Explorer Julian Monroe Fisher has completed Phase Two of his ambitious RailRiders 2012-2016 Great African Expedition,
traveling overland through remote regions of that continent.
Fisher
began the journey in Juba, the capital of South Sudan back in January
and followed the same expeditionary route taken by Sir Samuel White
Baker and his wife Lady Florence Baker back in the 1860's. The route
eventually took him across the border into northern Uganda, following in
Baker's footsteps to the shores of Lake Albert.
This phase of the expedition follows a successful launch of the project
last spring during which Fisher traveled overland from Cairo, Egypt to
Khartoum, Sudan. Traveling solo, the anthropologist began his study of
the Ethnographical make-up of parts of Africa. The plan is to compare
the modern day dispersal of local tribes with historical records from
the 19th century with similar data.
During Phase Two, Fisher was joined by British photographer and
documentarian Jon Maguire as he traveled north out of Juba into the
realm of the Mundari tribes. From there, the two men turned southeast,
traveling into the Eastern Equatoria region of South Sudan. Next, their
route carried them across the border into northern Uganda, where they
were joined by David Baker and his daughter Melanie. David is the
great-great grandson of Sir Samuel Baker, and together the group trekked
to the location where the famed explorers became the first European to
set eyes on Lake Albert. Marking the exact GPS coordinates of that
point, Fisher was later able to provide the Ugandan government with the
precise location, something they intend to use to promote the spot to
travelers.
Fisher and Maguire now intend to make a documentary of their travels
through South Sudan, which remains the planet's newest nation. Few know
much about the country and its troubled history, and it is possible the
film will give many of us our first glimpse into life in that country.
Phase Three of the expedition will follow the Kagera River through
Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania before making a circumnavigation around
Lake Victoria. The start of that phase of the expedition has yet to be
announced.
One of the top adventure travel experiences for anyone who wants to
experience the Himalaya is a trek to Everest Base Camp. The trip takes
about two-weeks round trip and really immerses you in the landscapes and
culture of Nepal along the way. Take it from me, I did this trek a few
years back and absolutely loved it. Later this year, you can make that
trek too and raise funds for a local orphanage in the process.
Non-profit organization Kids of Kathmandu has joined forces with adventure travel company Discover Outdoors to create a unique fund raising experience. Those looking to participate in the trek
have two options. They can simply pay $2995 ($2895 if you register
before April 30) to join the group or commit to raising $9000 for the
Kids of Kathmandu. If that goal is reached, the cost of the trip is
covered and the cash raised will go to support a very important project.
And what exactly is that project? KoK is looking to improve the quality
of life in an orphanage in Bhaktapur by installing solar panels that
will help provide power there. Anyone who has ever been to Nepal has
probably experienced the rolling blackouts that are common there but by
installing solar panels they hope to alleviate the downtime and provide
the children living in this orphanage with electricity . The travelers
who join this trek will also pay a visit to the orphanage so they can
meet some of the children they're helping personally.
The trek is scheduled to take place September 26 - October 13 of this year. To find out more and to sign up, click here.
The Himalaya, Everest Base Camp and a good cause? Sounds like a perfect adventure.
Skydiver Felix Baumgartner, aka The Man Who Fell To Earth, has been named the winner of the National Geographic 2013 People's Choice Adventurer of the Year. The award is given as a result of an online poll conducted of visitors to the National Geographic website over a two-month period running from November to January. Baumgartner edged out nine other very worthy candidates to earn this distinction after making a historic skydive last fall.
Felix gained worldwide attention last October when he rode a specially designed high altitude balloon up to the edge of space. When his capsule was approximately 39 km (24 miles) above the Earth, he stepped out and proceeded to free fall through the atmosphere. On the way down, he managed to become the first person to break the sound barrier with out an aircraft, reaching speeds in excess of 1357 km/h (843 mph) in the process. He also set a record for the highest ever skydive with his jump starting at an impressive 38,969 meters (127,853 ft).
As impressive as this feat was, Baumgartner did have some good competition for the title of People's Choice Adventurer of the Year. Some of the other candidates included kayaker Steve Fisher, who completed the first descent of the world's largest rapids on the Congo River and climber David Lama, who free climbed Cerro Torre along the 1097 meter (3600 ft) Southeast Ridge. Ultrarunner Lizzy Hawker was also amongst the finalist for her fifth win at the famed Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc and explorer Mike Libecki received the nod for this efforts to continually fill in blank spots on the map.
I have to say that I'm not surprised that it was Felix that went home with the title. After all, he probably received the most press of any of the candidates. His skydive, which was broadcast live over the Internet, held us all spellbound and it was amazing to watch him fall from such great heights. Congratulations to him and his entire support team for earning this honor. Definitely well deserved.
March 1st passed with President Obama and Congress failing to come up with a new budget plan before midnight. The Sequestration process has now kicked in, making automatic cuts to the government's budget across the board. These deep cuts are going to have an impact on a number of services and programs that we'll likely be dealing with for weeks and months to come.
One of the most visible places where you'll notice sequestration having an immediate and direct impact is in America's national parks, which will now be forced to cut hours of operation, close visitor centers and cut jobs in an effort to meet the new budget demands.
Amongst the cuts that have already been made public are delayed openings for Yellowstone, Yosemite and parts of the Grand Canyon this spring. In the Grand Tetons, the Jenny Lake Visitor Center, the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve, and the Flagg Ranch Visitor Contact Station will all be closed for the summer. On Mt. Rainier the Ohanapecosh Visitor Center will also be shuttered, while in Denali the Eielson Visitor Center will see a delayed opening this spring. The National Park Service has even announced that five campsites inside the Great Smokey Mountains National Park will be closed for the year as well. Considering that is the most visited park in the entire system, it is sure to have an impact on visitors.
This is just the tip of the iceberg however and there are sure to be many similar reductions in service across nearly all the national parks. The dedicated staff at those locations will work hard to minimize the impact on travelers, but it many of the cuts will simply be too large to ignore. If you're planning on visiting a national park in the near future, I'd recommend checking ahead to see what impact the sequestration process is going to have on that particular park. I'd hate to have someone arrive at their destination, only to find that the park isn't open yet or some key services were not being offered.
It's a shame that it has come down to this, but this is economic climate we live in right now. Lets hope it all gets sorted out soon.
