Icy Summits and Frozen Caverns

We are excited to announce the first 2024 PNW Explorer's Club Event with interesting speakers and some time for socializing. The Mountaineers - Seattle Branch has graciously offered to host our event. All chapter members, prospective members, friends, and family are invited.

Event: Icy Summits and Frozen Caverns

Date: Tuesday, March 26th @ 7 PM - 9 PM Pacific

Location: The Mountaineers, Seattle Branch is kindly hosting at their Seattle Program Center: Seattle Program Center 7700 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115

https://www.mountaineers.org/locations-lodges/seattle-program-center

Food and After Mixer: Light refreshments will be served at the event. After the event, an optional gathering will be held at the Mountaineering Club restaurant and bar near the University Village around 9:15 pm (a different location unaffiliated with the Mountaineers).

https://graduatehotels.com/seattle/restaurant/mountaineering-club/

Speakers and Bios

Haute Route (or the High Route or Mountaineers’ Route).

Matt Bachman will discuss Under the Ice, Above the Clouds, exploring the mysteries of Mount Rainier's Ice Caves.

Matt Bachmann retired from the U.S. Geological Survey after a career in seismology, volcanology, hydrology, and glaciology.  He has climbed most of the world's tallest mountains, created Washington's first scientific diving team at USGS, and conducted fieldwork on all seven continents, including two field seasons in Antarctica.  He holds a BS in Geology from Caltech and a PhD in Geosciences from Penn State.  In retirement he has run a cub scout pack and two nonprofits, restored a sailboat, plays the ukulele, and continued to climb locally throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Rainier ice caves.

Tom Vogl will discuss On the Snow, Above the Clouds- The Haute Route Ski Tour.

Since 2016, Tom Vogl has been the CEO of The Mountaineers, one of the US's leading outdoor education and conservation organizations. He currently serves on the board of directors of Outdoor Alliance, Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition, and Comoto. Before joining The Mountaineers, Tom had over 25 years of e-commerce and marketing leadership roles with organizations such as REI, Dell, Redfin, and The Clymb. He is an avid backcountry skier, climber, and cyclist, plays the guitar, and has nine siblings.

Mentoring the Next Generation of Conservation Leaders

Mentoring the Next Generation of Conservation Leaders

Tune in on Wednesday, November 11 at 7:00 pm ET for “Mentoring the Next Generation of Conservation Leaders.” Join Explorers Club member and founder of The Leatherback Project, Callie Veelenturf and Amanda Haddock, Environmental Steward and Fjällräven Guide, to follow their journey which has led them down the path of conservation and sparked a passion to make nature accessible to everyone.

The Explorers Club & Fjällräven Speaker Series is our virtual series that connects fellow members across the globe and encourages people to get out in nature. Stay tuned for more!

This presentation will be streamed live on explorers.org and on our Facebook page - Wednesday, November 11th at 7:00 pm EDT.

Tribute to Jim Chester

On October 5th at Explorers Club Tales From Dark Places event in New York club members honored and remembered one of the true pioneers of caving, PNW Chapter member James M. “Jim” Chester.

Jim had gone on over 70 excursions into Montana’s wilderness area.  In 1977 he was elected a Fellow in The National Speleological Society, in 2000 a Fellow of The Explorers Club, and in 2003 was honored again by the NSS by receipt of The Lew Bicking Award sustained focus on the wilderness cave project.  The latter is given to only one person or couple out of our 13,000 membership each year.  That year Jim Chester was dubbed “the Maestro of Montana Caving.”

James Chester was born in Lusk, Wyoming on May 25, 1944.  Although Lusk is a community of only 1500 people, Jim is one of two members of The Explorers Club with roots there. The real adventure in Jim’s life started after a move to Crosby, N.D., where Jim lived for about 10 years. While Jim’s calling is in cave explorations, he has experience climbing, diving, skiing, and white water rafting and sea kayaking, including a 1000 mile mostly solo ocean paddle.

Jim credits The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Peter Freuchen’s Book of The Seven Seas for inspiring him to explore.  In addition to his love for books, currently owning 2300 volumes, Jim also writes. He has contributed in many publications ranging from a ghosted project for the Boy Scouts of America to a 400 page unpublished novel of cave exploration. Jim also edits the chapters for The Explorers Log and has co-edited Alpine Karst for a while.  I’ve been in a book or two myself and even been parodied in a magazine by no Tim Cahill.

Jim joined The National Speleological Society (NSS) in 1963, during his first year at Montana State University in Bozeman. He graduated in 1966, with an invite to enter The University of Montana Law School, a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army and a wife. Jim went with the military first to Germany for two years, then to Viet Nam for a year, followed by a final one in Detroit USA and then, resigned the commission in 1970. Jim earned an Army Commendation Medal and a Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Service. While in Europe, Jim explored some of the longest and deepest caves of the world and continued that upon his return to the U.S. 

In 1970 Jim joined the Caves of Montana book project and worked on that endeavor for several summers of hiking, camping, and caving.  During this time, he also pursued and attained a 2nd Bachelor’s and then a Masters Degree in Wildlife Biology.  Despite his multiple degrees, Jim eventually spent 28 years as a Rural Mail Carrier for the U.S. Postal Service.

In the decades of the 70s and 80s, Jim, along with other explorers, ventured into a largely untouched area in Montana consisting of at least three million acres in the four wilderness regions of Montana that held vast amounts of potential caves.  Exploring this area led to new depth records, discoveries of long caves. 

“We honor the curious and bold memory of James Chester and carry his memory forward in future expeditions around the world.”

2019 Annual Chapter Luncheon

Mark your calendar for Saturday, November 16, 2019 for the chapters’ annual luncheon & business meeting!

November 16th from 12:30 - 4:00 pm

Seattle Yacht Club (1807 E Hamlin St, Seattle, WA 98112

Luncheon tickets $40. Student Tickets available at $25

Meal Choices: Butternut Squash Ravioli or Pancetta Chicken

RSVP to Michele Mass (massm@ohsu.edu) to reserve your seat!

Do you have a story to share? We're seeking chapter members interested in presenting a topic or expedition in short format (10-15 minutes) at the meeting. Interested? Contact chapter officers at explorersclubpnw@gmail.com.

Explorers Talks come to Vancouver on November 5th

Explorers Talk is an event presented by The Explorers Club, Canadian Chapter, BC / Yukon region for Explorers Club members and the general public. Join Club Fellows storyteller Jude Isabella, photographer Isabelle Groc, and inventor Phil Nuytten for an evening of inspiration and sharing at Vancouver Aquarium on November 5, 2019 beginning at 6:30 pm.

Each explorer will give a 30-minute presentation about their work. There will be a 5 to 10 minute Q&A after each talk.

Jude Isabella, FI’19
Chief Editor, Hakai Magazine
Freelance Writer & Author

Jude is Founder and Editor in Chief of Hakai Magazine, a magazine focused on science and society in coastal ecosystems. As a freelancer, she writes about science and the environment for readers young and old. Her book, “Salmon: A Scientific Memoir” (2014), explores the human relationship with Pacific salmon and chronicles her discoveries and thoughts collected over a four-year period in the field with scientists who study British Columbia's coastal ecosystem.

Isabelle Groc, FI’13
Environmental Writer & Conservation Photographer

Award-winning environmental writer and conservation photographer, Isabelle Groc shares her passion for everything wild, big and small, on land, in water, on the move. Her work focuses on environmental science, wildlife natural history and conservation, endangered species, marine mammals and ecosystems, and the changing relationships between people and the natural world. She aims to create engaging stories that increase our understanding and awareness of conservation issues and inspire change.

Phil Nuytten, FI’85
Deep-sea Explorer, Scientist
Inventor of the Newtsuit

A recipient of the Order of Canada and Order of British Columbia, internationally recognized pioneer in the diving industry, Phil Nuytten has spent 40 years creating deep-water dive products that have opened the ocean’s depths to exploration and industry. Among his many pursuits Phil is an inventor; scientist; Sub-sea engineer; commercial diver; deep-sea explorer; author; carver and native advocate; entrepreneur; designer of the Newtsuit and the Exosuit; publisher of DIVER Magazine, the longest-established scuba magazine in North America; President of Nuytco Research; opened his first dive store in 1957; founded Can-Dive Service in 1966; co-founder of Oceaneering International in 1969; took part in the first saturation dive under polar ice; took part in the first mixed-gas dives under polar ice; given the name Tlaxwsam (Red Snapper) by the Kwakwaka’wakw tribe. Yes, we’re willing to take a chance on this multi-talented local kid who announced back in September 2018 that he was designing, and planned to build, an underwater human settlement off of the coast of Vancouver, Canada in the Pacific Ocean.

Tickets are available at http://buytickets.at/explorerstalk/290353.