Innehållsförteckning för Summer 2023 från The Explorers Journal

Recent events have caused us to ask: what distinguishes exploration from adventure? As the president of The Explorers Club, I encounter this question daily, and while the line may sometimes blur, there is a key distinction. Consider the act of skydiving. There is little question that skydiving alone embodies pure adventure. However, when we examine Explorers Club Medalist Joe Kittinger’s incredible leap from the edge of space—successfully parachuting to Earth from more than 30 kilometers above its surface, thereby establishing safety protocols for our burgeoning space program—we witness true exploration. While adventure offers thrills, true exploration always incorporates a component aimed at advancing scientific understanding. Explorers Club members Hamish Harding and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, both lost in the Titan, epitomized such individuals who incessantly pushed boundaries. Critics may label their recent…

RETURN OF FLAG Nº 224 EXPLORERS CLUB FLAG Nº224 MADE ITS FIRST FORAY INTO THE FIELD WITH THIS EXPEDITION. AS SUCH, THE FIRST CHAPTER IN ITS HISTORY IS PRESENTED HERE IN THESE PAGES. ON JUNE 9, 2023, EXPLORERS CLUB FELLOW JOSEPH DITURI SURFACED AFTER LIVING UNDERWATER FOR 100 DAYS, BREAKING THE PREVIOUS RECORD FOR SUCH AN ENDEAVOR BY NEARLY A MONTH. RESIDING IN A 9-SQUARE-METER HABITAT LOCATED SOME 7 METERS DOWN ON THE SEAFLOOR OFF KEY L ARGO, FLORIDA, DITURI TESTED NOVEL EQUIPMENT AND CAPTURED A VARIETY OF PHYSIOLOGICAL DATA, DEMONSTRATING THAT HUMANS CAN RESIDE AND FUNCTION IN SUCH ISOLATED ENVIRONMENTS FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME—A NECESSITY FOR FUTURE SPACE TRAVEL. A RETIRED NAVY COMMANDER WITH A PHD IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, DITURI HAS MADE QUITE A NAME FOR HIMSELF IN…

GUARDIANS OF THE VALLEY BY DEAN KING 480 PP • NEW YORK: SCRIBNER, 2023 • ISBN-10: 1982144467 • ISBN-13: 978-1982144463 • $30 Explorer and author Dean King’s new book, Guardians of the Valley, tells a wellresearched story of the collaboration between famed author and conservationist John Muir, aka the “Father of the National Parks,” and his publisher, Robert Johnson, editor of The Century Magazine, to create what we know of as Yosemite National Park. As a young man, Muir trekked across the United States, ending up, in 1869, as a sheep herder in the Sierra Nevada mountains. It was there that he had his first views of the “raw beauty” of Yosemite. He was horrified to see the wanton destruction of this beautiful landscape by hordes of ranchers, farmers, loggers,…

We wrap this edition on the heels of this year’s Global Exploration Summit (GLEX), held on the Azorean island of Terceira, a volcanic wonder in the midst of the Atlantic. The gathering brought together explorers from around the globe who generously shared their passion for science as they work to unravel the wonders of our world. You will be reading about many of their excellent projects in upcoming editions of The Explorers Journal. The intellectual feeding frenzy that continued well after the formal presentations had concluded was tempered only by the tragic loss of two of our own on June 18, when their Titan submersible imploded at great ocean depth on its descent to the wreck of the Titanic. Paul-Henri Nargeolet aka “Mr. Titanic,” was a leading expert on the…

RETURN OF FLAG Nº 228 EXPLORERS CLUB FLAG Nº228 MADE ITS FIRST FORAY INTO THE FIELD WITH THIS EXPEDITION. AS SUCH, THE FIRST CHAPTER IN ITS HISTORY IS BEING PRESENTED HERE IN THESE PAGES. A FELLOW OF THE EXPLORERS CLUB SINCE 1979, C. WILLIAM “BILL” STEELE HAS BEEN ON 22 EXPLORERS CLUB FLAG-CARRYING EXPEDITIONS, OF WHICH 13 HAVE BEEN INTO SISTEMA HUAUTLA IN THE MEXICAN STATE OF OAXACA. IN 2014, STEELE RETIRED AFTER A 34-YEAR CAREER WITH THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA. HE IS THE AUTHOR OF TWO CAVING BOOKS, YOCHIB: THE RIVER CAVE AND HUAUTLA: THIRTY YEARS IN ONE OF THE WORLD’S DEEPEST CAVES. It has been 46 years since I first rappelled into the depths of Sistema Huautla, an immense network of integrated caves in southern Mexico, now…

salad of twisted stalk, tomato, and wild mint blossoms SERVES 4 EVERY SO OFTEN I GET TO INTRODUCE CHEF PAUL TO A PLANT THAT EVEN I AM NOT FAMILIAR WITH—PARTICULARLY WHEN I HAVE SEEN A PLANT MANY TIMES, WONDERING IF IT WAS AN EDIBLE. AS WITH ALL PLANTS, ESPECIALLY BERRIES, YOU HAVE TO BE THERE JUST AS THEY RIPEN TO PERFECTION, WHICH WAS THE CASE WITH TWISTED STALK (STREPTOPUS SPP.)—A SHADE-LOVING PERENNIAL BETTER KNOWN AS WATERMELON BERRIES—IN ALBERTA. THEY’RE PLUMP, BRIGHTLY COLORED, JUICY, AND DELICIOUS. FOR ME, THIS FORAY PROVIDED A OPPORTUNITY FOR TWO NEW FORAGING ADVENTURES—THE FIRST BEING THE BERRIES AND THE SECOND BEING THE WILD MINT, WHICH JUST HAPPENED TO BE GROWING RIGHT BESIDE POISONOUS HEMLOCK. INGREDIENTS: 1 cup twisted stalk berries, washed and dried4 tomatoes, washed and…

THE EXPLORERS CLUB 46 EAST 70TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10021 WWW.EXPLORERS.ORG | 212-628-8383 AFRICA Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka africa@explorers.org ALASKA Mead Treadwell alaska@explorers.org ATLANTA Mark Hay atlanta@explorers.org AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND Todd Tai anzec@explorers.org BHUTAN Matthew DeSantis bhutan@explorers.org CANADA Jeff Britnell canada@explorers.org CHICAGO/GREAT LAKES Deana Weibel, PhD chicago@explorers.org CONTINENTAL EUROPE Ief Winckelmans continentaleurope@explorers.org EAST & SOUTH ASIA Steven R. Schwankert eastandsouthasia@explorers.org FLORIDA Joseph Dituri, PhD florida@explorers.org GEORGE ROGERS CLARK Cindy Pennington georgerogersclark@explorers.org GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND Mark Wood greatbritainireland@explorers.org Rory Golden, Vice Chair greatbritainireland@explorers.org GREATER PIEDMONT James Borton greaterpiedmont@explorers.org HAWAII Mark Blackburn hawaii@explorers.org HONG KONG Angélica Anglés hongkong@explorers.org LATIN AMERICA Cristián Pérez Navarro latam@explorers.org MIDDLE EAST (open) middleeast@explorers.org NEW ENGLAND Gregory Deyermenjian newengland@explorers.org NORTH PACIFIC ALASKA Joshua C. Lewis & Victoria M. Becwar-Lewis northpacificalaska@explorers.org NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Jimmy Friedman northerncalifornia@explorers.org NORWAY Synnøve…

“MEMBERS OF THE EXPLORERS CLUB ARE A SOURCE OF GREAT INSPIRATION AS I CONTINUE TO EXPLORE THE WORLD. TO ENSURE THAT THE MISSION OF THE EXPLORERS CLUB CONTINUES, I HAVE INCLUDED A GIFT TO THE CLUB IN MY ESTATE PLANNING. I ENCOURAGE MY FELLOW MEMBERS TO DO LIKEWISE.” —DAVID S. PRESS, LM’18, LEGACY SOCIETY COCHAIR Mark R. Allio • John G. Alexander • Alan B. Albright • Robert J. Atwater • Capt. Norman L. Baker* • Barbara Ballard • Robert D. Ballard, PhD • Samuel B. Ballen* • Mark Gregory Bayuk • Daniel A. Bennett • Josh Bernstein • Bruce Blanchard • John R. Bockstoce, DPhil • Jack Aaron Boggs* • Bjorn G. Bolstad* • Capt. Bruce M. Bongar, PhD • Brian M. Boom, PhD • Jill Botway • Garrett…

JOIN THE “EXPLORERS IMMORTALS” AND ENGRAVE YOUR NAME OR DEDICATION IN STONE ON NEW PAVERS FOR THE LEFRAK TERRACE AT EXPLORERS CLUB HEADQUARTERS. ADORN OUR LANDMARK OUTDOOR SPACE AND HELP PAY FOR URGENT WORK FOR PHASE II RENOVATIONS BY MAKING A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION OF $3,750 PER DEDICATED PAVER TO OUR LOWELL THOMAS BUILDING FUND. THE EXPLORERS CLUB WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING WHO HAVE PURCHASED A PAVER: Mark Allio, Joanna Allman, James H. Alexander, John G. Alexander, Darlene T. Anderson, Jeanne D. Andlinger, Barbara Annan, Robert J. Aresty, Robert Ashton, Atlanta Chapter, Robert J. Atwater, Robin Wheeler Azqueta, Norman L. Baker, George Basch, Andreas Bender, Josh Bernstein, John Bierley, Bruce Blanchard, John R. Bockstoce, Brian M. Boom, John R. Boreske Jr., Jill Botway, Gary W. Bowersox, Lawson W. Brigham,…

Ann Bancroft ANN BANCROFT HAS UNDERTAKEN LIFE-AND-DEATH EXPEDITIONS TO THE ARCTIC AND ANTARCTIC—REACHING BOTH POLES AND SECURING MANY FIRSTS, SOME MILESTONES FOR WOMEN. AND, AT 67, SHE IS NOT DONE. THIS WINTER, SHE PLANS AN EXPEDITION TO NEW ZEALAND WITH NORWEGIAN LIV ARNESEN TO TRAVEL WITH THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE THERE ON BOTH RIVERS AND THE OCEAN, SHARING THEIR ANCESTORS’ STORIES ABOUT CARING FOR THE PLANET, AS WELL AS DISCUSSING CURRENT CHANGES THEY’VE NOTED. WHAT FOLLOWS ARE EDITED EXCERPTS FROM A RECENT CONVERSATION. JC: You’ve done a lot in the area of polar exploration. What have been your favorite expeditions? AB: My first North Pole expedition launched me onto the public stage and gave me an understanding that I had a responsibility to go beyond my own ambitions moving forward, particularly…