Tourists flock to erupting Iceland volcano

by Jeremy Kressmann on

A recent volcanic eruption in Iceland has proven a much-needed shot in the arm for country’s tourist industry. The Fimmvorduhals Volcano in Southern Iceland began pouring molten lava late last month, Iceland’s first volcanic eruption since 2004. Although the initial eruption triggered evacuations of nearby residents, the event was minor enough to allow most locals to return home. A steady stream of visitors has soon followed.

The volcano, which lies approximately 125 kilometers east of the capital Reykjavik, has proven to be quite a sight. Not only does the lava-spewing eruption make for a dramatic show, it also happens to be set among two massive glaciers. The eruption has also triggered a stream of visitor activity in the region. A hiking trail leading the volcano was reopened, another company is offering bus tours, and the nearby Hotel Ranga has seen a surge in new bookings.

You can check out a photo gallery of the volcano, in all its erupting glory, here.

Relive Andrew Evans’ journey to Antactica in live webinar

by Grant Martin on

Wondering how our very own Andrew Evans was able to pull of a ten thousand mile journey from Washington DC to Antarctica on nothing more than a series of buses and ferries? It’s a hell of a voyage to handle all by one’s lonesome, but Andrew made the trip in style, blogging and tweeting from the road for National Geographic, checking in with MyFoxDC along the way and sending back gorgeous dispatches and photos throughout.

Next week, Andrew will be reliving the tale live with readers and fans in a National Geographic Expeditions webinar. The event, moderated by our good friend Janelle Nanos will feature a slideshow and narration by Andrew himself, and attendees will be able to ask questions and comment on the experience.

I won’t ruin the surprise for anyone, but rumors in the travel underground are suggesting that Andrew will finally reveal that photos of the black penguin were all staged — “Ralph,” the puppet that was used in the shot is actually a creation of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.

Guess you’ll have to attend the webinar to find out the truth. There’s a limit of 1000 attendees to the show so sign up early.

Hikers rescued from Mt. Doom!

by Kraig Becker on

A Dutch tourist, along with two kiwi hiking partners, were rescued from Mount Ngauruhoe in New Zealand over the Easter weekend after they set out on a hike to the summit too late in the day and without the proper gear. The mountain, which stands 7516 feet in height, served as the basis for the fiery Mt. Doom in the Lord of the Rings films, and the three trekkers are described as avid fans of the blockbuster trilogy.

It seems that Violet Onderwater of the Netherlands met Ryan Hattle and Sam MacDonald on the popular travel site CouchSurfing.com and soon made plans to travel to New Zealand to meet her new friends in person. The trio made plans to make the Lord of the Rings inspired hike to the summit of Mt. Doom, the location of the climactic final scene of the films.

On Saturday, April 3rd, Onderwater and her companions made the road trip to Mount Ngauruhoe, arriving around 1 PM, and setting out for the top in bright sunshine. They reportedly reached the top of the active volcano around 5:30 PM, but on the descent, Onderwater turned her ankle, injuring it in the process. With their progress down the mountain slowed, and foul weather moving in, one of the kiwis used his cell phone to call for help, which resulted in no less than six search and rescue teams being sent out to find the hikers, who were now caught out in the cold rain and wind, with very light clothing on.

Fortunately, the SAR teams found the trekkers fairly quickly, and aside from a sprained ankle, no one was in any great danger. It seems that tax payers may have suffered the most damage, as early estimates put the cost of the rescue operation at a whopping $10,000.

Perhaps they should send the bill to Peter Jackson.
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13-year old eyes Everest, Seven Summits

by Kraig Becker on

13-year old mountaineer Jordan Romero set off for Kathmandu yesterday, where he hopes to not only become the youngest climber to ever summit Mt. Everest but the Seven Summits as well.

We first mentioned Jordan more than a year ago. At the time, he had already well into his quest to climb the highest mountains on each of the seven continents, having completed Kilimanjaro (Africa), Elbrus (Europe), Aconcagua (South America), Denali (North America), and Kosciuszko (Australia). He has since added Carstensz Pyramid in Papua New Guinea, considered the highest peak in Oceania to his resume. That leaves just Everest and Mt. Vinson in Antarctica. left to conquer. If successful on Everest, he’ll go for Vinson in the fall.

Jordan and his team, which includes his father, will be climbing from the North Side of Everest, located in Tibet. The South Side falls under the jurisdiction of Nepal, who enforce an age requirement of 16 years or older on all climbers, but the Chinese have no such restrictions on their side of the mountain, which is why Jordan and company have elected to take on the mountain from the North. Curiously, the team is also making the climb with out the support of guides.

A few days back, we had a little fun here at Gadling with a host of April Fool’s Day travel posts. My contribution to those posts was written in the spirit of good fun of course, but was also meant as a bit of social commentary. While I completely respect what Jordan has accomplished as a climber already, I’m not a huge fan of the recent trend to have younger and younger kids attempting dangerous things in order to claim some dubious “youngest” record. Climbing Everest will be unlike any of the other mountains that he has summitted, and spending time above 26,000 feet, dubbed the “Death Zone” in popular culture, is dangerous for a full grown man or woman. It could be potentially disastrous for a young, still developing teen. Hopefully everything will go well, and he’ll come home safe and sound. Reaching the summit is optional, coming back home is not.

Explorer attempts solo balloon flight over North Pole

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Explorer Jean-Louis Etienne already has two solo expeditions of the North Pole under his belt. First was his 63 day hike by foot back in 1986. Then in 2002, Etienne drifted alone on the Artic Sea for four months in a specially-designed research pod. Now the determined explorer is planning the third part of his solo Artic exploration “trilogy,” with plans to pilot a helium-air balloon back over the Artic for a 15-20 day adventure.

Using a ship based on the Breitling Orbiter, the first balloon successfully piloted around the world in 1999, Etienne plans to spend his trip raising awareness of the shrinking of the world’s polar ice caps. Along the way the voyager will also be taking a number of scientific measurements, including CO2 levels and readings of the earth’s magnetic field. This is not Etienne’s first attempt to balloon his way across the Arctic. His first try in 2008 ended disastrously when his ship was smashed by high winds.

[UPDATE] Etienne’s journey kicked off earlier this morning, launching from a remote island called Spitzbergen off the Northern Coast of Norway. Let’s wish him luck in his journey.