<br />
John W. Flint<br />
Kay Foster<br />
James M. Fowler<br />
W. Roger Fry<br />
Alfred C. Glassell, Jr.<br />
George W. Gowen<br />
Randall A. Greene<br />
Jean Charles Michel Guite<br />
Capt. Robert “Rio” Hahn<br />
Allan C. Hamilton<br />
Scott W. Hamilton<br />
O. Winston “Bud” Hampton,<br />
Ph.D.<br />
Brian P. Hanson<br />
James H. Hardy, M.D.<br />
Judith Heath<br />
Robert A. Hemm<br />
Gary “Doc” Hermalyn, Ph.D.<br />
Lotsie Hermann Holton<br />
Charles B. Huestis<br />
Robert Edgar Hyman<br />
J.P. Morgan Charitable Trust<br />
Robert M. Jackson, M.D.<br />
Kenneth M. Kamler, M.D.<br />
Prince Joli Kansil<br />
Lorie M.L. Karnath<br />
Anthony G. Kehle, III<br />
Anne B. Keiser<br />
Kathryn Kiplinger<br />
Thomas R. Kuhns, M.D.<br />
Hannah B. Kurzweil<br />
Carl C. Landegger<br />
Michael S. Levin<br />
Florence Lewisohn Trust*<br />
J. Roland Lieber<br />
Michael Luzich<br />
James E. Lockwood, Jr.*<br />
Jose Loeb<br />
John H. Loret, Ph.D., D.Sc.<br />
Margaret D. Lowman, Ph.D.<br />
Robert H. Malott<br />
Leslie Mandel<br />
Robert E. McCarthy*<br />
George E. McCown<br />
Capt. Alfred S. McLaren,<br />
Ph.D., USN (Ret)<br />
Lorus T. Milne, Ph.D.<br />
James M. Mitchelhill*<br />
Arnold H. Neis<br />
Walter P. Noonan<br />
Martin T. Nweeia, D.D.S.<br />
Dr. John W. Olsen<br />
Kathleen Parker<br />
Alese & Morton Pechter<br />
William E. Phillips<br />
Prof Mabel L. Purkerson, M.D.<br />
Roland R. Puton<br />
Dimitri Rebikoff*<br />
John T. Reilly, Ph.D.<br />
Adrian Richards, Ph.D.<br />
Bruce E. Rippeteau, Ph.D.<br />
Merle Greene Robertson, Ph.D.<br />
Otto E. Roe<strong>the</strong>nmund<br />
James Beeland Rogers, Jr.<br />
Faanya & Robert Rose<br />
Rudy L. Ruggles, Jr.<br />
Gene M. Rurka<br />
Avery B. Russell<br />
David J. Saul, Ph.D.<br />
Willets H. Sawyer, III<br />
A. Harvey Schreter<br />
Mr. & Mrs. Donald Segur<br />
<strong>The</strong>odore M. Siouris<br />
William J. L. Sladen, M.D., D.Phil.<br />
Susan Deborah Smilow<br />
Sally A. Spencer<br />
Pamela L. Stephany<br />
Ronnie & Allan Streichler<br />
Arthur O. Sulzberger<br />
Vernon F. Taylor, III<br />
Mitchell Terk, M.D.<br />
C. Frederick Thompson, II<br />
James “Buddy” Thompson<br />
Marc Verstraete Van de Weyer<br />
Robert C. Vaughn<br />
Ann Marks Volkwein<br />
Leonard A. Weakley, Jr.<br />
William G. Wellington, Ph.D.<br />
Robert H. Whitby<br />
Julius Wile*<br />
Holly Williams<br />
Francis A. Wodal*<br />
* Deceased<br />
As long as <strong>the</strong>re is <strong>The</strong> <strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong>,<br />
your name will be listed as a member of <strong>the</strong> Legacy Society.<br />
THE LEGACY SOCIETY COMMITTEE<br />
<strong>The</strong>odore M. Siouris (Chairman), Robert J. Atwater,<br />
George W. Gowen, Scott W. Hamilton, Brian P. Hanson,<br />
Kathryn Kiplinger, William E. Phillips<br />
Since 2000, Dr. Martin Nweeia has lead seven expeditions to<br />
<strong>the</strong> High Arctic to unravel <strong>the</strong> evolution and function of <strong>the</strong><br />
narwhal’s fabled tusk.<br />
For information<br />
and to join us:<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Explorers</strong> <strong>Club</strong>,<br />
46 East 70th Street<br />
New York, NY 10021<br />
212-628-8383<br />
www.<strong>explorers</strong>.org
objects and sounds some attribute<br />
to UFOs, o<strong>the</strong>rs to aircraft<br />
testing. Some like New York’s<br />
Plum Island, are toxic. O<strong>the</strong>rs<br />
are depots for unknown quantities<br />
of chemical and biological<br />
warfare weapons. Trying to be<br />
helpful, Helms includes maps<br />
but <strong>the</strong>y are little more than an<br />
arrow pointing off into nowhere<br />
along a desolate highway.<br />
t h e S u n : T h e<br />
Audacious Life and<br />
Times of Denys<br />
Finch Hatton<br />
62<br />
By Sara Wheeler<br />
320 pages • New York: Random House,<br />
2007 • ISBN-10: 1400060699, ISBN-13:<br />
978-1400060696 • $27.95<br />
<strong>The</strong> enigmatic Denys Finch<br />
Hatton looms large on <strong>the</strong><br />
romantic landscape of bygone<br />
Africa. Immortalized in his time<br />
by two lovers, Karen Blixen (aka<br />
Isak Dinesen) in Out of Africa,<br />
and Beryl Markham in West with<br />
<strong>the</strong> Night, Finch Hatton remains<br />
alluring long after his untimely<br />
death—having crashed his plane<br />
in 1931. Now, his life has been<br />
chronicled by Sara Wheeler in<br />
REVIEWS<br />
Too Close to <strong>the</strong> Sun.<br />
Born in 1887, Denys Finch<br />
Hatton was raised on a country<br />
estate, learned to hunt and to<br />
dance, was educated at Eton<br />
<strong>the</strong>n Oxford, gliding through<br />
with an effortless style that<br />
was <strong>the</strong> hallmark of upper<br />
class English life. When family<br />
fortunes declined, Denys’ elder<br />
bro<strong>the</strong>r inherited <strong>the</strong> estate and<br />
its accumulating debt, while<br />
Denys was encouraged to make<br />
his fortune abroad. Denys chose<br />
Kenya, arriving <strong>the</strong>re in 1911.<br />
After a series of false starts,<br />
Denys made himself into <strong>the</strong><br />
most sought-after white hunter,<br />
taking rich clients, including<br />
princes, into <strong>the</strong> game parks.<br />
Wheeler’s book brings to life<br />
<strong>the</strong> brief flame of colonial Kenya,<br />
peopled by a dashing daredevil<br />
elite such as Finch Hatton.<br />
A Naturalist and O<strong>the</strong>r<br />
Beasts: Tales From a<br />
Life in <strong>the</strong> Field<br />
By George B. Schaller<br />
272 pages • San Francisco: Sierra <strong>Club</strong><br />
Books, 2007 • ISBN-10: 1578051290,<br />
ISBN-13: 978-1578051298 • $24.95<br />
In his new book, A Naturalist<br />
and O<strong>the</strong>r Beasts, George<br />
Schaller, author, field biologist,<br />
and long-time affiliate of <strong>the</strong><br />
Wildlife Conservation Society in<br />
New York, has given us a snapshot<br />
of his experiences studying<br />
an array of animals over <strong>the</strong> past<br />
50 years. Schaller’s pioneering<br />
work observing pandas, mountain<br />
gorillas, tigers, lions, deer—<br />
all subjects of past books such<br />
as <strong>The</strong> Mountain Gorilla and<br />
<strong>The</strong> Last Panda—<strong>change</strong>d often<br />
erroneous public perceptions<br />
about <strong>the</strong> animals, led to <strong>the</strong><br />
establishment of preserves and<br />
paved <strong>the</strong> way for hundreds of<br />
field researchers to follow in his<br />
wake. More recently, Schaller<br />
has been engaged in studies<br />
of <strong>the</strong> Tibetan Plateau, an area<br />
little understood environmentally<br />
and whose species are<br />
highly endangered.<br />
Schaller’s book is divided<br />
into geographical sections:<br />
Americas, Africa, South Asia,<br />
China, Mongolia, and <strong>the</strong><br />
Tibetan Plateau, with chapters<br />
in each devoted to his research<br />
subjects, including blue herons,<br />
wildebeests, tigers, and pika<br />
respectively. Schaller comments<br />
during his return to <strong>the</strong><br />
Virungas to see <strong>the</strong> mountain<br />
gorillas 40 years after his original<br />
research, “I do not like to<br />
return to places where my heart<br />
rests, fearful that things have<br />
<strong>change</strong>d.” While nothing can<br />
stop <strong>the</strong> tsunami surge of human<br />
population growth and <strong>the</strong><br />
subsequent worldwide environmental<br />
destruction. it is thanks<br />
to individuals like Schaller that<br />
<strong>the</strong>re are places and unique<br />
species left at all.<br />
THE EXPLORERS CLUB chapter chairs<br />
46 east 70th street, New York, NY 10021 I 212-628-8383 I www.<strong>explorers</strong>.org<br />
Alaska<br />
Robert W. Taylor, M.D.<br />
Tel: 907-452-4900<br />
Fax: 907-457-1701<br />
rtayl0r@alaska.net<br />
ffjjk@uaf.edu<br />
Atlanta<br />
W. Hayes Wilson, M.D.<br />
Tel: 404-351-2551<br />
Fax: 404-351-9238<br />
info@drwilson.org<br />
Central Florida<br />
G. Michael Harris<br />
Tel: 727-584-2883<br />
Fax: 727-585-6078<br />
gmh@tampabay.rr.com<br />
Chicago/Great Lakes<br />
Mel Surdel<br />
Contact person:<br />
Cheryl Istvan<br />
Tel: 312-640-0741<br />
Fax: 312-640-0731<br />
ec.chicago@mac.com<br />
George Rogers Clark<br />
Joseph E. Ricketts<br />
Tel/Fax: 937-885-2477<br />
jer937@aol.com<br />
Greater Piedmont<br />
Nena Powell Rice<br />
Tel: 803-777-8170<br />
Fax: 803-254-1338<br />
nrice@sc.edu<br />
Jupiter Florida<br />
Rosemarie Twinam<br />
Tel: 772-219-1970<br />
Fax: 772-283-3497<br />
RTwinam@aol.com<br />
New England<br />
Gregory Deyermenjian<br />
Tel: 978-927-8827, ext. 128<br />
Fax: 978-927-9182<br />
paititi@alum.blsa.org<br />
North Pacific Alaska<br />
Mead Treadwell<br />
Tel: 907-258-7764<br />
Fax: 907-258-7768<br />
meadwell@alaska.net<br />
Nor<strong>the</strong>rn California<br />
Lee Langan<br />
Tel: 415-931-3015<br />
Fax: 415-398-7664<br />
lee@langan.net<br />
National chapter chairs<br />
Pacific Northwest<br />
Edwin J. Sobey, Ph.D.<br />
Tel: 425-861-3472<br />
Fax: 503-214-7849<br />
sobey@gte.net<br />
Philadelphia<br />
Peter Hess<br />
Tel: 302-777-1715<br />
Hessians@aol.com<br />
Rocky Mountain<br />
William F. Schoeberlein<br />
Tel: 303-526-0505<br />
Fax: 303-526-5171<br />
billschoeberlein@comcast.net<br />
San Diego<br />
William T. Everett<br />
Tel: 760-765-3377<br />
Fax: 760-765-3113<br />
everett@esrc.org<br />
Sou<strong>the</strong>rn California<br />
David A. Dolan, FRGS<br />
Tel. 949-307-9182<br />
daviddolan@aol.com<br />
Sou<strong>the</strong>rn Florida<br />
Stanley L. Spielman, M.D.<br />
Tel/Fax: 305-233-8054<br />
chimbuart@aol.com<br />
Southwest<br />
Brian Hanson (Chapter Liaison)<br />
Tel: 512-266-7851<br />
brianphanson@sbcglobal.net<br />
Southwest Florida<br />
Col. Gerry W. Bass<br />
Tel: 239-594-5224<br />
gerrywb@embarqmail.com<br />
St. Louis<br />
Mabel Purkerson, M.D.<br />
Tel: 314-362-4234<br />
purkerm@msnotes.wustl.edu<br />
Texas<br />
Ted D. Lee<br />
Tel: 210-886-9500<br />
Fax: 210-886-9883<br />
tedlee@gunn-lee.com<br />
Washington DC<br />
Dr. Lee Talbot<br />
Tel: 703-734-8576<br />
Fax: 703-734-8576<br />
ltalbot@gmu.edu<br />
interNational chapter chairs<br />
Argentina<br />
Hugo Castello, Ph.D.<br />
Fax: 54 11 4 982 5243/4494<br />
hucastel@mail.retina.ar<br />
Australia-New Zealand<br />
Ann McFarlane, Ph.D.<br />
Tel: 61-2-9328-4883<br />
Fax: 61-2-9328-4888<br />
amcfarlane@bigpond.com<br />
Canada<br />
Joseph G. Frey<br />
Tel: 416-239-8840<br />
<strong>explorers</strong>clubcanada@hotmail.com<br />
www.<strong>explorers</strong>club.ca<br />
East Asia<br />
Dr. Michael J. Moser<br />
mmoser@omm.com<br />
Great Britain<br />
Barry L. Moss<br />
Tel: 44 020 8992 7178<br />
barola2780@aol.com<br />
Iceland<br />
Haraldur Örn Ólafsson<br />
Tel: +354 545 8551<br />
Fax: +354 562 1289<br />
haraldur.orn.olafsson@ivr.stjr.is<br />
India<br />
Avinash Kohli<br />
amber@nda.vsnl.net.in<br />
Norway<br />
Hans-Erik Hansen<br />
Home Tel: 47 22-458-205<br />
Work Tel: 47 67-138-559<br />
hans-e-h@online.no<br />
Poland<br />
Marek Kaminski<br />
Home Tel: 48-695664000<br />
Work Tel: 48-58-5544522<br />
Fax: 48-58-5523315<br />
mkaminski@gamasan.pl<br />
m.rogozinska@rp.pl<br />
Russia<br />
Alexander Borodin<br />
Tel: 7-095-973-2415<br />
Alexanderb@sibneft.ru<br />
Western Europe<br />
Lorie Karnath<br />
Tel: 49-1723-95-2051<br />
lkarnath@yahoo.com
WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?<br />
great moments in exploration as told to Jim Clash<br />
landing on <strong>the</strong> Moon with<br />
buzz aldrin<br />
JC: What do you remember about your lunar landing<br />
on July 20, 1969?<br />
Buzz Aldrin: Obviously, when we touched down,<br />
we were very relieved. Neil [Armstrong] and I<br />
acknowledged that with a wink, a nod, and a pat<br />
on <strong>the</strong> shoulder. <strong>The</strong> immediate surface was very<br />
powdery, as best we could see looking down from<br />
five meters. Off in <strong>the</strong> distance was a very clear<br />
horizon, maybe with a boulder. And, of course, <strong>the</strong><br />
brightness of <strong>the</strong> sunlit surface was almost like<br />
looking out at sunlit snow. Your pupils close down,<br />
just as in orbit when <strong>the</strong> sun is on <strong>the</strong> spacecraft.<br />
<strong>The</strong> sky is black as can be, but <strong>the</strong>re’s no way you<br />
can see stars. <strong>The</strong>y’re <strong>the</strong>re, of course, but you<br />
can’t make <strong>the</strong>m out, because <strong>the</strong>y’re too faint with<br />
all <strong>the</strong> ambient light in your eyes. Knowing that we<br />
were going to call ourselves Tranquility Base—but<br />
we had never rehearsed that because we didn’t<br />
want people to know—we hadn’t inserted that historic<br />
announcement into our procedures checklist.<br />
So when Neil said, “Tranquility Base, <strong>the</strong> Eagle<br />
has landed,” it struck me as, “Gee, we’re in <strong>the</strong><br />
middle of something, Neil, don’t do that!”<br />
Jim Clash: How did you feel when you stepped onto<br />
<strong>the</strong> lunar surface?<br />
Buzz Aldrin: Can you give me some multiple choices<br />
I can pick from to describe my emotions? I don’t go<br />
through life verbalizing what I feel. After <strong>the</strong> fact,<br />
it’s really kind of difficult. I guess if you’re used to<br />
doing a lot of describing, those things come easily.<br />
That’s why, I guess, <strong>the</strong> greatest inadequacy<br />
I’ve experienced in my life is when someone asks,<br />
‘What did it feel like?’ I have a very hard time trying<br />
to tell someone. I could probably manufacture<br />
all sorts of wondrous things. But in retrospect, I<br />
felt like we were proceeding with <strong>the</strong> checklist,<br />
such as carrying <strong>the</strong> camera down. <strong>The</strong>re are lots<br />
of little things, more than meets <strong>the</strong> eye.<br />
More of Jim Clash’s columns and videos can be found online<br />
at www.forbes.com/adventurer.<br />
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