Table of contents for Winter 2023-2024 in The Explorers Journal

As explorers, we know we have the capacity to make the world a better place—from the deepest point in our oceans to the summits of Earth’s highest mountains, and everywhere in between. And 2023 was no exception for our organization. We sent more than 43 flag expeditions into the field and supported the work of 98 explorers in 44 countries through our various grant programs. We also hosted more than 100 public, educational programs, including our signature events: Climate Week, World Oceans Week, and GLEX, our Global Exploration summit held in the Azores. And we are delighted that this publication, along with our newly expanded Explorers Log and digital newsletters, continue to deliver updates from the front lines of exploration. We are continuing to expand our mission and global reach.…

A STUDENT MEMBER OF THE EXPLORERS CLUB SINCE 2005, SUSANNA D. MANYAK IS A REGISTERED NURSE WITH AN INTEREST IN POISON CONTROL, INCLUDING SNAKE ENVENOMATION. SHE HAS BEEN ON A NUMBER OF EXPEDITIONS, MOST RECENTLY TO THE REMOTE AMAZON. MANY OF HER TRAVELS HAVE BEEN IN THE COMPANY OF HER FATHER, MICHAEL J. MANYAK, MD, A FELLOW OF THE EXPLORERS CLUB SINCE 1992 AND THE RECIPIENT OF ITS 2004 SWEENEY MEDAL. THE LATTER IS A CONTRIBUTING EDITOR TO THE EXPLORERS JOURNAL. HE IS THE AUTHOR OF LIZARD BITES & STREET RIOTS: TRAVEL EMERGENCIES AND YOUR HEALTH, SAFETY & SECURITY AND COEDITOR OF THE AUTHORITATIVE EXPEDITION AND WILDERNESS MEDICINE. “Snakes, why’d it have to be snakes?”—Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) In 2017, the Washington Post published an article…

OUT THERE BY PETER ROWE 257 PP • TORONTO: SUTHERLAND HOUSE, 2023 • ISBN-10: 1990823335 • ISBN-13: 978-1990823336 • $25.95 Canadian filmmaker and author Peter Rowe was coming off a crazy series of expeditions to the coldest and hottest places on Earth when he got the idea to write about the “insane misadventures of the nuttiest period of exploration—the years 1800 to 1940.” His latest book, Out There: The Batshit Antics of the World’s Great Explorers, does just that, peering behind the scenes of some of the most “iconic” expeditions to find the often-demented underbelly. In the book he focuses on “five nutty geographical quests” that he says hardly anybody alive today cares much about. They are the search for Timbuktu, discovering the Northwest Passage, finding the source of the…

If there is a unifying theme for field exploration, it is the art of survival; how well we are able to adapt to the conditions we find ourselves in to carry out our exploratory endeavors. For this edition, we take up the notion of artful survival and living as part of, not apart from, Nature. Anchoring our coverage is a spirited conversation between Explorers Journal contributing editor Les Stroud (a.k.a. Survivorman) and Lynx Vilden, the latter a Norway-based guru in the realm of “ancestral skills.” Among the topics they touch on are the crystal-clear differences between the art of Indigenous living, i.e., living in Nature in its purest form, and bushcraft, which involves chopping wood, as well as guns, traps, and snares. Both of these practices involve not just surviving,…

VISIT EXPLORERS.ORG/JOIN-US FOUNDED IN 1904 BY A GROUP OF AMERICA’S LEADING EXPLORERS, THE EXPLORERS CLUB IS A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY DEDICATED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF FIELD RESEARCH, SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATION, AND THE IDEAL THAT IT IS VITAL TO PRESERVE THE INSTINCT TO EXPLORE. FOR INFORMATION REGARDING CATEGORIES OF MEMBERSHIP AND THE PROCESS OF ELECTION TO THE EXPLORERS CLUB, VISIT US AT WWW.EXPLORERS.ORG. THE DOWNLOADABLE APPLICATION SETS FORTH THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR ALL LEVELS OF MEMBERSHIP.…

dutch oven reindeer moss bread with cedar bud compound butterMAKES 1 LOAF FROM THE ARCTIC DOWN THROUGH THE BOREAL FOREST AND INTO A FEW TEMPERATE FORESTS, REINDEER MOSS (CLADONIA RANGIFERNIA)—A DELICATE LITTLE WHITE/GRAY-COLORED LICHEN—GROWS ON ROCKY OUTCROPPINGS AND IS A FAVORITE FOOD OF MOST UNGULATES, SUCH AS CARIBOU, DEER, AND MOOSE. FOR THIS RECIPE, CHEF PAUL HAS TAKEN REINDEER MOSS AND TURNED IT INTO A MOST AMAZING DINNER SIDE DISH OF DUTCH OVEN-BAKED BREAD. IN ADDITION TO ITS EXCELLENT FLAVOR, THE REINDEER MOSS PROVIDES WILD YEAST TO HELP THIS BREAD LEAVEN. THE CEDAR LEAF COMPOUND BUTTER HAS A REMARKABLE CITRUS-LIKE FLAVOR. IT’S A PERFECT PAIRING FOR THE BREAD BUT WOULD BE GREAT MELTED ON POTATOES, FISH, OR ALMOST ANYWHERE A LEMON-GARLIC BUTTER IS USED. IT ALSO FREEZES WELL, SO FEEL…

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 Jett 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 Aron Arngrimsson 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 FEL-LOW MEMBERS TO DO LIKEWISE.”—David S. Press LM’18, Legacy Society Co-Chair 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 R.…

JOIN THE “EXPLORERS IMMORTALS” AND ENGRAVE YOUR NAME OR DEDICA-TION 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 $5,000 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,…

ON JANUARY 17, 2018, HUGO VAU RODE A WAVE ESTIMATED TO BE 35 METERS HIGH. TO SURFERS, THAT BARRIER IS EQUIVALENT TO SIR ROGER BANNISTER’S SUB-FOUR-MINUTE MILE IN 1954. VAU’S RIDE OCCURRED AT NAZARÉ, PORTUGAL, WHERE THE WORLD’S BIGGEST WAVES BREAK BECAUSE OF A DEEP CHANNEL AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ATLANTIC THAT AMPLIFIES POWERFUL STORM SWELLS TO TWO OR THREE TIMES THEIR NORMAL HEIGHTS. I CAUGHT UP WITH VAU TO TALK ABOUT THAT FEAT AND THE POWER OF EARTH’S OCEANS. JC: Tell me about your epic ride in 2018. HV: We were in an area called Big Mama where waves don’t usually break. Jorge Leal called on the radio saying there was a set of three huge ones coming—and to go for the second. It was super windy, and…