Video: Expedition to Remote Myanmar

We have another fantastic video courtesy of National Geographic today. This time, the short film follows an expedition of elite climbers into a remote region of Myanmar where they hope to measure the height of a peak called Hkakabo Razi, which is believed to be Southeast Asia's tallest mountain at 5881 meters (19,295 ft). Along the way they face a grueling trek, some unexpected obstacles, and a surprisingly challenging ascent. That all makes for a great adventure video for those of us watching at home, although it looks like it created some struggles for this team. This is a great video for those interested in mountaineering and exploration. Don't miss it.

Video: Winter Cave Diving in Sweden

First discovered back in 1979, the Dolinsjö Cave is located underwater, making it extremely difficult to explore. But each year, a team of divers visits the cave during the winter, continuing to map out its depths in an attempt to determine just how large it actually is. So far, they've gone as deep as 1.7 km (1.05 miles), and have yet to locate the end of the cave. In this video, those divers take us along on one of their expeditions, giving us a look at the efforts they make in the name of exploration. It is a fascinating experience for sure, and I give these men a lot of respect for what they do. It can be very dangerous, and yet they press ahead into the unknown none the less.

Underground Movement: Cave Diving in Jämtland from Klättermusen on Vimeo.

National Geographic Announces 2015 Emerging Explorers

National Geographic has announced its selection for the 2015 Emerging Explorers program. Each year, the iconic organization selects a group of talented and driven scientists, conservationists, storytellers, and innovators who are making an important contribution to their chosen field, even at the early stages of their career. Each of them gains a good deal of recognition for the honor, as well as $10,000 to devote to their projects.

This year's class of explorers include Salam Al Kuntar, an archaeologist who is working hard to protect important sites inside Syria, Leslie Dawn, a nuclear scientists working on improving the way reactors function, and Innocent Mburanumwe, a ranger who protects the extremely endangered gorillas in the Virunga National Park of Democratic Republic of the Congo. They're joined on the list by wildlife conservationists, medical engineers, a biophysicist, and a number of other extremely bright men and women.

In total, there are 14 men and and women who have received the distinction of being named an Emerging Explorer this year. Their interests and passions vary greatly, but they all hold a common trait in that they are trying to make the world a better place in some way or another. One has helped create the largest shark sanctuary on the planet, while another is attempting to stamp out illegal trafficking of wildlife. Still others are focused on preventing climate change, exploring the human mind, or preventing the spread of disease. These are the new explorers for the 21st century, and their work is as vital and important as ever.

To find out more about these men and women, check out Nat Geo's Emerging Explorers page, and watch the video below.

Take A Virtual Tour of One of the World's Largest Caves

Vietnam's Son Doong Cave stretches for more than 5 km (3.1 miles) in length, 200 meters (660 ft) in height, and is over 150 meters (490 ft) wide. Those dimensions are enough to put it amongst the larges caves in the entire world, although unless you make the journey to visit it yourself, it is hard to put those numbers into perspective. Fortunately, National Geographic is here to help.

Recently, Nat Geo posted an online project that allows us to explore Son Doong ourselves, without having to make the arduous journey to the remote section of the Vietnamese-Laos border. In fact, you don't even have to leave your comfortable chair.

The virtual cave expedition starts at the entrance to Son Doong, but soon drops under the Earth into the depths of its subterranean chambers. The experience comes complete with 360º panoramic views, ambient sounds, and a host of facts and information about the site. Visitors to the website can use their mouse, trackpad, or keyboard to pan around the room in all directions, viewing the cave chambers in detail, and even zooming in to examine the site more closely. The 500-megapixel photos offer stunning resolutions, making the experience that much more realistic.

All told, there are about 10 individual regions of the massive cave than can be explored in this manner, taking us to the depths of the Earth to give us a glimpse of this magnificent cave system. But, if exploring Son Doong virtually simply isn't enough for you, there are options to actually go into it yourself and spend some time trekking through, and camping in, its stone halls.

Most of us will probably have to be content with using Nat Geo's virtual Son Doong Cave to get our views of the place. It is a pretty compelling use of technology that gives us a chance to see what it is like there. While you're wandering through the online version of the cave, see if you can spot the base camp for the team that took these images. It can be found in one of the chambers, and it truly helps to give the place a sense of scale.

This is very cool stuff.

Body of Missing Arctic Explorer Recovered

Last week I shared the sad story of Dutch Explorers Marc Cornelissen and Philip de Roo who had gone missing while conducting research in the Arctic. At the time, it was uncertain what had happened to the two men, although it was speculated that they may have fallen through the ice and drowned. Now, the body of one of the men has been recovered, providing some clues as to what might have happened.

According to ExWeb, a team of Royal Canadian Mounted Police conducted a dangerous recovery mission above the Arctic Circle in an effort to retrieve the body. It was later identified as being Cornelissen, and the cause of death was determined to be "drowned by hypothermia." The body was found at the location where the explorers had set off an emergency beacon on April 29, but by the team rescue squads could get to that position a few days later they found only two sleds – one floating in the water – and a highly trained support dog that had been brought along on the expedition.

The dog was later rescued from the ice and returned home, and further investigation revealed the body of Cornelissen in the water. There was no sign of de Roo however, and it is believed that he suffered the same fate as his companion.

This latest news is sad of course, but it may bring a sense of closure for the two explorers' friends and family. ExWeb says that Cornelissen's body has been received by the Dutch embassy in Canada, and it is being transported home to the Netherlands soon.

This story underscores my feelings that the Arctic is an incredibly difficult place to travel, and remains one of the most dangerous environments on the planet. It is because of these challenges that we will see fewer people attempting to explore the Arctic in the near future. It is simply too hazardous to venture into that wilderness, and thanks to ongoing climate change, it is probably only going to get worse in the years ahead.

Major Carolina Rivers Expedition Set to Begin April 29

Explorer Julian Monroe Fisher's many travels have taken him to some of the most remote places on the planet where he has had the opportunity to observe indigenous cultures and map little-known landscapes. But with his next project he wants to show that you don't have to go to the ends of the Earth to be an explorer. In fact, you can find plenty of adventure and exploration right in your own backyard.

The Costa Presents Carolinas River - Education and Preservation Through Exploration project is scheduled to get underway later this month. It will consist of a series of ambitious expeditions that are meant to explore the waterways of the Carolinas while documenting the history and cultural heritage of the region. Over the next two years, Julian plans to explore 32 individual rivers in North and South Carolina, both overland and on the water. Through his travels, he hopes to also hopes to bring attention to the environmental threats that these rivers now face.

Over the course of his journey's, Julian will travel by kayak, canoe, and stand-up paddleboard, as well as on foot. When he isn't paddling one of the 32 rivers, he'll be hiking along North Carolina's Mountain to Sea Trail or South Carolina's Palmetto Trail. He'll be joined on these excursions by a documentary film crew from Blue Car Productions that will capture the settings, communities, and ecosystems that he encounters along the way.

One of the more crucial aspects of the project is the role education will play. Julian believes that through education, these threatened Carolina rivers can be saved. To that end, he is establishing ties with a number of schools to create a learning tool that can be used in classrooms. By engaging students in the Carolinas River project he hopes to get the next generation invested more fully in the environment, which in turn will help spread the word about the importance of protecting these waterways. Updates of the journey will be shared via social media as well, giving students an even deeper connection to what is happening.

The first stage of the Carolina Rivers project will launch on April 29 with a special media event at the Highland Brewing Company in Asheville, NC. By that point, Julian will have already started to paddle the French Broad River, considered the third oldest in the world, and will make a stopover to meet with press and the public.

This will be a major project to watch unfold over the next couple of years. Paddling 32 rivers over that period, while also hiking through the Carolinas backcountry, should be extremely interesting to follow.

You can learn much more at CarolinaRivers.com.

Construction of 2015 Barneo Ice Camp Set to Begin

Over the next few days, construction is set to begin on the 2015 Barneo Ice Camp. This temporary base of operations is built in the Arctic each spring in order to serve as a staging ground for explorers, researchers, and adventure travelers heading to the North Pole. Located on the Russian side of the Arctic ice, Barneo has been operating somewhere near 89ºN Latitude for the past 15 years, providing access to the frozen Arctic Ocean to a wide variety of visitors in the process.

Traditionally, the process for building the base begins with Russian aircraft flying into the Arctic to first locate an ice flow of suitable size and stability. Once the location is selected a group of paratroopers drops onto the ice, along with construction equipment. They immediately go to work building a temporary runway that is suitable for large aircraft such as the Antonov An-74 cargo-passenger plane. The team also constructs a small camp to accommodate the men and women who come and go throughout the brief Arctic exploration season.

Once the camp is established and the runway is built, larger aircraft can land on the ice flow and begin delivering gear and supplies. They'll also shuttle the visitors to Barneo, some of whom will continue on to the North Pole by skis or helicopter.

From the sounds of things, it seems like 2015 will be quite a different season for Barneo than in year's past. Early reports indicate that there will be fewer tourists heading to the Arctic this spring, while more scientists and researchers take their place instead. Additionally, it seems the Russian military will use the camp as a base of operations while it conducts training operations in the Arctic as well.

Traditionally the camp opens around the first week of April and remains in operation for about three weeks. Weather conditions will determine just how long Barneo remains in service each year, as the ice flows begin to break up as the season advances. It is likely that the 2015 version of the base will follow roughly the same schedule.

Sadly, it seems there are fewer explorers heading into the Arctic this season, so it is unclear what kind of news we should expect out of Barneo in the days ahead. Right now it seems that visitors will be mostly limited to researchers and military personnel, but if a good story arises, I'll be sure to share it. The North Pole season will certainly be a quiet one though it seems.

Veteran Polar Explorer Trekking and Paddling the Boundary Waters

Veteran polar explorer Will Steger has set out on a new adventure this week. The 70-year old who has visited the North and South Pole, traversed northern Greenland, and traveled from Russia to Ellesmere Island in Canada, all by dogsled. But this time out, he's making solo journey along the Boundary Waters between the U.S. and Canada, trekking and paddling the remote region of Minnesota's northern border as he goes.

Steger launched his latest expedition yesterday. He'll begin by pulling a canoe behind him as he skis through the northern wilderness. That canoe will serve much the same way a polar explorer's sled would in both the Arctic or Antarctic, carrying his supplies and equipment across the snow. As he travels, he'll reach sections of the Boundary Waters that have thawed for the spring, and he'll transition to using the canoe in the more traditional way, but in the early days of the trip he'll be pulling it behind him as he goes.

The 200-mile journey started on Lake Saganaga at the end of the Gunflint Trail. Steger moved into the Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario and continued out onto the border lakes of the Boundary Waters. Over the course of the next few weeks, he'll be traveling through a remote and rugged wilderness that sees few visitors at any time of the year, but will be especially empty so early in the spring. Along the way he'll find frozen waters just beginning to thaw with the arrival of warmer season ahead. As he makes his way further along the route, Steger will be forced to navigate through rising rapids, steep narrows, and a chain of interconnected rivers and lakes. He has brought enough fuel and supplies to last about four weeks, although rationing could stretch that time a bit further.

Due to an unprecedented spring thaw, Steger was forced to start his expedition a week earlier than he had anticipated. The rivers and lakes are already starting to swell with rising water, and it now appears that he could do more paddling than trekking along the way. But in the early stages of the trip he'll still be hauling the canoe-sled as he makes his way along the chosen route.

You can follow Will's progress on his official website. He is releasing daily audio dispatches from his expedition that will share the journey with listeners in a very personal way. Steger promises to give us insights into what crosses through his mind as travels, which considering his 50 years of exploration experience should prove very interesting. It should be fascinating to hear about the challenges of the journey from a man who has spent more time in remote, and very cold places, than just about anyone else on Earth.

Lost City Discovered in Honduras

A team of researchers and archaeologists emerged from the rainforests of Honduras last week bearing amazing news. The group has discovered an ancient lost city that belonged to a civilization that thrived a thousand years ago, then suddenly vanished altogether. The city is believed to be the legendary "White City" or the "City of the Monkey God," which is only referred to in old tales. In fact the civilization lived in parallel with the Maya for a time, but so little is known about them that the people don't even have an official name.

Apparently the city was completely abandoned by the people that inhabited it centuries ago. As a result, archaeologists now get a peek at what day-to-day life was like there. Although the structures are mostly covered in overgrowth and sediment, there were reportedly as many as 52 artifacts that were visible upon first survey. Those included statues, monuments, ceremonial seats, and other finely crated items.

The exact location of the site has not been revealed so as to protect it from looters, but we do know that it is in a remote area of the rainforest in a valley known as La Mosquitia. The region is dominated by swamps, rivers, and mountains, making it very difficult to pass through. The explorers who discovered it documented their findings, but mostly left it undisturbed until they can return with a proper team to begin further excavation.


The White City or Ciudad Blanca has been the stuff of legends for centuries. The indigenous people who live in the area have told tales of large white structures that stuck out of the rainforest for ages. It was believed that the city served as a place of refuge from invading Spanish conquistadors, and some of say that there is a large monkey statue hidden somewhere inside the city. A number of explorers have gone in search of the place in the past, including American explorer Theodore Morde, who claimed to have discovered the city back in 1940, although he committed suicide before he could confirm the location.

The outline of the city was first discovered back in 2012 by an arial laser-mapping system. The site was believed to be over a mile in length, and contained elements consistent with manmade structures hidden under the jungle. It has taken until now for a team to actually go and visit the place however and confirm the existence of the lost city.

There is no word yet on when another team of archaeologists will return to the White City, but with this amazing discovery, you can bet it won't be too long before actual excavation operations will begin.

CheapTents Interviews Explorer Mikael Strandberg

Way back in 2008 CheapTents.com conducted an interview with Swedish explorer Mikael Strandberg. At the time, Mikael had already racked up an impressive string of expeditions that included a 3000 km (1864 mile) journey across Patagonia on horseback, as well a 1000 km (620 mile) expedition on foot across the Maasai Mara in Africa. He also had explored Siberia by skies and canoe, as well as cycled from Chile to Alaska, amongst other journeys. Now, seven years later, CheapTents has posted a follow-up interview where they discover that Mikael hasn't been resting on his laurels.

In the interview, Mikael talks about his return to Siberia, where he traveled amongst the Reindeer People who inhabit that cold and desolate region. The explorer talks about the challenges of preparing for such a journey. For instance, he put on 20 kilos (44 pounds) of weight to better adapt to the cold, but found himself out of shape an unable to move has quickly and easily as he would typically like. Mikael also talks candidly about his experiences in this remote area, where the nomadic way of life is becoming increasingly rarer. 

Switching gears from the frozen wilds of Siberia to the hot deserts of Yemen, Strandberg also traveled by foot through the Al Mahra desert. Of that journey, Mikael says "The Yemenis are among the friendliest, warmest and nicest people on earth. And it deserves better than some poor job done by Western media just looking to sensationalize things." Clearly his experience there was far different than the stories we are generally fed through traditional outlets. 

Mikael goes on to share insights on the different challenges of traveling through extremely cold and extremely hot environments, his interactions with the people that he meets along the way, and what it was like to conduct a long-distance expedition across England. All in all, it is very interesting an eye-opening interview that I'm sure many of you will enjoy. 

Shackleton and Scott Antarctic Huts Saved From Ruin

Three small huts used by Ernest Shackleton and Robert Falcon Scott as part of their Antarctic expeditions have been saved from destruction thanks to a major conservation effort that began nearly ten years ago. A team of 62 experts from 11 countries have worked hard to preserve these 100+ year old relics that are described as time capsule from a bygone era of exploration. Now, those efforts have payed off, and the huts have been restored to a point that they are accurate representations of the structures that were used as shelters for some of the most important expeditions in history.

The huts were used to launch both Scott's ill-fated Terra Nova expedition as well as a for Shackleton's  famous Nimrod Expedition. They had been mostly abandoned and left alone for nearly a century until efforts to preserve them began in 2005. Two of the huts belonged to Scott – one at Cape Evans and the other at Hut Point – while the third was used by Shackleton at Cape Royds.

Without these conservation efforts it is likely that the three huts would have deteriorated so much that they would have been lost altogether. That is not surprising considering the conditions in which they have persisted for more than 100 years. It took a decade of work, and more than $6 million, to restore the huts, with the project being spearheaded by the Antarctic Heritage Trust - New Zealand.

Inside the shelters researchers found more than 18,000 artifacts including scientific instruments, notebooks, canned foods, and clothing. All of those items gave the team a glimpse into the past, and what explorers of that era had to endure in the Antarctic. That was something the restoration team got a taste of as well as they faced sub-zero temperatures while working on the exteriors of the three huts. That work included replacing the roofs, removing large chunks of ice, and waterproofing the walls against future damage. They also worked tirelessly to preserve most of the items found inside the buildings too, and placed them back in their original places to better restore the structures to their former glory.

While obviously none of the huts will see that many visitors, the conservationists felt that it was still worth all of the effort to preserve these historic places. These huts were a part of an important time in human history, and they will now continue to stand as monuments to the need for humans to explore our planet, and beyond.