The Explorers Journal

From vast ocean depths to the frontiers of outer space, The Explorers Journal offers firsthand reporting from those pushing the limits of knowledge and human endurance. Founded in 1904 to promote exploration “by all means possible,” The Explorers Club is an international organization dedicated to the advancement of field exploration and scientific inquiry. Among our members are leading pioneers in oceanography, mountaineering, archaeology, and the planetary and environmental sciences.

PRESIDENT’S LETTER inspiring the next generation

EDITOR’S NOTE sands of time

The Explorers Journal

EXPLORATION NEWS

TRACES OF IRVINE FOUND ON EVEREST • CLUES TO A CENTURY-OLD MYSTERY ON THE RONGBUK GLACIER

NEW AIRPORT IN NUUK • GREENLAND SET TO LURE MORE EXPLORERS

BLOWN AWAY in search of khamsin, Wadi Rum’s winds of legend

NAMIBIA FROM ABOVE wings over the Skeleton Coast • INSPIRED BY SUCH TITANS OF THE MEDIUM AS ANDREAS GURSKY, AUGUST SANDER, THOMAS STRUTH, AND BERND AND HILLA BECHER, NEW YORK-BASED PHOTOGRAPHER ADRIAN GAUT HAS TRAVELED THE WORLD, FOCUSING HIS LENS ON THE INTERSECTION OF NATURE AND CULTURE. HIS IMAGES HAVE APPEARED IN NUMEROUS PUBLICATIONS, INCLUDING THE NEW YORK TIMES, CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER, AND ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST. HE DIVIDES HIS TIME BETWEEN SOHO AND EAST HAMPTON, WHERE HE PURSUES HIS PASSION FOR ALL THINGS OCEAN: FISHING, SURFING, AND SAILING.

LUCY AT 50 marking a milestone for a world-famous fossil find • A FELLOW OF THE EXPLORERS CLUB SINCE 1976 AND THE RECIPIENT OF ITS HIGHEST HONOR, THE EXPLORER CLUB MEDAL IN 2010, PALEOANTHROPOLOGIST DONALD C. JOHANSON, PHD, IS BEST KNOWN FOR THE DISCOVERY OF THE 3.2-MILLION-YEAR-OLD REMAINS OF “LUCY,” A HOMININ OF THE SPECIES AUSTRALOPITHECUS AFARENSIS, AT HADAR, A SITE IN ETHIOPIA’S AFAR REGION. HE IS THE FOUNDER OF THE INSTITUTE OF HUMAN ORIGINS (IHO), WHICH IS NOW PART OF ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY, AND IS AN HONORARY DIRECTOR OF THE EXPLORERS CLUB. A MEMBER OF THE EXPLORERS CLUB SINCE 2018, CAROL P. SAUCIER IS THE AUTHOR OF SEVERAL BOOKS AIMED AT MIDDLE-SCHOOL AUDIENCES, INCLUDING THE LUCY MAN: THE SCIENTIST WHO FOUND THE MOST FAMOUS FOSSIL EVER AND EXPLORE THE COSMOS LIKE NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON. SAUCIER HAS SERVED ON THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF IHO SINCE 2010.

A WINDOW ON THE LATE TRIASSIC unearthing Portugal’s ancient past • A FELLOW OF THE EXPLORERS CLUB SINCE 2023, RICARDO ARAÚJO BEGAN HIS CAREER IN PALEONTOLOGY AS A FOSSIL PREPARATOR AT AGE 15. THROUGH A FULBRIGHT FELLOWSHIP AT SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY, WHERE HE RECEIVED HIS PHD IN 2013, HE RESEARCHED SAUROPTERYGIAN FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY AND DESCRIBED NEW SPECIES, INCLUDING CARDIOCORAX MUKULU. ARAÚJO IS CURRENTLY A RESEARCHER AT CERENA (CENTRO DE RECURSOS NATURAIS EAMBIENTE) AND THE INSTITUTE OF PLASMAS AND NUCLEAR FUSION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LISBON.

A QUEST FOR QUEST finding Shackleton’s last ship in Canadian waters • A FELLOW OF THE EXPLORERS CLUB SINCE 2004, JOHN GEIGER HAS BEEN THE CEO OF THE ROYAL CANADIAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY AND PRESIDENT AND CEO OF CANADIAN GEOGRAPHIC ENTERPRISES SINCE 2013. HE IS THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SEVEN BOOKS, INCLUDING FROZEN IN TIME: THE FATE OF THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION AND THE THIRD MAN FACTOR: SURVIVING THE IMPOSSIBLE. AMONG HIS MANY HONORS IS THE ORDER OF CANADA, WHICH WAS BESTOWED UPON HIM IN 2021.

Wade Davis considering the cultural narrative

HARVESTING THE WILD a woodland delight

BOOK REVIEWS

chapter chairs

legacy society • “BY MAKING A GIFT THROUGH THE LEGACY SOCIETY, I CREATED A PERSONAL LEGACY THAT WILL HAVE A STRONG AND LASTING IMPACT FOR THE EXPLORERS CLUB AND ITS MISSION OF DISCOVERY AND CONSERVATION. BUILDING A STRONG FUTURE FOR OUR ORGANIZATION IS IMPORTANT TO ME AND THAT IS WHY I HAVE INCLUDED A GIFT TO THE CLUB IN MY ESTATE PLANNING. I ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO...