Crossing Antarctica Marks 20th Anniversary

It was 20 years ago last month – March 1990 – that Will Steger and five international polar explorers completed what will forever be the most audacious crossing of Antarctica. Their Trans-Antarctica Expedition will last in Antarctica history for a variety of reasons: Its length and duration (3,741 miles in 221 days, requiring that it start in winter and end in winter). Because it was the last expedition by dog (dogs were outlawed the following year by an amendment to the Antarctic Treaty). And its expense (upwards of $12 million). 

A lot has changed in the two decades since – international politics and economies have shifted, new technologies invented and boomed, the human population added one billion, says writer and filmmaker Jon Bowermaster.

Bowermaster is co-author with Will Steger of the original book Crossing Antarctica, and now its 20th anniversary edition published by Menasha Ridge Press. He writes on his Web site, “… when I think of that grueling, seven-month-long expedition perhaps the biggest change has been to the continent itself. At the time, the impacts of global climate change were just beginning to be talked about and mostly in scientific circles. Today the ice shelf where Trans-Antarctica started, on a very cold July day in 1989, no longer exists.”

Bowermaster continues, “Part of the Larsen B Ice Shelf, it was sundered in 2002 by the massive breakup of Antarctica's largest shelf due to warming sea and air temperatures.



Steger’s recent work has focused on educating students and policy leaders alike on the causes, effects and solutions to global climate change. His organization is planning the 5th annual Summer Institute for Climate Change Education, Aug. 12, at the University of Minnesota Continuing Education & Conference Center in St. Paul (www.globalwarming101.com).

Bowermaster has been back to Antarctica two dozen times since that initial introduction 20 years ago. His recently completed high-def film, Terra Antarctica, documents a six-week long exploration of the Antarctic Peninsula by sea kayak. (www.jonbowermaster.com).

"Danger, Will Robinson!"

Many of us of a certain age grew up fascinated about space exploration, in part thanks to a hunk of metal and flashing lights that we wanted in the house as much as a new puppy. Television’s most famous robot – best known for the phrase, “Danger, Will Robinson!” – was developed by TV producer Irwin Allen in the mid 1960s for Lost in Space. Two faithful reproductions have been completed and are ready to be shipped by robot builder B9 Creations of Deadwood, S.D. They join an additional 54 robot replicas that have already been purchased by collectors worldwide. Each one is numbered and authenticated as an officially licensed replica.

The B9 (think “benign”) appeared in 83 episodes between 1965 to 1968, and is currently being reproduced by Michael Joyce, who is also the founder of team Next Giant Leap (www.nextgiantleap.com), an effort to win the $30 million Google X PRIZE for the first commercial moon lander.

The original robot used in the television series was altered for other shows and is lost to TV history. These reproductions are actually better built with an acrylic bubble based on the existing original, laser cut steel brain with polished stainless steel top cover and crown, a torso based on the original stone molds, and hundreds of individual parts fabricated from fiberglass, acrylic, aluminum, steel, etc. The B9 speaks in its original voice, that of Dick Tufeld, the 83-year-old voice actor for many Irwin Allen productions. Of course, it might be cheaper to go for the puppy. The B9’s are currently sold by Joyce to collectors for $24,500 (www.lostinspacerobot.com).

Hall of Mountaineering Excellence Gala, Apr. 10

Carabiners and Cummerbunds are the dress code for the American Mountaineering Center and Museum's first Hall of Mountaineering Excellence Gala and Induction Ceremony, Golden, Colo. Honored will be significant individuals in mountaineering's past and present. The night will include fine dining, entertainment, live auction, a program honoring the inductees and special guest speaker Ed Viesturs.

The American Mountaineering Museum will induct four members into the Hall of Mountaineering Excellence:

Robert Bates, Yvon Chouinard, Robert Craig and Charles Houston.

The evening will be filled with stories of each mountaineer's greatest ascents and expeditions, memories of the inductees no longer with us, as well as an appreciative look at each man's work beyond the climbing world.

Tickets: $75 Individual, $125 Couple. 5:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

www.mountaineeringmuseum.org

Department of Shameless Flogging

We continue to shamelessly flog "You Want to Go Where," appearing over the next few months at:

Apr. 12 - Ocean Reef Club, Key Largo (Fla.), 4:30 p.m.

Apr. 16 – New Canaan (Conn.) Senior Mens Group, 10 a.m.

Apr. 20 – Guilford (Conn.) Library, 7 p.m.

May 11 – New England Chapter of The Explorers Club, Boston

Nov. 23 – Darien Community Association Book Group, Darien (Conn.), 10 a.m.

Lowa Boots Sponsors Colorado Book Talks, Feb. 1-3

LOWA Boots presents Jeff Blumenfeld’s talk, “You Want to Go Where?” based upon his new book You Want to Go Where?: How to Get Someone to Pay for the Trip of Your Dreams. Three Colorado presentations will cover some of the world’s most historic expeditions and adventures with an eye towards how the audience can gain funding for their own travels. The talks will all be held at 7:00 p.m., February 1 at REI in Lakewood, February 2 at the Boulder Library and February 3 at the Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum in Golden.

Blumenfeld will explain how with the right idea and proper advance preparation, it is possible to raise thousands of dollars in cash and outdoor gear and apparel for worthy expeditions. He emphasizes that companies do not exist to pay for vacations. However, with the right motive for the trip and the ability to negotiate quid pro quo sponsorships, it is possible to generate cash or in-kind (gear) support. His talk will be illustrated with over 40 photographs taken all over the world and with testimonials from the likes of the following adventurers:

• Norman Vaughan - climbed Antarctic mountain named after himself

• Will Steger - first confirmed dog sled trek to the North Pole

• Reid Stowe - currently engaged in his quest to be at sea for 1,000 days

• Mike Haugen - climbed tallest U.S. peaks in record time

• Paul Schurke – dogsled expedition across the Bering Strait

• Barbara Hillary - went to the North Pole; now wants to go to the South at 77

• Andre Tolme – adventure golf? Yes indeed. He hit a golf ball across Mongolia

Jeff Blumenfeld is editor of Expedition News, a 16-year-old monthly newsletter that covers the adventure marketing world. A resident of New Canaan, Conn., he is a member of The Explorers Club, the American Alpine Club, and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

EN TRAVELS TO ANTARCTICA - Jan. 8 final blog

Editor's note: Satellite transmission from the Antarctica peninsula became cranky last week, preventing timely transmission of these blogs. They are posted in their entirety below.

To see a selection of images, log onto:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=140184&id=741743840&l=b39c3e8a63

Friday, Jan. 8, 2010

Better Living Through Chemistry – I write in praise of scopolamine - the wonder drug. Were it not for the little patch behind my ear these past two days, I'm afraid I would have been incapacitated by seasickness. "Talking to Ralph on the big white phone" - not a pretty picture. Pity the poor explorers of yesteryear who had to transit the same passage between South America and Antarctica without this handy little pharmaceutical.

Seasoned hands aboard ship say the Drake Passage behaved itself on the return trip. Hard to believe. Our little 276-ft. ship rolled incessantly yesterday. Where are those stabilizers I read in the brochure? The sea completely fills the picture windows in the lounge one minute, then as the ship rolls, the scene changes to blank sky. Staircases fall away from your feet as you go below. "One hand for you, one hand for the ship," was the mantra continuously drilled into us.

Remaining prone in my tiny cabin has been the best medicine. I've been sleeping great during the passage, no doubt thanks to the patch. The sun streams in through a single porthole, except for a brief twilight period from midnight to 3 a.m. When visiting Antarctica during its summer, don't underestimate the value of a good sleep mask.

We're making great time - approximately 13 knots across the passage. Out in the distance is the fabled Cape Horn, the tip of South America. Tonight we'll hang on an anchor in the placid Beagle Channel for a final dinner with the Captain. Meanwhile, the group is broken up into workshops focused on art, media relations, sponsorship fund-raising, journal writing, and music. Fred Roots, our resident scientist/genius is about to give a lecture on the Antarctic treaty that ensures protection of the entire continent.

Landing in Ushuaia is planned for Saturday morning. It will be a time for shopping and a visit to a national park. There's not much to buy in town other than t-shirts, stuffed penguins, pins and coffee mugs - many imprinted with "Fin du monde." Indeed, it feels like we've been to the end of the world, but now the real world beckons. Solid land beneath our feet will feel good after living on the good ship "Ushuaia" for these past nine days.

EN TRAVELS TO ANTARCTICA - Jan. 4 & 5 blog

Monday, Jan. 4, 2010

A View From the Bridge – The best view of the Antarctic peninsula this week is from the bridge of the M/V Ushuaia. The captain has an open bridge policy, which both students and chaperones alike have frequently taken advantage of during the trip.

In the evening, after dinner, students gather along the 180-degree picture windows equipped with stools, binoculars and plastic laminated wildlife identification cards. There's even a row of plastic toy whales, the better to identify the humpbacks, minke, and fin whales we see spouting within close proximity of the ship.Suddenly, someone shouts "blow hole" and a half-dozen binoculars sweep the starboard horizon.

As classical music plays softly and the bridge is cast in the glow of red lights, the captain sits monitoring the autopilot, occasionally using a pair of binoculars to visually plot a course through the ice field. From the Palmer coast to Livingston Island, just off the continent of Antarctica, the visibility is an astounding 38 miles.

The green radar screen is dotted with hundreds of blips. There are icebergs shaped like aircraft carriers, giant mesas big enough to land a small plane, icebergs that look like ski jumps, skyscrapers, and scenes from Doctor Seuss.Some have small colonies of penguins - are they gentoos? adelies? Hard to tell. Others are occupied by a resident crabeater, Weddell, elephant seal, or sea lion.

Antarctica is nothing like the photos.It's so much more. It's the cleanest air one can possibly breathe. It's the boom of a glacier calving in the distance. It's the incessant braying of penguins when we come ashore, penguins that have no fear of humans and will approach within four or five feet, giving us all the once over.

There's an absence of green here, of course, but it doesn't matter with the whitest whites and the bluest blues you've ever seen. We're a self-contained community of about 90 people at least a two-day sail from civilization, one focused on giving the future environmental leaders on board the tools they need to keep Antarctica just the way it is.

Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010

FOMO – "Fear of Missing Out" - From a pod of three humpback whales on the port side side of the ship, and two to starboard, to sightings of elephant seals, cape petrels, and minke whales, you can hardly take a moment to eat, sleep or shower, otherwise you might miss yet another spectacular sight here along the Antarctic peninsula.

Leave your camera in your room and you might miss a massive arched iceberg, bigger than the ship itself, about to crack apart with a thunderous roar.

Or as happened today, roll over before our eyes. Each day seems to top the previous one as the group dons heavy rubber boots, ski jackets, pants, and gloves, and ventures to shore in Zodiacs under bright skies and temperatures ranging from 30 to 50 degrees F.

Yesterday we visited Port Lockroy, a restored British research stattion now staffed by four hardy women who run a museum, gift shop and post office. Fifteen thousand tourists are expected to visit this austral summer.

They study the impact of humans on breeding gentoo penguins. There are penguins everywhere, some within a few feet of the main entranceway. Seems the gentoos do better on the inhabited side of the island than the remote and off-limit uninhabited side. The humans tend to scare off the skuas, a predatory sea bird that feeds on penguin chicks.

Today after observing nesting gentoos penguins on Pleneau Island, we cruised in Zodes through an iceberg-choked lagoon, awed by the white and turquoise colors, the porpoising penguins, and the mountainous Antarctic peninsula in the background. The students in my Zode got to kiss an iceberg as we slowed to examine it closely.

Next stop was the Vernadskiy station, the Ukrainian research station that marks our southernmost point on the trip, about 100 miles north of the Antarctic circle. The all male staff greeted us warmly and gave us a tour, including their bar and recreation room with its collection of donated bras, periodically added to by visitors.

We're headed north now, back to Ushuaia 700 miles away, for arrival on Saturday.The sun shines brightly until midnight, then sets until sunrise three hours later. I better log off now lest I miss something.