The
Adventurers’ Club News
©
Volume 56
November 2012
Number 11 Danee Hazama Adventurer of the Year 2012
The historic route of the Tahitian Voyaging Canoe Faafaite
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! EAR Y ARY S R E NIV N A
The Adventurers’ Club News The Official Publication of the Adventurers’ Club of Los Angeles®, California November 2012 Volume 56 ...........................................................................................Number 11 Publisher .................................................. ACLA President, Marc Weitz #1144 Editor ....................................... Robert G. Williscroft #1116, Lewiston, ID 83501 Cell (818) 613-9445;
[email protected] Asst. Editor ................................... Marc Weitz #1144, Los Angeles, CA 90071 (323) 600-4805;
[email protected] Club Phone (323) 223-3948 (24 Hrs) .......................... www.adventurersclub.org
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
FRONT COVER ........................ ROUTE OF THE TAHITIAN VOYAGING CANOE FAAFAITE. PHOTOS DANEE HAZAMA & DOUG BROWN DIRECTORY ............................................................................... INSIDE FRONT COVER PRESIDENT’S PAGE .................................................................................................... 1 ARTICLES – TE MANA O TE MOANA – THE VOYAGE OF THE FAAFAITE ..................... 2 UNUSUAL ASIAN RAIL ........................................................................... 5 THRAWN RICKLE ........................................................................................................ 7 WHAT’S HAPPENING... ................................................................................................ 8 BOOK REVIEW: WALKING THE AMAZON: 860 DAYS. ONE STEP AT A TIME ............ 10 THURSDAY NIGHTS AT THE CLUB ............................................................................. 11 LETTERS .................................................................................................................... 20 FORTHCOMING PROGRAMS .................................................................................... 21 SLATE OF OFFICERS FOR 2013 .............................................................................. 21
PRESIDENT
2ND VICE PRES
SECRETARY
ADDRESS
Marc Weitz
Mike Gwaltney
Robert DeMott
2433 N Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90086
1ST VICE PRES
TREASURER
DINNER RESERVATIONS
MAILING ADDRESS
Ralph Perez
November 2012
Roger Haft
(323) 223-3948 PO Box 31226 Deadline: Tuesday Noon Los Angeles, CA 90031 ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS
The
ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS
©
Volume 56
November 2012 Number 11 THE PRESIDENT’S PAGE Larry Schutte did an excellent job helpMarc Weitz #1144 - President ing to prepare for the night, MC, and helped with the A/V. It was good to Our Night of see Larry as Pat Sajak at the podium High Adventure went off again. Steve Lawson bravely helped with without a hitch. the A/V. Mike Gwaltney suffered through 144 people at- customer complaints at the silent auction, tended the and Jim Heaton buttonholed everyone event that fea- into buying tickets, and Martin Bloom tured Pasquale suckered everyone into attending through Scaturro talk- his marketing campaign. The Club ing about his kayak trip down the en- couldn’t have done it without them. With just two months left in the tire length of the Nile along the Blue Nile to the Mediterranean; Bill Burke year, we are on track to finish up an and Allan Smith discussing their sum- exciting year. Ralph Perez has done mit attempt of Everest and pre- an excellent job since taking over as viewed their Eight Summits film; and First VP and Program Chair. Already, he has the Club almost entirely lastly Danee Hazama spoke about navigating the Pacific Ocean using booked till the end of March. Excellent, especially since this is his first native navigation techniques. time doing the job. Hopefully, he’ll stop The Club then honored Danee as giving me a hard time about nixing his our Adventurer of the Year. There was a bit of mishap when the crystal ultimately successful Meetup idea. Don’t forget that the Christmas world on top of the trophy rolled off and onto the floor, but we’ll get that Party is coming up December 20th. fixed for Danee. He definitely de- Members and male guests are invitserves the award. A complete write- ed. As I told you last month, we have up of NOHA will be featured in the hired the World’s Greatest Entertainer to sing for us. Yes, I got us an Al December edition of the News. I’d like to give a special thanks to Allan Jolson impersonator. He’s one of my Smith for putting together our awesome favorite singers, and I think that it’ll be appreciated amongst this crowd. speakers. He really came through for I wish everyone a happy Thanksthe Club and helped to make the giving and a good college football evening an amazing success. For that, I might make him his own certificate. season. ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS
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November 2012
Faafaite
Te Mana O Te Moana – The voyage of the Faafaite This article is compiled from material supplied by Bob Zeman (#878) from notes he took during Danee Hazama’s presentation at N.O.H.A., and from online material extracted from the Te Mana O Te Moana journals by the Editor.
A
Photo Stellarium.org
Ancient Polynesian voyagers navicross the Pacific, the Tahitian gated using only the sun, stars, wind, voyaging canoe, or vaka moana, represents island genealogy. Pacific Is- waves, clouds, and wildlife as navilanders trace their origins to certain ca- gational guides. Ancient Navigators were attuned noes, for each is to the world a sacred and livaround them, ing treasure that from the heavconnects people ens down to a to their ancestry. single water The vaka moana drop, constantrepresents orily noticing the gin and possibilfeel of the ity, heritage and wind, shape of story, and for the sea, characPacific Islanders ter of sunlight a poetic, powerthrough the ful metaphor of clouds, the flight planet Earth, re- Traditional Pacific Islander navigation stars pattern of birds, patterns of drifting sea minding them that our planet is an island of finite resources, floating in and land vegetation, the entire integrated bubble surrounding the vaka moana. the sea of space. This ancient art of navigating was on As she voyages, the vaka the brink of extinction when Mimoana embodies balance, cronesian navigator harmony, teamwork, and Pius Mau Piailug set respect. If one of her about reviving this hulls is damaged, the ancient art. In 1975, crew takes actions Piailug and his proto repair it to pretégé, Hawaiian Nainoa vent sinking. So Thompson, successfully too, say the Pacific Hokulea Honolulu Star Bulletin sailed the Hokule’a, an acIslanders, is our reartist David Swann curately recreated vaka sponsibility for the Earth, to care for our home as moana, 2,500 miles from Hawaii to though the planet is on loan to us Tahiti and 2,500 miles back using only from future generations yet to be the ancient navigational methods. Following in Piailung’s wake, and born. November 2012
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ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS
Faafaite
Moana voyagers memorized the constellations. Overcast days were a problem, of course, but they had learned in training they undertook before they set sail how to accommodate lack of sun and stars for days on end, and how to get back on course when the sky cleared. Birds and vege-
Photo Pacific Voyagers
Hokulea - Kane’ohe Bay, off KualoaHakipu’u circa 1975
Photo Pacific Voyager
with the generous financial support of Okeanos Foundation for the Sea, commencing in April, 2011, Danee Hazama (#1014) departed New Zealand on the double-hulled Tahitian voyaging canoe Faafaite. Faafaite was bound for Tahiti, the Marquesas, and then Hawaii. Faafaite was one of seven Tahitian vaka moanas that made the voyage or some part of it under the collective name of Te Mana O Te Moana (Spirit of the Sea), including
The Te Mana O Te Moana fleet
Photo Pacific Voyager
tation floating on the water helped a lot in the search for land, as did a knowledge of the many ways water can appear depending on wind direction, nearness of land, water depth, and many other esoteric factors. The crew manned rudder and sails in shifts so everyone had an opportunity for that, and for cooking and cleaning as well. In keeping with the tradition, the crew
Photo Natalia Tsoukala
Tahitian Voyager Faafaite
one each from Samoa, Fiji, Raratonga, Tahiti, Maori, and a Pan-Pacific canoe. Each vaka moana was about seventy-three feet long, twenty-two feet wide, and weighed fourteen tons. Danee and the other Te Mana O Te ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS
Off New Caldonia (Faafaite continued on page 4)
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November 2012
Faafaite (Faafaite continued from page 3)
Photo Natalia Tsoukala
Photo Pacific Voyager
held various Polynesian ceremonies before, during, and after the voyage. Besides the fresh native food they carried aboard, they fished for marlin, tuna, and mahi mahi, and carried fresh water in thirty-two twenty-five-
The Te Mana O Te Moana fleet off Hawaii
cient voyagers, the Hawaiian ancestors, landed. Following a three-anda-half-month sojourn, Faafaite departed from that same traditional site on the morning of October 30 for the 2,500 mile trip back to Tahiti.
New Caldonia
Photo Danee Hazama
pound containers, supplemented by rain water whenever they could. In addition to showing the world (and themselves) their newly reacquired ancient navigation skills, the group was also concerned about healing the oceans – a rejuvenated Te
Photo Pacific Voyager
Faafaite at Kahoolawe
A documentary of the voyage called Our Blue Canoe will be released in 2013.
Photo Rui Camilo
Welcoming ceremony in Numea, New Caldonia
Mana o Te Moana, which they consider endangered by modern life. When they reached Hawaii in June, they landed in Kahoolawe, because that is where tradition says the anNovember 2012
Back in beautiful Bora Bora 4
ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS
Asian Rail
Unusual Asian Rail Max Hurlbut (#880)
Photos Max Hurlbut
Bring your own towel and toilet paper. A hole-in-the-floor dumps onto the tracks. Not all users – we were the only foreigners aboard – are squataccurate. No one cleans it and the smell permeates the sealed car. The oxygen system does not work. We stop at local stations where food is purchased from vendors. (The yak is tough but tasty). Chinese trains may not be up to Western standards, but the scenery is magnificent.
Max & Hueih-Hueih Hurlbut recently completed to trips to Tibet/China, Viet Nam, Cambodia, and Taiwan.
Iron DragonAcross Tibetan Plateau
T
he Lhasa-to-Chengdu train across the Tibetan Plateau is the world’s highest railway. It crosses the Tanggula Pass at 16,640 feet and skirts Hu (lake) Quing-Hai, a salt lake that is China’s largest. It’s a high-desert frontier with the occasional yurt, wild yak, and small mining settlement. Our locomotive is electric – Internal combustion engines are anemic at over 16,000 feet. A few turbo-charged diesels are also in use.
Bamboo Train to Battambang
T
he few Cambodian trains do not run; they crawl. Guerrilla activity after the Khmer Rouge exterminations and Vietnamese invasion have resulted in dilapidated trains and tracks. Trains pushed an armored carriage with gun ports. The first carriage offered free transportation and halfprice for the second – a rolling mine-detector. Bamboo Max & Hueih aboard trains allow Bamboo Train to rural acBattambang, Cambodia cess to village markets. “Trains” are platforms about three meters square atop two axles with wheels. The aft bogie is connected, by a fan belt, to a
China Rail-Lhasa to Chengdu
The trains are advertised as oxygenated and “environmentally friendly.” A first-class ticket costs $138 US. It entitles you to one of four bunks in a tiny “soft-sleeper” compartment. A “hard-sleeper” offers six bunks on door-less cabins. The remainder of the train is cattle-car standing-room-only. There are no American-style cars with seats to view your two-day crossing. One uni-sex Asian toilet serves 32. ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS
(Rail continued on page 6)
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November 2012
Asian Rail (Rail continued from page 5)
Chinese 6-h.p. “Cosmic” gasoline engine. (Gasoline is sold in old soda & beer bottles). This “nori” travels at 30 to 40 kph over warped and misaligned rails. An E-ticket ride costing a couple of US dollars. (Preferred over the Cambodian riel at 4,000 to the dollar). Japanese token-control machine
endorsed with the name of the rail section it controls. The locomotive in possession of the token is the only one permitted to traverse the singleline section. Boundaries of sections start and end at train stations. The token is physically transferred on a train staff – a leather pouch atStation Master tached to a loop SYU JI-YAN at with a handle. Zhuo-Shui Tokens are (Cloudy Water)
Dismantling Bamboo Train
The Bamboo Train offers a brilliant solution to the most difficult problem on a single-track line: What to do when two trains, going in opposite directions, meet. The nori with the fewer passengers is quickly disassembled so the other can pass.... Taiwan Train Control rains are uniquely susceptible to collisions as they run on fixed rails and cannot be quickly stopped. Timetable operation, train orders, and block signaling are not used in all countries. Parts of Taiwan still use signaling by token which dates from the Japanese occupation (18951945). The system eliminates collisions; something computerized systems have not accomplished. A large brass right-of-way token is
Station, Chung Hwa, Taiwan
T
November 2012
passed by holding up an arm to receive the hoop. The tokens are stored inside ancient red iron lockboxes of Japanese origin. They accept only the correct token for the Exchanging Rightof-Way token line. 6
ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS
Thrawn Rickle
THE THRAWN RICKLE
From the Ancient Scottish: thrawn = stubborn; rickle = loose, dilapidated heap
Robert G. Williscroft #1116 – Editor
J
ill and I missed N.O. H.A. this year, but in two weeks it’s off to the races – NASCAR, that is. At least, Jill is making the trip to Phoenix in the RV with the twins. Medical problems are keeping me behind this trip. Our firm is sponsoring a car in the race, so Jill will be supporting the team and doing the photography. By the time you read this, it will be too late to join us, but if any of you are interested in visiting a NASCAR race on pit row, contact me. We can get you pit row credentials, but you will have to pay your own way to the race locale. I described the arrival of Autumn last month. This month the trees are turning. It’s not like the East Coast, but the color still is spectacular. From my office overlooking the Snake River it appears like the banks are on fire, the color is so brilliant. I hope I can share it with some of you as you get up here to pursue your adventures. I understand N.O.H.A. was a tremendous success. My hearty congratulations to those who made it happen, and to all of you who attended. As many of you may already know, Reda Anderson, long-time friend of the Club and a personal friend, went
ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS
OTGA Thursday, October 25. Reda was the kind of woman many of us would like to see as Club members, but even though she was not eligible for membership, Reda attended every event that she could. My big regret is that she will not have been able to experience the trip into space that she had already funded, and for which she was just awaiting a definite date. Fair winds and following seas, Reda, as you explore that great unknown. Not one peep from even a single one of you about the Rhinogrades. I had thought somebody would write, or perhaps even have read the book already. Ah well...such is the life of the Editor, knowing that the words go out, but rarely knowing their impact. I guess it’s a bit like being a radio talk show host. I’ve done a bit of that, too. You’re in a small room surrounded by microphones, and dials and switches. You keep the patter up, and only get to talk with a real person when a listener calls or when you interview someone. Ask Fred Hareland. He has a radio show up in China Lake. He can give you the details. Did you vote? By the time you get this, it will all be over. Your vote can make a difference, you know. The people who decided the last election could have fit into a relatively small office building. Look out for hanging chads!
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November 2012
What’s Happening...
What’s Happening... Jim Dorsey shoots the Shuttle
Shane Berry shows how to do it
Photos Jim Dorsey
J
im Dorsey (#1081) caught some good shots of the Space Shuttle Endeavor as it made its way through the City of Angels to its final resting place.
Photo Shane Berry
S
hane (#1093) describes the shot this way:
• Shot in the “TV” setting not “AV” as I wanted the boulders and the background both in focus. • I used a tripod and made sure that the camera was level. My Acratech ball head has a leveler with a bubble. • I can’t remember if I used a polarizer filter for the water. • I shot it with my Canon 5D Mark II. The lens was the Canon 1635 MM 2.8L shot at 32 MM, 1/15 sec., F/8, ISO 100. • I was thinking of Galen Rowell’s famous photography quote “F8 and be there.” • I reviewed the histogram and it had full range. If it was off then I would go to the right or left. This shot was OK.
Endeavor over Jim’s house
The Shuttle Endeavor
Heat Shield shot
November 2012
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ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS
What’s Happening...
Photo MichaelOlsen/ZorkMagazine
Reda Anderson O.T.G.A.
The Cockpit
A
t 7:41 pm, Thursday evening, October 25, our friend and benefactor Reda Anderson departed On The Great Adventure. Reda will be missed as if she had been a Club member. Her legacy will remain with us until we join her. Farewell, good friend – we will miss you sorely!
Photo Celestis.com
The Rear Thrusters
Reda – Ever the explorer Editor’s Note: Each month we will feature recent activities of members and friends on this page. Please send your material along with any photos to the Editor by email or snail mail. Designate it for “What’s Happening....”
The Shuttle Endeavor at rest
ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS
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November 2012
Book Review - Walking the Amazon
BOOK REVIEW: WALKING THE AMAZON: 860 Days. One Step at a Time Ed Stafford; Penguin Group, London, 2011, 5.5 X 8.5 softcover, 320 p. ISBN-978-0-452-29826-2, Review by Bob Zeman (#878), with input from the Editor from material supplied by online sources.
I
n April, 2008, Ed Stafford set off to become the first man ever to walk the entire length of the Amazon River. He started at the Pacific Coast town of Camana in southern Peru in April, 2008. He estimated the trek would finish within eighteen months. This was the first of many errors. The book tells of 860 days walking, and it gets to be a bit of a slog getting through it. The statistics are impressive – nine millionodd steps; over 200,000 mosquito bites; over 8,000 kilometers; about 600 wasp stings; a dozen scorpion stings; ten HD video cameras; six pairs of boots; three GPSs, and one Guinness World Record. But there is little mention of the animals and no reference to the huge diversity of birds. The author was supported by a number of benefactors including Ranulph Fiennes of the Transglobe Expedition Trust. Stafford was made a member of the Royal Geographical Society for his achievement. But why walk the Amazon when one can November 2012
go by boat as Joe Kane did, or can even swim as one person did? There is an excellent checklist of nineteen points to consider when planning an expedition like this. There is also an excellent kit list of things to bring. . Stafford gives no credit to previous explorers of the Amazon. He does appreciate the natives along the way and dines and stays the night with them, but he is usually too tired to converse with them at length about his hike thus far and his future plans. The author’s first partner dropped out after a few months because of Stafford’s obsession to walk the entire route. Money became a problem when the adventure took longer than planned. This is a story of a grueling adventure to achieve a self-imposed goal, but just reading the book is a grueling task. The book is available wherever books are sold, and online as an eBook as well. Editor’s note: Not all readers agree with Bob. Virtually every online review was very positive, so draw your own conclusions.
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ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS
Minutes – September 20, 2012
THURSDAY NIGHTS AT THE CLUB nous crew. None of the locals, however, knew the location where three of Cpt. Bligh’s sailors were buried. Bob met a Kashmiri who described living in a Muslim area in India. Bob met some men who took him to an opium den and then to a Sikh temple to get rid of his buzz. There he blew 400 feet of film on a Sikh putting on his turban. Bob and some friends crossed to the mainland and got themselves a Land Rover, which, according to Bob, is much sturdier than a jeep and easier to find replacement parts for in the former British territories. From there they drove up to the Northeast corner of India. They followed the old British route into Burma and then went onto East Pakistan and
September 20, 2012 Marc Weitz (#1144)
Those Returning from Adventure
R
oger Haft #1098 – Is much better after being medevac’d out of Eastern Europe last week.
Those Leaving on Adventure
B
rian Cruickshank #1158 – Off to visit family in Cologne, Germany, and then on to Paris and Amsterdam. Derek Borthwick #1061 – Going to Sao Paolo, Brazil, until December. Jeff Holmes #1148 – Going on an airline-mileage run with his mother, who’s become obsessed with accumulating miles.
India: The Journey is the Destination
I
Photo csmngt.com
n 1963, Bob Silver went to India to see what it was like 100 years ago. Fortunately, he only had to go there fifty years ago to find out. His goal was to follow in the footsteps of Rudyard Kipling’s classic novel Kim. Bob’s father grew up in England, and like all good English boys, he read African Hunting From Natal To The Zambesi by William Charles Baldwin. The book taught Bob’s father that Africa was a terrible place to go. English boys needed also to learn Latin, Greek, and Kipling, so he went to India instead. This inspired Bob to go to India. He was in Sydney when he met a former British government official who owned a boat. His crew had jumped ship, so Bob volunteered to be his crew in return for passage. Three days in, they lost the mast and spent the next 43 days trying to get to land. They finally made it ashore in Timor where Captain Bligh had landed after being set adrift by his muti-
Elephants working teak harvest - 1969
Bangladesh. Bangladesh’s main product is people, but they also export teak, a heavy wood that is used to make furniture for Pier One Imports. The teak does not float and has to be transported downriver wrapped in bamboo. The teak is harvested using elephants to push down the trees. Bob truly felt like he was in India witnessing this scene. To him, it looked like one of those Hollywood movies about India, which he knew were filmed in Tarzana but yet created a sense (Minutes continued on page 12)
ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS
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November 2012
Minutes – September 20, 2012 (Minutes continued from page 11)
From here Bob took one of the famously overcrowded trains. There were fifty people inside, twenty-five on the roof, and twenty-five on each side. Bob strapped himself to the side of the train, so he wouldn’t fall off. A large Australian man spotted him out there and reached out and pulled him into the cabin where Bob found himself amongst Bangladeshi communists, who spent the entire journey trying to convert Bob to communism. The British built railways all over their territories like veins and sinews, except that they often built lines with incompatible gauges. As a result, goods and passengers have difficulty moving within the countries, often leaving one side of the country economically deprived. Bob reached Bhutan, where the Indians kept expanding their territory by November 2012
Photo Marc Weitz
Crowded train in Bangladesh
moving the border posts farther and farther back until the Bhutanese were only left with the highlands. Bob took a bus and found himself dropped off in a square with a dancing bear. A police officer stopped Bob to check his papers. This distracted the bear from his dancing, which cost his owner money. Bob quickly hopped on a leaving bus to avoid the ire of the bear owner and the cop. Bob met Sadik, who spoke perfect English from reading Zane Grey novels. They became lifelong friends, and Sadik came to speak at the Adventurers’ Club twenty years later. Bob was smug gled out of Bhutan with a soccer team and found Indian dancing bear himself in Nepal. He was arrested for illegally crossing the border and put in a tiny jail. His guard spent most of the day asleep except to give Bob his daily meal. Finally, he was brought before a judge who sentenced him to time served and set him free. Bob took the railway up to Darjeeling to see Everest. All in all, Bob spent a year in India. He carried in his backpack a portable Swiss typewriter on which he recorded his journey. This was Bob Silver’s fiftieth presentation at the Club.
Photo dybiz.com
Photo Evan McBride
of romance about India. Bob visited an area where jute is harvested and turned into rope and burlap. All the villagers were sad because of a recent tragedy involving an elephant. A baby elephant slipped into a rivulet and drowned. Bob had been filming much of his journey up to this point until an ornery border guard confiscated all his film.
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ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS
Minutes – September 27, 2012
September 27, 2012
Lopes, and Ken Freund #1046. Rosaly Lopes is a exo-volcanologist at JPL. The purpose of the mission was to study the lava lake at Erta Ale and compare it to the lava lakes on Io. Rosaly spoke at the Club last year, and Jim says that his perspective on the trip is completely different from Rosaly’s.
Marc Weitz (#1144)
Those Returning from Adventure
B
Photo Ghion Hotel
ernie Harris #1063 – Flew to Omaha, NE, for his fiftieth Medical School Reunion. Twenty-five out of sixty-three of his classmates showed. Claude Hulet #1114 – Brought in a pre-publication copy of his new book discussing the exploration of the Cape of Good Hope called The Great Navigation Secrets of Vasco da Gama. Larry Stern #1112 – Returned from traveling in Europe for three weeks. Dave Finnern #1065 – He and Steve Lawson #1032 went looking for a sunken city.
Ghion Hotel-Addis Ababa
Those Leaving on Adventure
In the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, they stayed at the Hotel Ghion, attended a geology conference, planned their Erta Ale expedition, saw some monoliths called stelae, and visited the fossil of Lucy, a distant ancestor of the human race discovered in Ethiopia in 1974. From there, they flew to Mekele in the north of Ethiopia and hired guides, 4x4’s, cooks, and security. The area is rugged with rough roads that could only be traveled in 4x4s. The local tribe, the Afar, is known to be one of the most murderous tribes in the world, and they don’t like foreigners. It wasn’t until recently that they eased up and embraced the benefits of tourism, but security is still necessary. Adding to the peril, Erta Ale is located near the disputed Eritrean border. A long-running feud between Ethiopia and Eritrea resulted in the kidnapping of tourists by the Eritreans in an effort to disrupt tourism. Having obtained the proper permits, the expedition hopped in their vehicles and drove northeast to Berhile. At one
R
ick Flores #1120 – Going to Pt. Mugu via the Backbone Trail. Bob Walters #1047 – Going to a meeting of the American Fighter Aces Association Shane Berry #1093 – Traveling up to the Sierras. Bob Aronoff #837 – Reported that Dave Yamada #969 is in the ‘Stans. Dave Finnern #1065 – Putting together a report on the Red Cars that were dumped off Newport.
Other Announcements
B
ob Walters reported the Richard Venola #1071 will be tried on November 27th.
A Trek Up to Hell
J
im’s longtime friend Mike Gwaltney #1128 introduced him. Mike and Jim went to the same high school and served in the military together. Jim traveled to Ethiopia with his wife Irene, a team of geologists, friend of the Club Rosaly
(Minutes continued on page 14)
ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS
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November 2012
Minutes – September 27, 2012 (Minutes continued from page 13)
the Explorers and Adventurers’ Club flags. The group had a couple hairy moments on the way down. Jim’s wife broke
Photo Stromboli online
point the vehicles became stuck. The drivers ignored Ken’s experienced advice in the matter of getting them unstuck until one of the vehicles broke down. The landscape is hot and arid, with temperatures routinely between 95 and 115 degrees in the cool season. Conditions were rough, and the outfitter failed to bring enough food and water for everyone. Camel caravans traversed the landscape transporting salt, just as in ancient times. The locals used pig bodies as canteens – one drinks out a leg fashioned into a spout. The sight of these caravans felt like another world to Jim. Goats were everywhere, and Jim grew fond of them as pets, even if they later became his With Afar Gunmen meal. The group set up camp at Hamed Ela where they could see the volcano. It was a low-sloped volcano similar to the ones in Hawaii, giving the illusion that it would be an easy hike to the top. Jim didn’t consider that the group was already exhausted by the trip and weighed down by the heat, nor did Jim realize that he was suffering from a number of blood clots from years of sitting on long flights. The hike began at night over the rough, volcanic terrain. The red glow of the lava marked their destination. The volcanic summit revealed a Dantean landscape of lava pools, smoke, and gas. There was an inner and outer pit. The lava was only in the inner pit that night. Heat radiated from the pool as the molten rock popped and bubbled. The group remained at the top until dawn when they took photos with both
Erta Ale Volcano
Photo Jim Dorsey
her leg trying to mount a camel and bravely duct taped the injury. In another instance, the group left a couple of guncarrying Afar at the top having an argument. Minutes later they heard gunshots, thinking the argument devolved into a shooting feud. Scurrying to the bottom, the group discovered later that a couple Australian guys paid the Afar to let them shoot their guns for fun. The group traveled next to Dallol, known to be the worst place on earth to live. It lies 130 meters below sea level, and like Death Valley, it used to be seabed. The average temperature is 94 degrees and has gotten as hot as 145 degrees. Incredibly, the area once featured a potash mine, and a nearby railway was built in 1918 to transport the potash to Eritrea. Kidnappings are common in this area, and the Ethiopian military itself had to provide security. The landscape was similar to many features on Io with colorful green and yellow bubbling lakes. Men cut the salt flats into blocks to transport back to market by camel. The group returned to the relative civilization of Berhile, electricity, and cold drinks.
November 2012
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ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS
Minutes – October 4, 2012
October 4, 2012 Marc Weitz (#1144)
opportunity to go to the Antarctic with Professor Ian Whillans to study ice floes, even if she did end up missing the college football season ever year. She worked on a project to study the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and how it’s affected by climate change.
Photos Andrea Donnellan
Those Returning from Adventure
A
llan Smith #1069 – Was in Borneo with Chuck Jonkey #1026 filming a documentary for muscular dystrophy.
Those Returning from Adventure
B
ernie Harris #1063 – Going to a dude ranch in Prescott, AZ. Larry Stern #1112 – Flying back to Montana to visit a survivor of the Bataan Death March.
Working on the West Antarctic Ice Streams 1983-1986
Andrea & crew
F
ew college students get the opportunity to spend their undergraduate years in the Antarctic, but that’s what Andrea Donnellan did, and it was this unique experience that shaped her life. Andrea is a familiar face at the Club, and this is her fourth presentation. She works at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) as a geophysicist and a computer scientist.
She arrived at the McMurdo Station via Christchurch, New Zealand, flown in on a C-130. Her experience began with mandatory attendance of Happy Camper School, where new arrivals to the Antarctic are given basic survival training. They’re taught how to find their way blindly through a blizzard and build an igloo in case of an emergency, and she learned ice climbing using crampons. Their living quarters consisted of a number of tents and temporary buildings, each one drafty but featuring its own bar. Today most of these have been replaced by permanent, modern structures. Environmental concerns were fewer then. Trash was buried in a hole and blown up every Tuesday. Now, everything brought in must be brought back out. Sled dogs were formerly used for transport, but that is not allowed any more due to environmental concerns. The dogs were friendly so long as you pet the alpha dog first. Jim’s Bar and Grill
Andrea in ice cave
Her work in the Antarctic began in 1983 at age 19. Heavily recruited by the Ivy League schools, the recruiters were surprised that she chose to go the Ohio State University. Only OSU could offer the
(Minutes continued on page 16)
ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS
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November 2012
Minutes – October 4, 2012 (Minutes continued from page 15)
was one her hangouts. She found it odd to enjoy a night out in the tent, drinking with friends, only to walk outside into the bright, midnight sun. Andrea was there working on a team to study ice streams. Ice streams are rivers of ice within the ice sheet that move very rapidly, over 1 meter/day. The team began by photographing the ice streams from the air. However, most of the work was done on land using snowmobiles. Blizzards were frequent and would often shut down the work, so the researchers wouldn’t blindly drive a snowmobile into a crevice. The sky would be over-
and found him grateful. Care packages came in the form of cheese sent by her brother. Her tastes were different then, and many of the exotic cheeses were discarded uneaten. Andrea was efficient and could survey large areas in one day. She pulled out 10m ice cores by hand, and would sometimes burn them out if they got stuck. Soon, they were sending Andrea out alone; she enjoyed having no one to argue with. Once, the snowmobile broke down 20km from camp. She considered skiing back but instead got to work repairing the snowmobile and limped in on a broken spring. One Christmas Day, she and her colleagues grew restless and decided to explore some ice crevices. They found some, roped up, and climbed down into the blue and white translucent ice, illuminated from above by the Antarctic sun. The ice sheets are ever shifting, and work-
Inside the shelter
cast for weeks, which quickly became depressing and disorienting, a white sky over a white landscape. Dr. Whillans kept them busy 16 hours a day, saying that boredom is the worst that could happen in the Antarctic, giving them only Thanksgiving and Christmas off. Andrea got along well with her team. Aside, from late night drinking sessions, she and her tentmate often stayed up late cracking jokes and getting by on little sleep, something she couldn’t imagine doing now. Andrea was known to be a crazy snowmobile driver and once sped off without noticing that her coresearcher had fallen off the back. Sensing something amiss, she returned for him November 2012
Out on the “ice”
ing in them is dangerous, requiring that proper precautions are taken. Standing on the ice sheets, it’s possible to hear them moving beneath your feet. It sounds like distant thunder, something that can be heard by searching for audio online. A plane dropped off Andrea and her companions to explore a region faraway 16
ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS
Minutes – October 4 & 11, 2012
from McMurdo. They set up camp and began work. The tents were primitive and drafty. Drifts of snow blew in from the edges, and the only warm spot was around the kerosene stove in the center. At one point, they lost communication with the base. After 10 days of no communication, the rules required that someone be sent to find them. No one came, figuring they were fine. Eventually, a plane did show to find a rather surly team.
October 11, 2012 Bob Zeman (#878)
L
arry Schutte #1121 presided tonight. And today was Roy Roush’s 88 th birthday. Bernie Harris #1063 flew his singleengine Cessna with the Airventurers to Cottonwood Ranch in Arizona. The group stayed at the Blazing M (not the Mustang) Ranch and viewed a miniature zoo. Dave Finnern #1065 went scuba diving off of Redondo Beach. He was looking for the old red cars that were sunk in the 1950s to form a reef. He found them, but they are not in good shape. David Grober #1068 attended the multi-day Blue Water Film Festival Jay Foonberg #1126 has reduced his goals. Instead of running a full marathon in all 50 states, he is going to run a half marathon in half of the states. His next run is in Savannah, Georgia. Jim Heaton #1020 urged all to buy tickets for NOHA. Bob Zeman #878 also urged all to submit articles for the Club News.
Andrea with a banana sled
The field research season ends in February with the approach of the Antarctic winter. After months in the bleak, white landscape, Andrea’s senses were heightened upon her return to Christchurch. It became a ritual to visit the botanically gardens and enjoy the benefits of sharpened awareness. It is clear that Andrea cherished an unusual college experience spent in the Antarctic. She was surrounded by intelligent, driven people with whom she remains in contact. It was about doing something different, working hard, and sharing those experiences with her colleagues. Andrea
OSS 70th Anniversary Celebration of OSS Water Team Combat Swimmers
E
rick Simmel presided and told the story of Bill Donovan who was awarded the Medal of Honor in World War I. He became a prominent attorney in New York and in the 1930s he started meeting with swimmers and divers in preparation for hostilities in the next war. Donovan’s daughter came to California and introduced her dentist Jack Taylor to her father in 1939. Jack Taylor was one of the best southern California surfers and divers and a premier waterman. (Minutes continued on page 18)
ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS
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November 2012
Minutes – October 11 (Minutes continued from page 17)
Photo OSS Society
in a prison camp to be executed. But the Allied troops arrived. During the prosecutions of the war criminals, Heinrich Himmler would not release the names of the cruel prison guards. But Jack Taylor remembered names and those guards were sent to Nürnberg for trial. The operational swimmers were recruited during WWII and sent to Camp Pendleton, Catalina Island, the Caribbean, and even south Pacific for training. But the war ended before a big operation could be conducted. Guest Mark Howell worked on a Los Angeles fireboat for many years. He described the early gear. The mask was hard A young Walter Mess to fit; the fins were made of tire rubber; coral boots were needed to protect the feet; add to that swim trunks and a knife. Guest Dan Kintoff then introduced Walter Mess. Walter is ninety-nine years and ten months old. By 1937, Walter had played professional football, spoke several languages, held law and business degrees, and a Coast guard “Ship’s Master” rating. Four years prior to U. S. involvement in WWII, Mess was recruited by Donovan’s private OI (Office of Intelligence – the “Blackwater” of its day.) In 1938, Mess was trained by the British and then dropped into Czechoslovakia where he walked out to the Adriatic with four teenagers for training in the USA. Mess also set up interaction with the British Station Chief and Tito.
OSS Jump Divers
Photo OSS Society
Photo OSS Society
Guest Craig Lockwood then explained the skills needed to show mastery and be given the title waterman. The advent of the Churchill fins and the first dive masks enabled watermen to dive and spearfish. They had to love the ocean and to exhibit grace under pressure. Lord Mountbatten realized the need for trained underwater swimmers and sent a British unit to train under Bob Butts and the watermen.
WW II OSS Operations
Guest Master Chief Harold Dunnigan is a former Santa Monica lifeguard who knew and trained with many of those who became OSS operational swimmers. He later assisted the Navy’s UDT and SEAL programs. Erick then told the story of Jack Taylor. He was captured in WWII and put November 2012
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ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS
Minutes – October 11, 2012
flotilla officer for Maritime Unit operations ferrying operational teams. He also returned over 220 downed pilots and crewmen. In April 1944, he became the primary boat operator for Dr. Christian Lambertsen and swimmers for combat evaluation. Dr. Lambertsen was instrumental in the development of combat rebreather systems. He also performed special individual missions for the Viceroy of India, Lord Louis Mountbatten.
Photo OSS Society
In 1939, he was flown by the RAF into Poland and brought out three more young men.
Mess’s hand-buit PT Boat
Photo Erick Simmel
In 1941, he was inducted into the Army for pre-OSS training. Mess was sent to the Philippines on a mission via submarine in 1942. Later in the year he was in Morocco with the OSS to re-supply a team to bring more gold. They bought off the Vichy French to insure the French would not shoot at U. S. troops then landing in Operation Torch.
OSS MU Swimming Group 2
Photo Erick Simmel
Photo OSS Society
Walter Mess is hard of hearing and the meeting went long. But his memory of more than 100 secret operations is excellent. After the war, he continued to aid in U. S. operations in the interior of Burma and Thailand. He is a lasting pioneer for all modern day Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and maritime law enforcement. Walter Mess
OSS MU Swimmer Trainees in 1944
He was sent to Anchorage to repair a cracked hull on a “Liberty ship.” He then took two OSS boats to Ceylon via Sydney and Calcutta. In late 1943, he commenced ultra classified operations in the Bay of Bengal against Japanese forces. He was senior ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS
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November 2012
Letters
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR To the Editor: What a great proverb, particularly as applied to the Club (sent to me by a former member): Everyone can find fault, few can do better. (English Proverb) We owe a debt of gratitude to all who step forward and give of their free time to the Club. For whatever reason they do so, all the members know we couldn’t function without those who “do” (= get the job done) – and we thank them! At the same time, constructive criticism is the way we all grow. Standing pat isn’t always growth or forward progress. For members outside the Los Angeles orbit, the Club News is the common thread, the only common contact for all members. It is good to always realize how those outside of LA “keep in contact” with us. Dick Kyle lives in Northern Calif not that far from the Oregon border. I think the closest town is Weed. Dick’s dad was also a member of many years’ standing. – Bob Aronoff (#837)
and ran. Then in the evening a cow escaped the pasture next to us and was in our driveway. After we chased the cow off the county road, we finally got it back in the pasture closest to us. It bellowed all night. The next morning we came to find out its calf was trapped in the next pasture over, and the two couldn't get together. We called the cattle owner who rents the pasture, and he came out at 7 AM and finally reunited the pair You fellows have had some outstanding programs this year. I really enjoy reading the summaries in the News. Sorry I haven’t been able to attend.. – Dick Kyle (#899) Thanks, Dick, for sharing with us through Bob. We always enjoy hearing from our more distant members. – Editor
To the Editor: I am in my 82nd year but apparently in pretty good shape. I am still a practicing consulting geologist in California (EG 2046), generally by remote connection email reports back and forth. In the last year I did make it back to the L.A. area four times to look at properties. What fun that is: Throw your bag in the overhead, and go back and forth at a great rate. Recently I made a new start serving a client in the San Francisco Bay area. So, exploration in the heart still beats strongly. – Fred Schilling (#1031)
Good advice for all of us. I was expecting to get hit with something, but Bob must have neglected to include it! Bob forwarded a letter he received from Dick Kyle. That letter follows – Editor
To the Editor: Thanks so much for the photos of me and the president and Bob Silver [said to Bob Aronoff]. It has been a long time since I spoke there and, of course, I never expected anything more. It was a pleasant surprise to receive them. I’m certainly glad you figured out how to download the Costco photos [referencing some trouble Bob had with emailing photos]. Life in Weed California is not always tranquil. Yesterday our dogs chased a young coyote into our pond after a growling snapping fight on the driveway. The coyote swam across
November 2012
Thanks for writing, Fred. Next time you are out here, drop in for a visit. We’d love to see you again! – Editor Update to the Member Roster for Fred: Fred Schilling (#1031) [Contact Editor or Club Secretary for addidional information.]
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ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS
Programs / Slate of Officers – 2013
Forthcoming Programs November 1, 2012 – LADIES NIGHT – Chuck Jonkey – Exotic Sonic Safari to Morocco & India November 8, 2012 – Rick Flores – Cambodia – 2nd General Business Meeting November 15, 2012 – Alan Feldstein – Nambia: A New Part of Africa November 22, 2012 – Club Dark – Thanksgiving November 29, 2012 – Fred Hareland – Mojave Airport December 6, 2012 – Chris Doering – LandOps Adventure December 13, 2012 – Kris Hermans – Emergency Preparedness December 20, 2012 – Annual Christmas Party – Members and Invited Male Guests December 27, 2012 – Club Dark – Christmas January 3, 2013 – Club Dark – New Years January 10, 2013 – Ed Stafford – Walking The Full Length Of The Amazon River January 17, 2013 – John Ricci – Huaorani Indians Expedition January 24, 2013 – Patricia Polcyn – Arizona Indian Ruins
Slate of Officers for 2013 Richard Flores Ralph Perez [Open] Robert DeMott Roger Haft Mike Gwaltney Jim Heaton Martin Bloom Stuart B. Wilson Bob Silver Jeff Holmes Marc Weitz
ADVENTURERS’ CLUB NEWS
– President – 1st V.P. – 2nd V.P. – Secretary – Treasurer – Director – Director – Director – Director – Director – Director – Past President
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November 2012
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