The recent Titan tragedy appeared in media worldwide and mesmerized the nation, perhaps because the Titan represented a collection of humankind’s greatest fears (drowning, claustrophobia, darkness, cold, a ticking countdown clock, etc.) all wrapped up in a carbon fiber cocoon. By one account, CNN alone had over 100 people interviewed on their network during the week, including Captain McLaren. Coverage spawned unprecedented scrutiny on the use of extreme tourism to fund exploration, whether regulation stifles innovation, and at what cost. It encouraged me to pause and ponder the risks inherent in exploration. This op-ed appeared in the June 28 Denver Post. That version is paywalled, but you can… Continue reading>>

The Rocky Mountain Chapter of The Explorers Club broke a five-year dinner attendance record when it changed up the format of its typical bi-monthly dinners. Instead of one speaker, the evening featured nine speakers – all members – presenting their most recent projects with no more than a five-year look-back of previous projects. Each speaker was given only six minutes to present, creating a type of “speed dating” experience for explorers and their guests. The presenters who came to “Share Their Bearings” were: • Chapter chairman and Expedition News editor Jeff Blumenfeld – Where in the World are Explorers Going? • Citation of Merit winner (2017) George… Continue reading>>

The Andes crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 happened exactly 50 years ago on October 13, 1972. A rugby team heading to Chile crashed straight into an Andean peak at 14,200 feet. Sixteen of the 45 passengers survived 72 days trapped on a glacier, isolated from civilization and having to resort to eating the bodies of the dead to survive, drying human flesh on the fuselage in the high altitude sun. In those 72 days, they endured extremely cold temperatures, avalanches, starvation and dehydration and ultimately two of them climbed out of the Andes to bring helicopters to rescue the… Continue reading>>

Congratulations to chapter member Peter W. Van Arsdale on the publication of his book:  Encounters: 50 Fascinating Strangers From My Life on the Road(Amity Bridge, 2022).  While neither memoir nor autobiography per se, this book nonetheless covers half a century of personal encounters – most of them unexpected – across the globe. In these 50 vignettes, Peter vividly depicts the amazing individuals he has met, and the wisdom gained from these meetings. Covering such strangers as a New Guinea warrior, a moonwalker, a witch, a sheik, a slave, a genocide survivor, a land mine survivor, a resistance fighter, and the… Continue reading>>

Frustrated as we all are about Covid restrictions, the Rocky Mountain chapter requested that Club archivist and curator Lacey Flint conduct a live, virtual tour of the Research Collections. As the mid-September event came together, we naturally thought to open it to all 3,600 of us worldwide. The 60-minute event offered insight into some of the Club’s holdings which include an archive of documents, photographs, lantern slides and maps from late 19th century exploration to present day; artifacts ranging from polar sledges to historic flags that have flown to the moon; and a library housing approximately 14,000 volumes, from Matthew… Continue reading>>

Rocky Mt. chapter members spent the better part of a September Saturday “exploring” a large historic lead and silver mine dating to the late 19th century in the hills above Boulder. The White Raven Mine, owned by Club member Markus Raschke, a physics professor at the University of Colorado-Boulder, has been part of the Captain Jack mine/mill superfund cleanup and remediation project.  Markus purchased the property to protect it from development. Temperature outside was in the 80’s degrees F., inside was a cool mid-50s degrees F. The group trekked over 400 feet inside a hillside, at one point experiencing complete darkness.… Continue reading>>

Flower Power – Congratulations to Jim Pisarowicz and Mary Menz on publication of Common Wildflowers of the San Juan Mountains (2019). All the wildflowers in the book are found in the San Juan Mountains and specifically in Ouray, Hinsdale, San Juan and San Miguel counties – from the montane zone of 8,000 – 10,000 feet to the subalpine zone of 10,500 – 11,500 feet to the alpine zone of 11,500 – 14,400 feet.  It’s a pictorial guide to plants visible on hikes and off-road adventures, offering close-ups of the flowers to make wildflower identification easy. For more information: jim.pisarowicz@gmail.com  Continue reading>>