As a long time, adventurer, but not necessarily an explorer, I often wondered do these men and women that push the boundaries of science, cultures, or environmental knowledge ever get together to share knowledge and war stories. Do they meet in some room that looks like a 16th century Elizabethan parlor with furniture from that era? Do they smoke Cuban cigars and bask in days long gone swapping tall tales? Curiosity got the better of me and so I asked a couple of explorer friends and halfheartedly listened to their simple answer. Yes, we do have a club and it’s called the Explorer’s Club. Tell me more, please, not believing that such a club really existed.
If you were to travel to New York City and find yourself around 46 E 70th Street, you would see a stately door with a small, engraved plaque with the name, the Explorer’s Club. Their website, explorers.org describes itself this way, “The Explorers Club is a multidisciplinary, professional society dedicated to the advancement of field research, scientific exploration, and resource conservation.” Intrigued, I started to research what the club was about, who its members are and were, what the notable members had accomplished, and as an adventurer and a budding explorer, would I want to join such an elite accomplished group.
What jumps out at you is how these men and women in various professional disciplines have pushed the boundaries of knowledge and awareness of the mysteries of our planet. Whether it be trekking to the North Pole, setting foot on Antarctica, or going into outer space, or exploring the depths of the planet’s oceans, these men and women have discovered, and are continuing to discover, the mysteries of the past so that the future can be more predictable.
Membership in the club’s roster reads like a who’s who of some of the most famous people in the world. To name just a few; Jane Goodall, Teddy Roosevelt, Buzz Aldrin, and several other NASA astronauts. Thinking about the attributes and traits explorer’s possess (Curiosity, Vitality, Stubbornness, Story Telling, Open Mindedness, Compulsive, Questioning, etc.), I started to dig deeper into the common threads these people possess.
Back in July of 2023, I placed an order for a soon to be released book the club was bringing out. It was to be called “The Explorer’s Club, A Visual Journey Through the Past. Present, and Future of Exploration.”
In November of 2023, as promised, I received my copy and began reading. Most of us are familiar with the accomplishments of the notables mentioned above. What got to me was reading and understanding the diversity and inclusivity of individuals that through their incredible contributions to science and humanity, they too, were members of this elite band of brothers. Lesser-known explorers (and too many others to name) like:
- Tenzing Norgay & Edmund Hillary – The first to summit Mt. Everest. Hillary, A New Zealander and Norgay, a Nepalese Sherpa, teamed up in -17-degree weather, on a mountain that had killed some 300 people before them, to summit the highest peak in the world.
- Sian Proctor (An Analog Astronaut) advanced space exploration with her art and poetry she took with her into space. At age 48, Dr. Proctor became the world’s first black female space pilot as she boarded the spaceship, Falcon 9.
- Two Callies (Callie Broaddus and Callie Veenlenturf) –
- Callie Broaddus – In 2021 in the Andes Mountains in Ecuador, Callie and her crew discovered 21 new, some new to science, species of orchids, reptiles, and amphibians. She was also instrumental in helping protect the rainforests ensuring that these species would have an environment free from encroaching mining operations. Her fears are that “We’re losing species before we knew they exist.” “Species extinction is one thousand times its natural rate.”
- Callie Veenlenturf – Inspired by Jane Goodall, Callie set her mission to protect and make saving sea turtles lives. She became a marine biologist and traveled the world in successful conservation efforts convincing fisherman to coexist with and reduce the number of killings of the turtles as some 65% of turtle eggs in nests were harvested by humans, and thousand others were being killed in fishing nets.
- David K. Thompson (An Environmental Linguist) – travels the world to remote areas worldwide to study indigenous people’s linguistics and languages as they hold the secrets of their environment and believes they hold value to humanity needing to be documented before they become extinct. His approach is grounded in his belief that “ Indigenous people are the creators and the stewards of “biodiversity.” David Good, a fellow member, said about an indigenous South American tribe, that “what they know might save the planet.”
Thompson’s work resonated with me as my research is very similar in that I am exploring the linguistic and cultural ties of the indigenous peoples of far North America (U.S. & Canada) to those indigenous peoples of the Southwestern part of the United States.
And as the incredible contributions of these folks started to sink into my brain, I thought about two of my friends that are members of the club and what they have recently accomplished.
When the astronauts reached the moon for the first time, they planted an American Flag. Explorer’s from other countries planted their country’s flags as they achieved the summit of their explorations. Science and exploration are universal and benefits all nations and mankind. In keeping with this idea, the Explorer’s club has a flag that symbolizes this. Members undertaking qualified expeditions, may be awarded the opportunity and honor of carrying one of the 242 Explorer’s Club flags. Since 1918, club flags have been accompanying members as they explored every corner of the earth. My friend and club member West Hansen proudly carried the flag as he and his team became the first to traverse the Northwest Passage in its entirety within a single season, with solely human powered means, kayaks.
My friend, and club member, Tom McGuire (a support member of West’s expedition team), successfully applied to have the team able to carry the flag and his efforts were rewarded.
Having traveled the world does not make you qualified to join the club. Partaking in incredible adventures does not make you qualified to join the club. Marc Bryan-Brown, chair of the Membership Committee of the club offered this explanation of what it takes to become a member; “You’re looking to answer questions. The club draws a distinction between “adventures” and “exploration”. He further goes on to say that there is an overlap between the two and they are not mutually exclusive. “Most of what you’ll find in the Explorer’s Club is adventure with a purpose” according to longtime club member Rebecca Martin. Specific requirements and membership classification can be found on their website Explorers.org.
MN'24 | © Copyright 2023 Reflections Off The Grid | Bob Rein