100 year old butter discovered in Antarctica

by Kraig Becker on

Last month we reported that 100-year old whiskey was discovered buried beneath a shack, belong to Ernest Shackleton, in Antarctica, and now it seems that there might be all kinds of food sitting around on the icy continent. The New Zealand Antarctic Trust says that is has found two blocks of butter in a completely different shack that was used by a completely different South Pole explorer.

The frozen butter, believed to be the oldest in the world, was discovered on Cape Evans in a stable attached to a cabin that was once used by Robert Falcon Scott. Both buildings were mostly buried beneath a century of snow and ice until a restoration team, sponsored by the Trust, recently arrived on the scene and went to work. The team was tasked with preserving the historical site and looking for artifacts whose origins could be traced back to New Zealand. Little did they know that they’d find kiwi butter left behind by the famous British explorer on his fateful 1910-12 expedition.

Examining the labels on the butter, historians found the letters “CCCDC”, which they believe stands for “Canterbury Central Co-operative Dairy Company”. The dairy was located in Christchurch and founded sometime in the 1890’s. In that era, many Antarctic expeditions set out from New Zealand, and it was common for them to resupply with local goods before departing.

After carefully examining the two bricks, they have now been placed back where the were found inside the stable. The butter has been frozen solid for nearly a century, and the restoration team fears that if it were brought to warmer temperatures, it would soon spoil. The bricks will stay in place for another 100 years, or longer, as a reminder of an age of exploration that has long passed.

German woman kayaks solo around Australia

by Kraig Becker on

A 45-year old German woman named Freya Hoffmeister completed an eleven month odyssey on Tuesday as she paddled into the harbor at Queenscliff, Australia, finishing a successful circumnavigation of that continent by kayak. In the process, she became just the second person to complete that journey, and the first woman, while setting a new speed record as well.

Freya set out from Queenscliff, paddling counter-clockwise around the continent, last January, and returned to that point 332 days later. Of those 332 days, 245 were spent in the cockpit of her kayak, covering more than 9400 miles. Perhaps the most difficult and treacherous part of the expedition was when she paddled across the Gulf of Carpentaria, along the northern coast of Australia. That bold move shaved 680 miles off of the journey, but to achieve the crossing, Freya has to spend nearly eight days in her kayak, going so far as to even sleep there. She is just the second person to make that crossing by kayak as well.

This isn’t Freya’s first major kayak expedition, although it is by far her longest to date. Back in 2007 she spent 33 days circumnavigating Iceland, and then later kayaked around New Zealand’s South Island in 70 days, achieving a new speed record on that adventure too.

The only other person to successfully circumnavigate Australia by kayak was Paul Caffyn, a New Zealander who made the journey 27 years ago. Caffyn took 360 days on his journey, and Freya bested him by nearly a month. Upon reaching the finish line, the German kayaker said, “I promise, if anyone will paddle around Australia within the next 27 years, I’ll be at the finish line.”%Gallery-7921%

Yellowstone opens for winter visitors

by Kraig Becker on

Winter may officially still be a few days off, but that hasn’t prevented Yellowstone National Park from opening for the season. According to the National Park Service, as of yesterday, all roads are now open for travelers who want to make the oversnow journey through the park’s scenic interior.

Visitors who want to explore Yellowstone, the nation’s first national park, in this manner will have to contract with a commercial guide service. Each day, up to 318 snowmobiles and 78 coaches will be allowed to roam the groomed trails from the South Entrance to West Thumb, and on to Old Faithful, with a few more trails opening up over time. Along the way, they’ll find miles of serene, snow covered backcountry that is as engaging in the winter as it is in the warmer months.

In addition to the trails opening, the Old Faithful Visitors Center opened yesterday as well, and by Friday the Old Faithful Snow Lodge, gift shop, and restaurants. The Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel will follow suit on Monday, December 21st, offering more places to stay for those looking to visit the area and play in the snow.

For those who would prefer to drive through Yellowstone, there are roads open for four wheeled vehicles as well. The highway from the North Entrance and from Gardiner, Montana, through the park’s Northeast Entrance, by way of Mammoth Hot Springs and Cooke city are kept well maintained throughout the year, although winter storms can make them treacherous at times. The drive is also highly recommended and scenic as well.

Mongolia’s first ski resort opens for business

by Kraig Becker on

Aspen, Colorado, Chamonix, France, Zermatt, Switzerland, three destinations that have earned a reputation for great skiing, pulling in thousands of visitors from around the globe each year. Now you can add Ulan Bator, Mongolia to that list, as Sky Resort opened late last month, becoming the first ski resort in that country.

Located on Bogd Khan Uul Mountain, a World Heritage Site found not far from Mongolia’s capital city, Sky Resort is a far cry from those global skiing meccas mentioned above. The mountain stands just 3000 feet in height and offers only a modest amount of vert. Snow is at a premium as well in the arid Mongolian climate, so the resort uses two Italian engineered snow guns to fill the slopes with powder. Still, it is a welcome respite from the long, very cold, Mongolian winters, and the locals are happy to have it.

The resort features five different runs, varying in length from 800 to 1070 meters. Most are designed for beginners and intermediate skiiers, but one is rated as a “Black Diamond”, or expert route. There are also two rope tows and two chairlifts to deliver visitors to their various destinations on the mountain, and the on property restaurant seats 300 guests, while serving a variety of Mongolian, Korean, and European dishes. Full day lift tickets cost roughly $12 on the weekends, making Sky a relative bargain for foreign visitors, while remaining quite expensive for most Mongolians.

The Sky Resort owners aren’t resting on their laurels when it comes to finding uses for the property in the off season either. Next summer, a golf course will open at Sky, with plans to host a PGA Tour event in the near future as well. It seems that while the country remains a good choice for adventure travelers, it is looking to expand its appeal to more mainstream travelers as well.

Driving Chile’s Patagonia highway

by Kraig Becker on

Earlier in the week we posted a story on 18 of the world’s craziest roads, which featured amazing and downright scary highways from around the globe. Absent from that list is a 770-mile long stretch of pavement that runs from Puerto Montt to Villa O’Higgins, right through heart of Chile’s Patagonia district, that is known as the Carretera Austral.

This lonely and remote highway offers one of the best adventure roadtrips anywhere in the world, with miles of open road, much of still unpaved, surrounded by some of the most striking and dramatic scenery on the planet. Construction began on Carretera Austral, or CH-7 as it is known locally, back in 1976 under the direction of General Augusto Pinochet. The route was opened to traffic a dozen years later, and while primary construction was completed in 1996, new extensions continue to be added today.

The road cost over $300 million to build, and yet it provides access to just 100,000 people who live in and visit the area. Outsiders are drawn to the region by the legendary hiking and trekking that Patagonia has to offer, and the Andes Mountains make this as scenic of a drive as you’ll ever find. Of course, Patagonia is also legendary for its intense and unpredictable weather, which can make driving on the CH-7 all the more adventurous.

Travel writer Colin Barraclough, along with a good friend, recently made the journey to Chile, to drive a 330 mile section of the Carretera Austral, and he chronicled his experiences for the Boston Globe. You can read his impressions from the road in a story posted here. A word of warning however, after reading this article just may be booking a trip to South America.