The 737 Challenge: Seven Summits, Three Poles, Seven Months

I write about a host of ambitious expeditions and projects here on The Adventure Blog, but here's one that is on a completely different level.

Welsh adventurer Richard Parks has set quite a goal for himself. He plans to reach the top of all of the Seven Summits, as well as both the North and South Pole, in just seven months time. He's calling his expedition the 737 Challenge, which stands for 7 Summits, 3 Poles, 7 Months. Mt. Everest, the highest mountain in the world, is sometimes called the "third pole."

The expedition is set to begin in December, with a trip to the South Pole and a climb of Mt. Vinson. From there he'll move on to Aconcagua in South America, followed by Kilimanjaro in Africa, and Carstensz Pyramid in Oceania. Then it's on to the North Pole before tackling Everest and Denali. He'll finish up on Elbrus in Europe sometime next summer. Parks hopes to use the expedition as a platform to raise funds for the Marie Curie Cancer Care organization, certainly a noble cause.

When I first started to read about this Richard's adventure, I thought this will be a logistical nightmare and nearly impossible to complete in just seven months time. After all, we've been following Eric Larsen on his Save The Poles journey for nearly a year now, and Eric "only" went to the North and South Pole and is in the process of attempting Everest. But it turns out that Richard will be covering the last two degrees to the South Pole and the final degree to the North Pole. Both of those journeys will take considerably less time than Eric's expedition, and change the logistics significantly.

Don't get me wrong, this is still a very ambitious project, but those shorter polar expeditions will make it possible to cover the Seven Summits too. This should be a great seven month journey for him and an amazing feat for anyone to accomplish.

Good luck Richard!

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Outside Interviews Amazon Walker Ed Stafford

The Outside Blog has an interview with Ed Stafford today. He's the man who recently finished walking the length of the Amazon, an epic journey that took 859 days to complete, covering more than 4000 miles in the process. Ed's back home in the U.K. now, and taking some much needed rest before his next adventure. He's also working on a book about the Amazon walk that should make for very interesting reading.

In this interview, Stafford talks about how he came up with the idea for the journey (He Googled it!), his inspirations for becoming an explorer, and his toughest moment in the jungle. He also touches on his more exciting moments, what he missed from home while on the trek, and his favorite piece of gear on the expedition, amongst other things.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I've got a gigantic amount of respect for Ed, and his companion Cho Sanchez who accompanied him most of the way. Traveling the length of the Amazon on foot was one of the last great feats to be accomplished, and it is an amazing testament of his stamina and determination that he was able to finish the walk from source to sea. It's also good to hear that he's planning another adventure, but we'll have to wait a year to find out what he's got planned. I guess he'll stay home just long enough to finish that book, and then hit the road again. I can't wait!

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Everest Fall 2010: Eric Larsen Checks In From BC

A few days back, Eric Larsen reached Base Camp on the South Side of Mt. Everest as he continues his pursuit of the "Three Poles" in a single calendar year. Reaching that point was a bit of a milestone for the team, as they had been making slow progress up the Khumbu Valley thanks to very wet conditions. Reaching BC allowed Eric to send out a video dispatch, which can be found below, in which he gives us a look at the surrounding mountains and the Puja ceremony in which all climbers are blessed by Buddhist monks before they start up the mountain.

With the Puja out of the way, Eric and the rest of the climbers can begin the acclimatization process and move further up the mountain. Yesterday, he crossed the Icefall for the first time and made his way up to Camp 1, shuttling gear for the weeks ahead. The climb took about five hours, but they didn't spend the night, electing instead to return to BC. They'll be spending plenty of nights at altitude soon however, as there is a lot of work to be done.

For Eric, Everest is the third and final "Pole" to reach to become the first person to reach the North and South Pole, as well as the summit of the world's highest peak, all in the same year. His Save The Poles Expedition is meant to raise awareness of the impact of global climate change on these remote environments. Transitioning from polar expeditions to a mountaineering one has to be a bit of a change for him, as on the trips to Poles, he is constantly on the go, while here he'll have some down time in BC to rest and recuperate. Then again, the challenges of the altitude will be a new thing to deal with as well.

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Death Valley Round II: Todd Carmichael Returns To The Desert Tomorrow

American explorer Todd Carmichael is set to return to Death Valley tomorrow, as he sets off on his second attempt to become the first person to make a solo, unsupported crossing of that desert. Many of you will recall that Todd attempted a similar crossing last year, only to be stopped by terrain that was impassable at times. In his latest dispatch however, he vows to cross Death Valley on his hands and knees if he has to.

Located in California, at the heart of the Mojave Desert, Death Valley is famous for being the lowest, driest, and hottest place in all of North America. At its lowest point, Death Valley falls 282 feet below sea level and temperatures have been recorded at 130ºF+ at times. The terrain throughout the region is rugged and challenging to say the least, with rocky outcroppings, sand dunes, and desolate salt flats, which makes it an incredibly difficult place to travel through on foot.

Because DV is so dry, Todd will need to carry all of his water, along with his food and other gear, behind him in a specially designed cart that he lovingly calls the pig. Last year, the cart performed about as well as could be expected, especially considering it is hauling several hundred pounds of supplies, but Carmichael has modified it somewhat this year in order to meet the demands that he knows are waiting for him.

Sometime tomorrow, the man who once walked to the South Pole in record time, will begin another adventure in an environment that is the polar opposite (pardon the pun!) of the one he conquered at the bottom of the world. Over the course of the next few weeks, we'll see if he can tame this one too.

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In Search of Shambala: The Search4Paradise Expedition

So many expeditions that we read about today are focused on visiting some remote place, usually in an effort to raise awareness (and usually funds!) for a cause. While those are certainly noble endeavors, and regular readers know that I don't shy away from writing about them, sometimes it's nice to see an expedition that is being undertaken for the exploration and sheer sense of adventure. The Search4Pardise expedition, led by Arita Baaijens, is a perfect example of just such a journey.

Baaijens is certainly no stranger to challenging journeys. Born and raised in the Netherlands, she spent much of her life caught up in the daily grind, just like the rest of us. However, in 1990, she quit her job as a consultant, bought a small caravan of camels, and began a nomadic life, spending most of the past twenty years wandering the Sahara Desert in Egypt and the Sudan. During that time, she has written a number of books, become an accomplished photographer, and a member of the Royal Geographical Society.

After spending the better part of two decades in the desert, Arita is turning her attention elsewhere. She intends to travel through Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia, on horseback, in search of the mythical and mystical Kingdom of Shambala, a place that holds deep meaning for Buddhists around the globe.

The legends that surround Shambala are fantastical to say the least. They speak of an idyllic place, hidden somewhere in the vicinity of the region that Baaijens and her team will be exploring, that is said to be a veritable paradise, although there is some debate, even amongst scholars, if Shambala is an actual place or a state of being. The Dalai Lama is one person who does believe it exists, but in order to enter this "Pure Land," one needs to have achieved an enlightened state. And like all good myths, there are accounts to back it up, including some explorers claiming to have found the place, hidden away in a maze of canyons and mountains somewhere in Inner Asia, although no one can ever seem to remember the route in.

Arita is in the process of finishing up a 10 week long reconnaissance expedition in advance of the real exploration mission that is set to go down in 2011, when she will return to the remote, and largely uncharted, Altai Mountains to really begin the search.

For centuries, man has tried to find "paradise" which is defined quite differently in many cultures. It is interesting that even now, in the 21st Century, we continue that search. It should be interesting to see if they find anything on their journey, as it is quite possible that the Shambala myth is based on some ancient, and mostly unknown, civilization that existed in that part of the world hundreds of years ago.

I'm definitely intrigued.

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Bio-Fueled Snow-Scooter Preps For Antarctic Run At Last

Way back in November of 2008 I wrote about the then newly designed CIV (Concept Ice Vehicle) that was being prepped for a trans-continental ride across Antarctica as part of the Moon-Regan Expedition. Fast forward two years, and it looks like they'll finally be getting underway later this fall, when the Antarctic season returns at last.

Our friend Jon Bowermaster wrote an updated story on the CIV and the expedition for TakePart.com last week, filling in the blanks on what has been happening in recent months. It seems that the team is still hoping to make the 3000 mile transantarctic journey, and do so in record time, with their high-tech sled, designed by Lotus and powered by bio-fuel. The expedition is expected to take 40 days to complete, departing from Patriot Hills and ending at McMurdo Station.

The team will consist of 11 researchers and a couple of support vehicles that will carry the actual gear, food, and equipment. The Ice Vehicle only carries one rider at a time, although it is capable of hitting 84 mph on the ice. The high-tech sled will also use a special GPS enhanced, ground penetrating radar to keep an eye out for crevasses, being able to avoid them at high speeds will be a completely different issue however.

The expedition has two goals in mind. First, it will test out the value and performance of biofuels in extremely cold weather and secondly the team hopes to raise awareness of the impact of global climate change on environment, particularly in the arctic conditions found at the South Pole. Of course, we know that the Ice Vehicle will use environmentally friendly fuels as it passes through the Antarctic on its mission, but how about those support vehicles? What exactly will they be burning? Hmm?!?

With the 2010 Antarctic Season on the horizon, I'll be following this one closely.

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Trekking Across Iceland With Alastair Humphreys

Adventurer Alastair Humphreys and photographer Chris Herwig completed an epic traverse of Iceland this past July that offered up everything you could hope for in a long distance backpacking expedition, and then some. The journey began in Akureyri, located in the northern part of the country, and ended in the Westman Islands, located off of Iceland's southeast coast, with most of the hundreds of miles crossed on foot and with the use of pack raft.

Although the adventure was completed back in July, Alastair has just begun sharing the experience on his blog, with several great entries already up. He kicked off his coverage of the journey with this entry, which details their pre-departure pursuit of wine, women, and food, before donning their 40kg (88 pound) packs and beginning the hike south. The second entry in the Iceland series has the duo moving into the infamous Icelandic high-lands, which are so inhospitable, that NASA used the region as a training ground for missions to the Moon. At that point of the hike, the boys were dealing with lots and lots of rain, and pretty much every piece of their gear was soaked. The third, and most recent entry, shares the details of their first foray onto the glaciers, which brought a whole host of new challenges to the expedition.

So far, Alastair is sharing a story per week on the expedition, and I have to say that it is fun and refreshing to read. While I always enjoy reading dispatches from the field, these well thought out, and written, stories offer a reflection and insight that only comes after an expedition is complete. The series is definitely worth reading, and I'm already looking forward to more.

Alastair is no stranger to the world of adventure. His previous exploits have seen him riding his bike around the world over a 4-year time span, covering 46,000 miles in the process. He has also hiked through India, sailed the Atlantic, run the Marathon de Sables, and canoed the Yukon, amongst a number of other very cool adventures.

To find out more about Alastair and the Iceland Expedition, check out this interview with him today over at Explorers Web.

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Todd Carmichael Gears Up For Death Valley Round 2!

American explorer Todd Carmichael is preparing to make another attempt on Death Valley, and he'll hit the ground there on September 20th, as he once again goes for the first unsupported traverse of one of the most hostile environments on the planet.

Regular readers may recall that Todd attempted this journey last year, only to face a multitude of challenges, not the least of which was the daunting terrain that was, at times, impassable. Last year, he was pulling a cart, that he had dubbed "the Pig" behind him that was loaded down with his gear and supplies, and he regularly was forced to offload gear, in order to continue making forward progress. How he intends to deal with these conditions this year remains to be seen.

In his first dispatch for the new expedition, Todd says that he is returning with a newly designed Pig, which will once again carry his food, water, and other supplies, totaling nearly 500 pounds of weight, behind him as he makes the traverse from North to South across the desert. He'll get underway just as summer is coming to an end, in the hopes of missing at least some of the heat that Death Valley is known for, but even in the fall the place can be very hot, and that will be just one of the challenges he'll be facing.

Can Todd succeed where he failed last year? I guess we'll have to wait and see. Personally, I wouldn't bet against a guy who became the first American to make a solo journey to the South Pole, and set a speed record in the process. Good luck Todd! We'll be following your adventure!

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Ripley Davenport Announces Gobi 2011 Expedition

British Adventurer Ripley Davenport has announced his plans for 2011 by launching a new website in support of his expedition to trek across the Gobi Desert. This new endeavor will spawn a documentary film about the trek and the team's interactions with the indigenous people of the Gobi, while also inspiring others to pursue adventures of their own.

Unlike his attempt to cross Mongolia on foot, which took place earlier this year, Ripley won't be going solo this time out. While he will serve as expedition leader, he'll be joined photographer and filmmaker Emmanuel Berthier, Christopher Schrader, who is a young endurance athlete and the youth ambassador for the expedition. The three men plan to set out on May 24th of next year, and expect the expedition to take approximately 60 days to cover the 1000 mile route through the Gobi.

One important element to this new adventure is that the team hopes to connect with a number of schools and encourage them to incorporate the expedition into their curriculum. In return, Ripley, Emmanuel, and Christopher hope to provide inspiration to the students by allowing them to gain insight into Mongolian culture, while also gaining an understanding of the importance of being responsible and engaged citizens of the planet. The team also hopes to instill a sense of adventure in the students as well, encouraging academic achievement to achieve their goals. For more on the Gobi 2011 School Project, click here.

The team is also looking for other adventurous people to join the fun, so if you have an interest in being part of the expedition, click here.

The Gobi is the fifth largest desert on the planet, spreading across northwest China and southern Mongolia. It is a land of extremes, and the expedition could face everything from heat stroke to freezing blizzards, with conditions changing very rapidly. It will be a test of their stamina for sure, but considering Ripley spent some time crossing the Gobi this year, it should feel like home when he arrives in 2011.

Good luck guys!

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2011 Expedition Will Row to the Magnetic North Pole

Scottish adventurer Jock Wishart is planning an expedition that will take place next summer, in which he and a small, hand picked team, will set out from Resolute Bay in Canada, and attempt to row to the Magnetic North Pole. Along the way, they'll cover a distance of 450 miles through some of the harshest conditions on the planet.

According to this story, a specially designed boat is currently being constructed that will allow the team to easily drag it across the ice if necessary, as even in the summer there could be considerable ice flows to contend with. Additionally, a great deal of care is being put into reinforcing the hull and making sure that it is durable, yet light, so that it can stand up to the challenges of the ice while remaining easy to row through the water.

Wishart says that he first became aware of the idea of rowing to the Magnetic North Pole in 2007, when he realized just how much the polar ice was breaking up during the summer months. Global climate change has caused waterways to open in the arctic that didn't exist a decade ago, and adventurers are now exploring them in a variety of ways.

The Magnetic North Pole should not be confused with the Geographic North Pole, which is the one that most explorers visit during the spring North Pole season. The Magnetic Pole is where our compasses point, and it actually sits further south in the Arctic Ocean and even shifts location a bit over time. At this point, it is still impossible to sail or row to the Geographic North Pole, but if pack ice continues to melt, that may not be out of the question in the future.

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Walking The Amazon Update: Ed and Cho Heading Home

Yesterday I posted an update on Ed Stafford on Cho Rivera, who had just completed their trek of the length of the Amazon River, covering more than 4000 miles and spending 859 days in the "green hell" that is the rainforest. It was a long and incredibly demanding expedition that ended when the two men waded into the Atlantic Ocean at long last.

Throughout the day yesterday I had hoped to get more updates on the final leg, how they were feeling, and what it was like to finally finish, but it turns out that their website, WalkingTheAmazon.com has been getting hammered with traffic, and although they finally managed to upload a blog post, and some photos, the site has been overwhelmed with hits. So, Ed was kind enough to post updates to his other website as well, which can be found at EdStafford.org.

According to the blog post, Ed and Cho walked from 12 noon local time in Brazil on Sunday, all through the night, and into the next morning, arriving at the ocean at 9 AM, a bit later than they had anticipated, but they finished the job they had set out to do. Considering Ed had collapsed on the side of the road just the day before, it was a wonder that he managed to make it to the finish line at all.

As I predicted, Ed is still struggling to put it all in perspective, but he does say that he was nearly in tears when they waded out into the water, noting that it was "A day I will never forget for the rest of my life. No-one will ever take that away from us." I suspect it'll be some time before he can truly convey what it was like to complete the journey after all those long days in the jungle.

Now, both men are headed home. Cho is going back to Peru and Ed is, as of this writing, in Rio, preparing to board a plane to the U.K. The two men who became great friends on this trek won't be apart for long though, as Cho is already scheduled to go to the U.K. to visit Ed in short order. I imagine they'll be making some appearances together while he's there.

Again, congratulations to both men. I can't imagine the sense of satisfaction and relief they must be feeling right now. I think this calls for a little rest and relaxation. You've both earned it.

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The World Tri Update: English Channel Conquered!

Remember the World Tri? I first wrote about it back at the end of June when adventurer Charlie Wittmack set out on his 12,000 mile "triathlon" that was to begin with a swim leg across the English Channel, after which Charlie would climb on a bike and ride from France to Calcutta, India. The third, and final leg, would be a journey on foot from Calcutta to Nepal, where he would complete the "tri" by making an attempt on the summit of Everest next spring.

According to this report, Charlie has conquered the first leg of the journey by swimming across the English Channel yesterday in 11 hours and 59 minutes. He set out from Dover, England and swam 21-miles before coming ashore in Calais, France, becoming just the fourth person to climb Everest and successfully swim the Channel. Wittmack topped out on the world's highest mountain back in 2003.

Now, he'll rest up for a few days before getting on the bike and starting the next leg of the trip. It's a long peddle to Calcutta, but that'll probably seem easy once he gets on foot for the final trek to the Himalaya. But if it is any consolation, most triathletes say that the swimming leg is the hardest. We'll see if that proves to hold the true here as well.

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Alan Arnette Profiles Explorer Eric Larsen

We've been following Eric Larsen and his Save the Poles Expedition for months now. It all got underway last fall when he set out to ski to the South Pole, which he successfully accomplished just a few days into the new year. Then, this past spring, proving that he loves to suffer in cold climates, Eric made the journey to the North Pole as well. This fall he'll make an attempt on Everest, where he hopes to claim the Earth's "third pole", becoming the first person to visit all three in a single calendar year.

At the recent Outdoor Retailer show, which ended last Friday, Alan Arnette caught up with Eric, and had a chance to interview him about his adventures, but the ones that he's already accomplished, and the ones that lie ahead.

In this article, we learn more about his polar journeys, what drives him to go to these extreme places, and how he is preparing for Everest. As of now, Eric has never been above 8000 meters, and he is busy training at altitude in Boulder, Colorado in preparation for the climb. He does have some mountaineering experience, but nothing in the big Himalayan peaks. His insights into how a mountain expedition is different from the polar ones is quite interesting as well.

I'm looking forward to following Eric on Everest. The Fall Season is always a lot more quiet than the spring, and his attempt will bring some excitement to the what can be, at times, a bit of a lack-luster fall on Everest. If he does manage to summit the mountain, he'll have accomplished quite the feat, and have packed more adventure into a single year than most people have in a lifetime.

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Walking The Amazon Update: "Job Done"

We're still awaiting an update to the Walking the Amazon website and blog this morning, but according to the Expedition's Twitter feed, Ed and Cho reached the Atlantic Ocean this morning, bringing an end to their amazing journey. The Twitter update had this to say:

"Job done. 28 months and Cho and I have finished walking the Amazon. I always knew it was possible. :-) Blog/images in a couple of hours...."

The expedition began back on April 2nd of 2008, and now, 4000 miles and 859 days later, it is finally over. It has been a very long and grueling, trek for Ed, who has now walked the entire length of the Amazon River, from source to mouth. The past few days haven't been easy ones however, as the two men were walking long hours in hopes of reaching the finish line at dawn today. Completing the journey was in doubt even to the very end, as Ed even collapsed unconscious on the side of the road yesterday. Help arrived quickly, and he was taken to a hotel, where he was able to regain his strength and get some rest. Apparently it was the result of exhaustion, and after a few hours rest, he returned to the point of the collapse and continued on to the end.

While I'm sure the two Amazon Walkers are relieved that their trek is finally complete, it'll probably be some time before reality actually sets in.  They'll need time to reflect on what they've accomplished and re-integrate themselves into normal life. I have a feeling that might be a bumpy re-entry.

Major congratulations to both Ed and Cho for completing the expedition at long last. I can't wait to hear more about their story and see the images of them arriving at the sea. I'll post more when we know more.

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Walking The Amazon Update: End in Sight for Ed and Cho

As we near the end of what may well be the greatest expedition of modern times, Ed Stafford and Cho Rivera have begun to get a lot of mainstream press for what they are about to accomplish. After all, they are now just four days shy of completing their walk along the entire length of the Amazon, and with the journey nearly complete, those four days may be the longest yet.

As most of you know by now, Ed began his Walking the Amazon expedition back in April of 2008, and now, 855 days later, he is very close to walking out into the Atlantic Ocean. The question is, will he keep going from there, and simply swim back to England.

In a new dispatch posted to his blog this morning, Ed says that it has been a grueling few days with barely any sleep as he nears the finish line. Demands for interviews have increased dramatically, but now that he is close enough to civilization that cell phones work all the time, he can conduct those interviews without stopping.

One of the big news sources that has taken an interest in Ed's story is CNN, who published this piece on him a couple of days ago. In it, Ed reports in his own words from the jungle, and you can tell that there is a growing sense of relief that the expedition will end soon, but also a bit of sadness in that as well. For the past two-and-a-half years, the jungle has been his home, and for most of that time, Cho has been his companion. It will be hard to leave that all behind, although plans are already in the works for Ed's Peruvian companion to come visit him in England.

We've been following Ed's progress for some time now, and it's great to see his journey nearly complete. I can't wait until he can properly tell his story, as I'm sure there is a lot to share. Stay tuned to the Walking the Amazon website for daily updates over the next few days, and expect Ed and Cho to reach the finish line, aka the Atlantic Ocean, early next week.

The video below was shot a few days back, and it captures Ed and Cho leaving the jungle behind for the last time. Now, they're on more established roads as they head to the sea.




Escape the Jungle from Walking the Amazon Videos on Vimeo.

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Canadian Archeologist Discover Missing Ship

A week and a half ago I told you about a team of Canadian archeologists who were setting out in search of the missing ships of explorer John Franklin, who went missing in the arctic back in 1845 while searching for the fabled Northwest Passage. Just a few days later, the team had already discovered one of the prizes they were going in search of – a rescue ship that also went missing.

Using sophisticated sonar systems, the expedition discovered the HMS Investigator, at the bottom of Mercy Bay. The Investigator was sent in search of Franklin, and his two ships, the HMS Terror and HMS Erebus.  The team of archeologists are still searching for those vessels, which were said to have been trapped in the ice when Franklin and his crew abandoned ship while searching for the Northwest Passage, which they believed would open up a faster trade route to Asia. The explorer and his crew would spend three very long years living in the arctic, hoping beyond hope for rescue. Over the course of that time, all 128 men died of sickness, exposure to the cold, and slow starvation.

The Investigator is said to be in good condition and the research team reports that it was discovered within the first 15-minutes of their search. The vessel was abandoned by her crew after getting stuck in the ice as well, but it became an important supply cache for the Inuit people that live in the region. So much so, the ship is actually part of their history and lore, as they returned to it often over the years to scavenge materials from the craft.

I thought that was an interesting follow-up to the story I had just written about. It's remarkable that they found the ship so quickly, and I'll bet they wish all of their research were so easy. It'll be interesting to see if they find the other two ships they are looking for as well, as they will be far more difficult to locate.

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WideWorld Mag Interviews Pen Hadow on the Changing Face of the Arctic

WideWorld Magazine has posted an interesting interview with polar explorer Pen Hadow in which he talks about a number of great topics, including the continued importance of exploration in the 21st century, his approach to organizing and conducting an expedition, and his thoughts on the impact of global climate change on the polar ice caps.

Pen has visited both the North and South Pole, and back in 2003, he became the first person to make the solo, unsupported journey to 90ºN via the Canadian side of the Pole. He was also a member of the ice team on the 2009 Catlin Arctic Survey and served as the project director for the 2010 survey as well.

Needless to say, he's logged plenty of time in very cold places, and talks about how those places are now changing, with the ice caps shrinking dramatically thanks to an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which is in turn absorbed by the oceans. As a result of this increase, and due to a general warming of the planet, the ice is disappearing from both poles, but especially the North. Pen says that in another 20-30 years, the North Polar Icecap will cease to be a year round fixture at the top of the world, and will be replaced by open water for a good part of the year.

The interview is a good one for a number of reasons, and offers some great insights into travel in the polar regions, both now and in the future. As the headline says, we may all be going to the North Pole by kayak in the years to come.

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Archeologists Search For Franklin Ships in the Canadian Arctic

Back in 1845, Sir John Franklin set out in search of the then mythical Northwest Passage. Unlike today, the Passage didn't exist, and he and his crew of 128 men died a horrible death hundreds of miles from civilization, stranded without the hope of rescue. But that death didn't come quickly. According to historians, Franklin and his crew spent three long years in the Arctic, while scurvy, botulism, starvation, and sub-zero temperatures slowly did them in.

The remains of the crew have been found and extensive forensic studies have been done to help determine what exactly happened to the ill fated team, and while those studies have revealed a lot, such as the fact that the crew apparently resorted to cannibalism, the expedition's ships have remained missing.

Now, according to the BBC, a team of Canadian archeologists are heading to the Arctic in search of Franklin's long lost ships – the HMS Terror and the HMS Erebus. They'll take with them sophisticated sonar systems to search the ocean floor and they'll investigate locations that local Inuit tribes once reported seeing the ships locked in ice 150 years ago. They'll also be searching for the HMS Investigator, the rescue ship that went looking for Franklin and also disappeared in the process.

The BBC articled that I've linked to above has more details on the Franklin expedition, but describes the explorer as a man obsessed with finding the Northwest Passage. At that time, it meant a major new trade route, and could have been worth a fortune for the man who discovered it. It also talks about some of the men who went in search of the missing crew, and the stories and legends that have arisen about what happened out there on the ice.

I have to admit, I don't know a ton about this story, but it is a fascinating one. It reminds me a bit of Shackleton's ill fated expedition, although that one ended up with a happy ending. I can't imagine spending three years stranded out on the ice, wondering and hoping that someone would come. Amazing.

Thanks to the National Geographic Adventure Blog for the tip on this one.

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Walking The Amazon Update: 18 Days To Go!

After 841 days walking the Amazon Jungle, Ed Stafford is finally nearing the end of his expedition to cross the rainforest on foot. In fact, he even has a detailed schedule of his final days planned out, and promises daily updates to his blog to help us follow along over the final stage of his incredible journey.

Today Ed announced that there are just 18 days left until he crosses the finish line, in this case the finish line meaning a plunge into the ocean. He says that media attention has begun to increase, and he was even joined by a reporter who will be tagging along with he and Cho over the next six days. She's going to get an education on survival in the wilderness, as those next six days include a trek "straight through the unknown jungle on a compass bearing. No paths, no settlements to stay at, just swamps, river crossings and sore shoulders that never go away."

Ed's final schedule looks like this:

22nd to 27th July - last 6 days of walking through rainforest.
28th - Walk the Trans Cametá Highway to Cametá.
29th - Paddle across the Trocantins River.
30th - Walk back on the far side of the said river to correct any advance downstream the previous day [see rules on FAQ page].
31st to 3rd August - 4 days walk down highways into Belem City itself.
4th - Meet Keith (photographer) off plane. Interviews.
5th to 8th - 4 days walk towards the Atlantic Ocean to just short of Marudá.
9th August dawn - final 5km in the dark and arrive at Marudá, the Atlantic, for sunrise (0630 local time, 0930 BST, 1030 BST). Fall in the sea. Job done.

I love his "Fall in the sea. Job done." comment to end the schedule. I think you've earned it Ed. Good luck on the final two-and-a-half weeks. Nearly home!

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South African Adventurers To Be Celebrated At FEAT!

South Africa is home to some of the most accomplished explorers and adventurers on the planet. The country has more than its fair share of mountaineers, polar explorers, sailors, and more. To celebrate these amazing men and women, a new adventure symposium will take place later this year in Johannesburg that will offers an intriguing mix of the Banff Film Festival and TED Talks.


FEAT, which stands for Fascinating Expeditions & Adventure Talks,  promises to be the ultimate armchair adventure experience.  Billed as: "1 Night, 12 Adventurers, 7 Minutes Each", that is an apt description of the format for the evening as well. 


Each of the 12 speakers will have exactly 7 minutes to, no more and no less, to share a specific aspect of one of their recent expeditions. They'll use photos and their own words to tell the story of the challenges they had to overcome to discover something about people, places, or even themselves. 


Amongst the featured speakers are Alex Harris, who has climbed the Seven Summits and Peter van Kets, who has rowed solo across the Atlantic, twice no less, as part of the Atlantic Rowing Race. Others include climber Marianne Schwankhart, who recently started the Seven Summits, Seven Flights expedition, and Riann Manser, who quite literally rode around Africa on his bicycle. 


Tickets for the event go on sale on Monday, August 2nd at Computicket, with the inaugural event taking place at the Wit Theater in Braamfontein on October 7th. 


This looks like it's going to be a really great event. I love the format and the line-up of speakers is excellent. If I were in or around, Jo'burg in early October, I'd certainly try to find away to attend this event. Looks like a fun evening. 

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