Expedition 1000 Update: The Gulf Is In Sight

It has not been an easy couple of weeks since we last checked in with Dave Cornthwaite and his attempt to cover the entire length of the Mississippi River on a stand-up paddleboard. While he has managed to reach New Orleans, the journey isn't quite over yet and won't officially end until he paddles out into the Gulf of Mexico at last. Still, Dave has managed to set a new record for longest distance traveled on a SUP and will likely wrap up the whole expedition sometime tomorrow.

According to Dave's Twitter feed, he arrived in New Orleans yesterday and begins today with another 70 miles to go until the finish line. As you can imagine, he is exhausted and ready to complete the journey, which began way back June on Lake Itasca in Minnesota. That is where the Mississippi begins, and now, more than 2320 miles further down stream, he is approaching the end of the river, which empties into the Gulf.

As I mentioned, it hasn't exactly been easy going in recent days. Extremely bad weather hit the Gulf States region last week, courtesy of  Tropical Storm Lee, which brought high winds and plenty of rain down on Louisiana just as Dave was paddling through the heart of the region. Shipping traffic has picked up as he's gotten closer to the Gulf as well, with much larger barges and tankers moving along the Mississippi too. Those large watercraft present their level of challenges for anyone paddling in a kayak, canoe, or SUP.

Dave has been routinely knocking off large chunks of milage, sometimes in excess of 50 miles per day, so I expect we'll get news tomorrow that he has reached his end point in the Gulf of Mexico. From there, it will be on to some much needed rest before planning his next adventure. This journey is just the latest in his Expedition 1000 project which will see him circling the globe on 25 non-motorized journeys of 1000  miles or more.

Freya Hoffmeister Begins Kayak Circumnavigation Of South America

Freya Hoffmiester has embarked on her next big adventure, setting out from Buenos Aires on Tuesday to attempt a circumnavigation of South America by kayak. The journey is expected to take upwards of 24 months and cover more than 24,000km (14,913 miles).

The German kayak-queen had plenty of supporters on hand to see her off on his latest journey, which will now see her traveling south along the Argentine cost. Her first big challenge will come when she braves Cape Horn, and the turbulent waters of the Drake Passage, as she rounds the tip of South America. That should come in a few weeks time, but for now, she is getting acclimated to life back on the water and enjoying some paddling time for herself.

Freya is no stranger to long kayak expeditions. Not only has she paddled around Iceland and New Zealand, but in 2009 she also completed a circumnavigation of Australia that took 332 days to complete. Of course, circling that continent by kayak was just a warm-up for this latest venture, which will not only take twice as long to complete, but will offer its own set of unique challenges.

You can follow Freya's progress on her expedition map and trip log, although most will probably find her blog to be more interesting. The first two entries offer her thoughts on getting started and enjoying her time back out on the water.

This is going to be one epic expedition. Obviously Freya is use to long distance paddles, but even still, paddling around South America is certainly an ambitious project.

Norway's Prime Minister To Travel To South Pole For Amundsen Anniversary

The Prime Minister of Norway, Jens Stoltenberg, announced today that he'll be traveling to the South Pole in December to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of Roald Amundsen's arrival at that point. Amundsen and his team became the first men to reach the Pole on December 14th, 1911, famously beating out Britain's Robert Falcon Scott by just a few weeks.

Unlike Amundsen, Stoltenberg won't be making the journey overland however. Instead, he'll fly to the Pole where he'll greet a four-person Norwegian team that is set to follow Amundsen's route. The plan is for that team to arrive on December 14th of this year to commemorate the historical event which remains such a point of pride for the people of Norway. 

The polar team will consist of Jan-Gunnar Winther, the head of the Norwegian Polar Institute  as well as former cross-country skier and Olympic champion Vegard Ulvang. They'll be joined on the journey by a historian and an adventurer as well. While Amundsen went to the Pole by dogsled, this team will travel on skis however. 

As we get closer to the 2011 Antarctic season, we're sure to hear a lot more about Amundsen and Scott, who were in a desperate race to be the first to reach the Pole. Both men had tried on more than one occasion to plant their nation's flag at 90ºS, but weather conditions, poor equipment, and the challenges of the unknown all conspired against them. Finally, Amundsen broke through using his dogsleds, and as result, Scott discovered a Norwegian flag at the Pole when he arrived four weeks later. 

Devastated by losing the race, Scott and his men turned back towards the coast and their ship, which was waiting 800 miles away. Along the way, the weather took a turn for the worse, and they managed to get caught in a blizzard that lasted for ten days. Stranded in their tent, the last of their supplies and energy, ran out, and Scott, along with his two remaining companions, perished. They were just 11 miles away from a supply cache that would have probably saved their lives.

The race to the South Pole is filled with epic characters, epic journeys, and epic suffering. A century later, those same characters still cast a wide shadow over the frozen continent. 

Running The Silk Road

While we're on the subject of amazing long distance runs today, reader Yihui from Singapore dropped me a note this morning to let me know about a fantastic expedition that I hadn't heard about before. It consists of a team of runners, led by Kevin Lin, who set out in April to run the length of the Silk Road. Now, four months later, they're closing in on the finish line at last.

The expedition got underway in Istanbul, Turkey back in the spring and the runners have been traveling east through Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and China ever since. The plan is to end in the ancient city of Xi'an on September 16th, although since there have been few updates to their online journal since June, it is difficult to know exactly how close they are to reaching that goal. They do continue to upload photos however, and their galleries indicate that they are in China and well on their way to the final destination.

The entire run was created and organized by The Home Expedition, an organization that looks to motivate and inspire more privileged groups of people to work together to create sustainable, long term alternatives for assisting under privileged people and regions. During this expedition, THE has been raising funds to assist other NGO's who are struggling with the problem of providing clean drinking water in the region that they have been running through. This is the THE's first expedition, but they have several others planned for the near future, during which they hope to continue to inspire others into action.

In order to cover the entire 10500+km (6524 mile) Silk Road in the time frame that they've outlined, the team has to average 70km (43 miles) per day for 150 days and under a variety of weather conditions. The entire expedition is being documented, so hopefully we'll get some great video from this adventure. I'd love to see some of the places they've visited along the way.

Running Across Death Valley

On Friday of this week, Ray Zahab, the man who hasn't met a desert he won't try to run across, and Will Laughlin, will set out to traverse Death Valley on foot. The two men will begin at the northern boundary of Death Valley National Park and won't stop until they hit the southern boundary, some 300km (180 miles) later.

All told, the expedition is expected to take about four days to complete, and it will serve as much as a testing ground for new gear as a hot summertime adventure. The two men will carry all of their emergency supplies with them, as well as their food and water, and will meet with their support crew about every 20-30km (12-18 miles) to receive a resupply. They hope to cover approximately 75km (46 miles) per day in heat that is likely to exceed 43ºC/110ºF each and every day.

The Death Valley Run will give Ray the opportunity to prepare for a couple of planned runs later this year and early next. His impossible2Possible organization is planning another youth expedition to India in October, and Ray has set his sights on running across Saudi Arabia in January. With those two adventures looming, Death Valley is the perfect proving grounds for testing gear, new technology, and expedition foods as well.

You'll be able to follow Ray and Will on their run at the expedition's official website, where they'll be posting dispatches, video and audio updates, and photos. They'll also be carrying a GPS tracker of course, so we'll be able to see where they are at all times, as they travel on foot across the hottest and lowest place in the Western Hemisphere.

Good luck guys. Stay cool out there!

Adventurers Plan To Walk From Mongolia To Hong Kong

Two adventurers are preparing for an epic expedition that will have them traveling on foot and by kayak from Ulaanbaator, Mongolia to Hong Kong, China. The journey will cover more than 3500km, and because it wasn't challenging enough on its own, they've decided to do it during the winter.

In November of this year, Rob Lilwall and Leon McCarron will set out on a self supported expedition that begins in Outer Mongolia and travels south through the Gobi Desert. From there, they'll cross into China and follow the Great Wall to the Yellow River. Once they arrive at the river, they'll use inflatable kayaks, which they'll carry in their backpacks, to paddle to the city of Xi An, a city whose history dates back more than 3100 years. From there, they'll get back on land and finish their expedition with a trek through the mountains of central China, before ultimately reaching the finish line in Hong Kong. If all goes as planned, that should happen sometime in March of 2012.

The journey will be chronicled and eventually turned into a television series for National Geographic, but will also serve as a vehicle to raise funds for the Viva organization, a non-profit charity that works to provide educational opportunities for underprivileged children across the globe.

No strangers to adventure, Brit Rob Lilwall once rode more than 48,000 kilometers on his bike, starting in Siberia and ending in London. Along the way he visited Tibet, Afghanistan, and a number of other out of the way places. Irishman Leon McCarron is a documentary cameraman who has worked on five continents and has put in a fair share of time on the bike as well. McCarron recently rode more than 23,000km from New York to Hong Kong while shooting footage of the people he met along the way.

Be sure to drop by their website at WalkingHomeFromMongolia.com for more information on their expedition and to follow along when they get started in a few months time. Good luck boys!

Colder, The Story of Eric Larsen's Save The Poles Expedition

Last Year, explorer Eric Larsen became the first person to visit the North and South Pole, as well as the summit of Everest, all in the same calendar year. He used his expedition to raise awareness of the challenges of climate change to our planet and the effect it is having on the "three poles." Now, a documentary of this "Save The Poles" expedition is in the works, and we have the trailer for it today as well.

According to this story on the Wend Blog, the film is called Colder and the full length version will be coming soon. You can get a sample of it in the video below, where you'll get just  a sample of what Eric went through on his expedition. Colder indeed!

Aussie Adventurers Announce Round Trip South Pole Expedition

Two Australian Adventurers, James Castrission and Justin Jones, have announced their intentions to ski unsupported to the South Pole and then return to their starting point along the Antarctic coast later this year in an effort to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the famous Amundsen-Scott race to the Pole.

The duo plan to begin their expedition, which they've dubbed Crossing The Ice, this October. They estimate that it will take upwards of three months for them to cover the 2200km (1367 miles) on foot, while dragging 160 kilogram (352 pound) sleds behind them. Those sleds will be their life line, as they will contain all of their supplies and gear for the long weeks out on the ice.

Castrission and Jones are no stranger to difficult, long distance journeys. The two men became the first to row from Australia to New Zealand a few years back, covering 3318km (2061 miles) in the process. They expect this to be an even bigger challenge however, as they face one of the harshest, most inhospitable environments on the planet. They'll be undertaking the expedition to raise funds and awareness for the You Can foundation, an organization that is building special cancer centers for children across Australia.

According to their website, the start of the expedition is still more than 73 days away and during that time they'll continue on their training and preparation. They're also likely to be one of a number of teams that will be traveling to the South Pole this year as the celebration of both Amundsen and Scott ramps up. It'll probably be a very busy season at the bottom of the world, with even more ambitious projects like this one.

Pole2Pole Expedition Update: On The Bike, Still Heading South

It's been awhile since I posted an update on the Pole2Pole Expedition, during which explorer Johan Ernst Nilson is traveling from the North to the South Pole using only non-motorized transportation. You may recall this past Spring he started on this journey by skiing through the Arctic, and while is original intention was to travel to Greenland and then cross the North Atlantic by sailboat, he actually ended up simply skiing to Canada instead.

Since then, he's been continuing the expedition by traveling on bike to the west coast, arriving in Vancouver a few weeks back, where he'll now get a new bike for the journey south along the Pacific Coast  Highway with his next stop being Seattle. Johan will also be joined by Carl Robert, a companion of his on Everest, who will go with him all the way to Ushuaia, Argentina, which is the next major leg of the trip. They hope to complete that leg in five months time.

If they are successful, that will put them at the southern most tip of South America just as the Antarctic season is about to get underway. They intention is that Nilson will then cross the Southern Ocean by sailboat, and then travel by skies to the South Pole. Five months seems like an ambitious schedule for the bike ride to Chile, but hopefully they'll be able to stay on course and get there on time.

Check out Johan's latest updates on Pole2Pole.net and follow along with his progress.

ESPN Profiles World Tri-Athlete Charlie Wittmack

Remember Charlie Wittmack? He was the guy we were following since last summer when he set out on his World Tri, an expedition that included a swim across the English Channel, a bike-ride across Europe and Asia, and a climb to the summit of Everest. I wrote about his progress a few times along the way, but after he was struck by a car in Kazakhstan, and returned home for a bit, it was difficult to get updates on his progress. The last I had heard, he had returned to Nepal and was on his way to Everest, but dispatches were few and far between after that.

Now, more than a year after he set out on his World Tri, Charlie is getting mainstream coverage in the form of a major article on ESPN.com. The article they've posted there is quite extensive, and seamlessly meshes both video and text to tell Charlie's story, and what a story it is. As you can imagine, it gets into far more detail than we were able to find before, and Charlie openly discusses his obsession with completing his epic "triathlon." The story also talks about the severe ups and downs he suffered while on the road as well, missing his family, suffering injuries, and eventually going home for awhile due to severe health problems.

The story isn't just about Charlie's drive to complete his expedition. On the contrary, it's also about love, family, and chasing your dreams, no matter where they take you. The journey was not an easy one for Charlie, or his wife Cate, but in the end, he came out a different person, with a changed perspective on what is important in life. It's a great story and definitely worth the read.

It is always great to see the mainstream press pick up a story like this and ESPN does a good job of getting to the heart of it. Read the whole story by clicking here.

Mark Beaumont Joins Team Rowing To Magnetic North Pole

Long distance cyclist Mark Beaumont has ditched his bike in favor of a rowboat and oars. The man who once cycled around the world and rode from Alaska to Ushuaia, will set out on six-week long epic rowing expedition to the Magnetic North Pole that is scheduled to begin later this summer.

I first wrote about his row to the magnetic pole last summer, when the team was still being built. The expedition will be led by explorer Jock Wishart and will depart from Resolute Bay and make its way 450 miles north into the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean. If all goes as planned, the team will set off on August 1st, and they are busily finishing up their training now.

According to his website, Beaumont was asked to join the rowing team by the BBC, who will have him film the journey while also taking his part in rowing as well. The expedition hopes to demonstrate how global climate change has impacted the polar regions, and capturing that on film will help with that cause.

In addition to Wishart and Beaumont, the specially designed arctic rowboat will also be manned by Mark Delstanche, Billy Gammon, Rob Sleep, and David Mans, all of whom have extensive experience on the water.

This should be a great adventure to follow when it gets underway in a few weeks time.  Find out more about the expedition at RowToThePole.com.

The Explorers Club and Eddie Bauer Offer Expedition Grants

The Explorers Club and Eddie Bauer are joining forces to offer adventurers an opportunity to get their expeditions funded. Applications are now being accepted for two Explorers Club-Eddie Bauer Grants, each of which offer $25,000 to worth recipients.

The first grant is the The Explorers Club - Eddie Bauer Youth Grant, which will be given to one or more eligible applicants (valid student I.D. required) for work in climate change, preservation and sustainability, consistent with the mission of The Explorers Club. Applicants must display a history of field research or academic study in one of these areas, although they do not need to have an advance degree. The $25,000 award could be divided amongst up to three projects if the grant board finds them worthy.

The second grant is The Explorers Club - Eddie Bauer Grant for Expeditions, which is to be used to fund one or more eligible expeditions relating to climate change, preservation and sustainability, consistent with the mission of The Explorers Club. The goal of this grant is to "support field research activities around the world in keeping with the mission of The Explorers Club and the untamable spirit of adventure, core to the Eddie Bauer brand." This one is more open in terms of who can apply, although the focus should be on environmental research or sustainability in some way.

You can find out more about these grants, and how to apply, by clicking here. Winners will be notified by November 30th of this year and will receive their awards at the Explorers Club annual dinner to be held in March of 2012.

Expedition 1000 Update: Stand-Up Paddling The Mississippi

A month ago I wrote about the fourth stage of Dave Cornthwaite's Expedition 1000, which was just about to get underway. This stage of his journey has Dave traveling from source-to-mouth along the Mississippi River on a stand-up paddleboard, a distance of 2400 miles (3862km) that began in Lake Itasca, located in northern Minnesota, and ends when the river enters the the Gulf of Mexico, of the coast of Louisiana.

Since getting underway, Dave has been making great progress, and has already covered more than 500 miles, arriving in Minneapolis a few days ago. Tonight, he'll be giving a presentation at Midwest Mountaineering at 7PM, where he'll share tales from his various adventures, which have included traveling across Australia on a skateboard and paddling more than 1400 miles along the Murry River as well. Tomorrow, Cornthwaite will once again take to the water, where he'll resume his journey southward. With about 2000 miles to go, he still has quite a bit of paddling ahead of him, but he hopes to complete the trip by early September.

Expedition 1000 is Dave's attempt to undertake 25 unique journeys that will see him traveling 1000 miles or more using different types of non-motorized transportation. He has already used the aforementioned skateboard and canoe, but has also tandem biked from Vancouver to Las Vegas, covering 1400 miles, before launching his Mississippi SUP expedition. The entire project has been conceived as a way to raise £1 million (roughly $1.5 million) for various charities.

So what's it like out on the river on a stand-up paddleboard all day? Check out Dave's latest video below to find out.

Head's Up Philly! Have Afternoon Tea With Explorer Charles Brewer-Carias This Saturday

If you live in Philadelphia, and you're looking for something fun to do this weekend, then be sure to drop by the Union League at 4 PM on Saturday where The Adventurists are holding their third "Afternoon Tea" event in the U.S. This time, they'll be playing host to legendary explorer Charles Brewer-Carias, a man who has been called "real life Indiana Jones."

The 72-year old Brewer-Carias has indeed led a charmed life. The explorer/naturalists/writer/adventurer lives in Venezuela where he remains just as active and adventurous as he did nearly 50 years ago when he first started to explore the jungles there. According to this story, that appeared in The Guardian last year, Breiwer-Carias has explored the largest quartzite cave system in the world, has had 27 plants, reptiles, insects and a scorpion named in his honour; and holds the record for starting fire with sticks, clocking in at an impressive 2.7 seconds. He has also logged more than 200 expeditions into the bush and doesn't plan on stopping anytime time soon.

The Afternoon Tea event will give fans of exploration and adventure a chance to meet and chat with Brewer-Carias, who will no doubt share all kinds of tales from his exploits in the South American jungle. The event is scheduled to run from 4 PM to 9 PM. Full details can be found by clicking here.

Sounds like a great evening. Wish I were in Philly to join in on the fun. I'd love to hear from anyone who attends how it goes. Charles sounds like a very interesting guy.

Equatoria Update: The Walk Across Africa Is Done

Explorer and anthropologist Julian Monroe Fisher has completed his Equatoria - A Walk Across Africa expedition a few days back, reaching the coast of Angola after weeks in the field. Monroe Fisher made the walk in support of the Mines Advisory Group, an organization dedicated to removing explosives and other weaons left over from conflicts, and ultimately it was those very devices that had an impact on the final stages of the trek.

Monroe Fisher set off on his journey back in April, departing from the town of Pemba, located along the east coast of Mozambique. The plan was to travel 4000 miles from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean, completely on foot, but at various stages of the journey, Julian was forced to travel under other means for safety reasons.

He had hoped to end the expedition in Angola, in the village of Lobito, after crossing through Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, and Malawi. Unfortunately, he was forced to alter his plans to a degree, ending the trek a bit early in the Angolan village of Lucusse. The decision was made out of concerns for Julian's safey, as he was hiking through the province of Moxico, which is amongst the most heavily mined regions in all of Africa. Just how bad is it there? Just a few days prior to his arrival, a MAG team removed eight land mines that they had discovered in the area. The devices had been in place since the early 1980's.

After ending his trek in Lucusse, Julian did visit an Angolan beach along the Atlantic Ocean, where he was greeted by Antonio Lemos, Country Office Manager for MAG Angola. That meeting officially brought an end to the journey. Reflecting on the expedion,  Monroe Fisher said: "Africa is a complexmixture of beauty and ugliness all wrapped up into one vast space. What MAG is doing is trying to reduce that ugliness and allow the opportunity for that natural beauty to shine! I applaud MAG Angola’s work and I am ever grateful for the warm hospitality they and the people of Angola have extended to me along with the amazing experience MAG Angola has provided me with.”

Thoughts on Expedition Impossible

I didn't really have the opportunity to share my thoughts following last weeks premiere of the new ABC reality television show Expedition Impossible.  Prior to its debut, I had been writing about the program with some regularity, and even posted videos from the start. Before seeing the show, I noted that it appeared to be a mix of adventure racing and the show The Amazing Race. That description holds up to a certain extent, although Expedition Impossible charts its own course as well, sometimes for the better and sometimes not.

First, I'll say that as far as first episodes go, this wasn't a bad one. I found myself enjoying the show overall, in no small part because the Moroccan landscapes look absolutely spectacular in HD. The setting was fantastic and offered some great challenges for the three-person teams who were setting off on the race, many of which seemed completely unprepared for the environments that they would be racing through. (I'm looking at you "Country Boys"!)

Much like Amazing Race however, Expedition Impossible suffers from having too many teams in the first few episodes. It becomes a bit overwhelming for the camera crews and editors to keep up with, and as a result, the audience doesn't get to see too much of the teams in the early going. This was evident when the "Gypsies" won the first leg, although we hardly saw them at all throughout the episode. This will become less of an issue in a few episodes however, as teams are eliminated, giving the remaining teams more screen time. It will also make it easier for us to get to know the racers and start cheering for the ones that we like best.

Unlike in adventure racing, it didn't appear that the contestants in Expedition Impossible were actually having to navigate anywhere. Sure, we saw them carrying compasses at some points, but I believe those are more for show than anything else. It appeared that the trails were marked to some degree, making it easier for the racers to find their way. This made for more of a canned feel to the "expedition," something that doesn't happen AR or The Amazing Race. On the other hand, I'm not surprised by this, as even expert navigators can get lost in the desert, and I'm sure ABC didn't want anyone wandering off to die in the Sahara, despite the fact that it would probably be a rating bonanza.

The challenges that we've seen so far haven't been all that impressive either. In the first one, the teams were told to find water "the local way," which meant digging under the sand for buried water. This made perfect sense to me watching at home, but it seemed to stump all but one of the teams on the show. But once one of them figured it out, they all got it, making it an irrelevant challenge to those that followed. Once the original team had dug their well, everyone else was able to use it afterwards, making it little more of a speed bump. Hopefully future challenges are designed to challenge every team.

The five minute commercial for the Ford Explorer was also a bit much. Sure, Ford is one of the sponsors of the show, and it was disguised as a behind the scenes look at show creator Mark Burnett scouting Morocco for the race, but it seemed to go on forever, and wasn't all that interesting in the greater scheme of things. Hopefully we won't have something similar each week.

Now, all of that said, you would probably think that I hated Expedition Impossible, but on the contrary I still found it enjoyable. I think it'll be better in the episodes to come, and I think it showed a lot of promise. I loved seeing the Moroccan countryside and it was fun to see a pseudo-adventure race on television. The teams are a bit archetypal for me, but hopefully as we get to know them, that will resolve itself as well. As it stands, some of them are quite impressive so far.

Speaking of the teams, one of them, Team No Limits, is probably destined to become known as "the team with the blind guy." While they didn't play it up a ton, it should be mentioned that the "blind guy" is mountaineer Eric Weihenmayer, who became the first blind person to summit Everest a few years back. Eric has notched many adventures in his climbing career and is more than capable of winning this race, which is why I get a chuckle when ever someone says something about not wanting to lose to a bling guy or that he would be out of the race in no time. I have no idea how No Limits does in the race, but I know I'll be cheering for them as long as their still competing.

So? Did you tune in and watch? What are your thoughts on Expedition Impossible so far? Will you give it another go this week? Without a doubt, it is a canned adventure, but hopefully it'll be a fun one to watch during the long summer months. Post your thoughts in the comments!

Reminder: Expedition Impossible Starts Tonight

I've been posting about ABC's Expedition Impossible on a semi-regular basis lately, and tonight we'll finally get the chance to see if it has been worth the hype. It has been getting promoted fairly heavily in the past few weeks, in part because it is summer now, and there simply isn't much to watch on TV. But that said, from the promos I've seen so far, this looks like it'll be a fun diversion for those looking to watch an interesting competition, that doesn't deal with singing or dancing, set in an exotic locale.

For those who have some how managed to avoid the promos, Expedition Impossible looks to be a mash-up of The Amazing Race and the sport of adventure racing. When the show launches tonight, it'll have 13 teams of three racing against one another for a $150,000 prize. Each week they'll face both mental and physical challenges, as they race to a series of checkpoints, with the last team to arrive presumably being eliminated. We'll find out more about the exact format tonight, but it seems there will be a mix of puzzle solving, navigation, climbing, running, and more.

The show is the latest creation of Mark Burnett, who has a background in adventure racing having produced the legendary Eco-Challenge races back in the 90's. While the premiere episode of the show is airing tonight, Burnett will be live Tweeting the show, offering some behind the scenes insights and commentary about the events unfolding on the screen. You'll be able to follow his tweets at @MarkBurnettTV. Additionally, ABC will be hosting a "Chat Party" on their website as well, with viewers sharing their thoughts on the show as it unfolds and incorporating Burnett's tweets too. The Chat Party begins at 9PM ET, when the show starts, and will run through the West Coast feed a few hours later.

So, will you be tuning in to watch? I know I'm interested to see what the show is all about. I like that they'll be racing through a single location and it seems more physical than The Amazing Race, which I am admittedly a fan of as well. At the very least, I hope it is fun and entertaining, and while I'd rather Mark Burnett revive the Eco-Challenge, I'll settle for this. For now.

Polar Explorers Wanted! No Experience Necessary!

Have you ever wanted to join a major arctic expedition making a journey to remote and unexplored place? Then you're in luck, as polar veteran Jim McNeill is planning to travel to the North Pole of Inaccessibility, and he's looking for partners to join him on that mission.

For those that aren't aware, the North Pole of Inaccessibility is defined as the furthest point from any coastlines, or essentially the very middle of the Arctic Ocean. According to the latest calculations, that point falls at the coordinates of: 85.78 North, 176.15 East, and has never  been visited by explorers traveling on foot.

In the spring of 2012, Jim and his hand picked team will attempt to make that journey. Starting in February of next year, he and the other polar explorers will begin an 800-mile long, 80 day quest to reach the Pole of Inaccessibility. That journey will be broken into four legs, with each leg lasting 20 days each. McNeill is looking to find team members to join him on each of those legs.

If you're interested in joining the expedition, you'll want to attend the Ice Warrior Induction Weekend, scheduled to be held July 8th - 10th in a remote location in the U.K. That weekend will serve as an introduction of what the expedition will be like and offer would be polar explorers the opportunity to meet one another and work as a team. After that, full blown training weekends and a week-long training expedition will prepare the team for the challenges they'll face out on the Arctic Ocean. Interested parties will have to pay for their training and gear, as well as help with fund raising, but they'll also get the opportunity to take part in an expedition that very well may be the "last true world first in polar regions."

You may recall that this expedition was originally set to take place last year, but the team was forced to post-pone the attempt due to unstable conditions on the ice. Hopefully they'll get their opportunity in 2012.

For more information, go to Ice-Warrior.com.

Communicating From The Far Corners Of The World

We are living in an amazing age. Technology continues to evolve at an astounding rate, and our methods of communications, even from remote places, has turned the planet into one giant global neighborhood. The ability to share our adventures, even while in the field, has changed our perception of exploration, as we are now able to stay in constant contact with explorers that are pushing the boundaries of what we thought was possible. Now days, it seems strange when an expedition sets off without having some form of communications back to the world, which is what makes a blog like this one possible.

Yesterday, Explorers Web posted a story written by Seth Wolpin, a climber who recently summited Everest. In the article, Seth discusses the various communications tools that are now available to mountaineers on their expedition and gives some great information on what he used during his climb.

As we all know, Everest received a major upgrade this year with the inclusion of 3G cell service that, when working, actually reached all the way to the summit. The cell tower for the service was built in Gorak Shep, and powered by solar panels, and when early season clouds covered the region, the tower wasn't functional for much of the time. Thankfully, good old semi-reliable satellite phone service still operated when necessary.

Seth's article is both practical and functional as he lays out the tools that he used on his expedition. He discusses options for both voice and data, and applies it to use in cell phones, sat phones, laptops, and more. He shares tips on pre-paid services, texting, sending e-mail, and setting up a data connection on a computer. If you're a tech oriented person, a lot of this will likely seem like old hat, but if you're not as technologically adept, you'll probably learn quite a bit, and much of this can be applied to your next adventure in the field as well.

In the future, I suspect data connections will continue to get faster and more reliable, and we'll probably see those connections become the primary method of communications from Everest Base Camp and beyond. Who would have thought even a few year ago that a device like the SPOT Connect would allow us to use our smartphones to send texts and other data from just about anywhere on the planet. Expedition communications gear is really evolving quickly, and it is changing the nature of extreme adventures along with it.

Fourth Leg of Expedition 1000 Project Set To Get Underway

The fourth leg of the Expedition 1000 project will get underway on June 20th, with adventurer Dave Cornthwaite setting out to run the length of the Mississippi River on a Stand-Up Paddleboard. The journey is expected to take approximately 85 days to complete, covering more than 2400 miles between Lake Itasca, located in Minnesota, and the Gulf of Mexico.

I've written about Dave and Expedition 1000 on more than one occasion in the past. He is hoping to raise £1,000,000 for charity by completing 25 separate adventures, each measuring at least 1000 miles in length, using a different form of non-motorized transportation.  He has already skateboarded across Australia, covering 3638 miles on that journey alone. Cornthwaite has also paddled the length of that country's Murry River, covering another 1479 miles, and most recently he completed a tandem bike ride from Vancouver to Las Vegas, which tallied up another 1400 miles. The SUP expedition on the Mississippi is simply his next big adventure, and one that he hopes will bring awareness about he ecological challenges that the river now faces.

If successful, this will not only be one step closer to completing Expedition 1000, it'll also be a world record for the longest distance covered on a Stand-Up Paddleboard. Along the way, Dave is encouraging others to come out and join him on the water. But if you aren't able to join in on the fun on a personal level, you'll also be able to follow along on his progress both on his Facebook page and Dave's twitter feed as well.

Good luck Dave! Enjoy the paddle and say hello to my friend and family along the Mississippi in Iowa when you go past!