July 31 2024 - Headed To Alaska

 

I've only been home from Greenland for about a week and a half, but it's time for me to hit the high seas again.

 

Tomorrow I fly out to Vancouver to board the Cunard Lines ship, the Queen Elizabeth, where I'll be giving a series of talks as part of a partnership between Cunard and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

 

I was aboard the Queen Elizabeth doing this last year, so it will feel very familiar to me, but we will be visiting a few different places that I haven't been to before.

July 30 2024 - Record Breaking Rain in Toronto

 

Wow! Toronto just broke its record for the rainiest month ever!

 

The previous record was set back in 1954 when the remnnants of Hurricane Hazel flooded parts of the city. I was away in Greenland for most of this record smashing rain, but it was set by a combination of a slow-moving storm system and the remnants of Hurricane Beryl.

July 19 2024 - Eternity Glacier, Greenland

 

A picture perfect day at Eternity Glacier in Greenland. We hiked up the hillside along the lateral moraine and had an excellent view of the fjord, glacier, mountains and our ship, Le Boreal.

 

I must say, the mosquitoes here have been plentiful, big and aggressive. We've only been encountering them while out on hikes, but I have had to break out my netted hat.

 

The last time I was in Greenland was 11 years ago, and back then I also visited Eternity Glacier. I must say that I was pretty shocked to see how much it has shrunk since then.

 

I start heading back home tomorrow. we leave the ship in Kangerlussuaq, then Toronto via Paris again. This has been an epic journey, many thanks to Ponant and The Explorers Club.

July 18 2024 - Nooralaq, Greenland

 

Summertime in the Arctic means that we've yet to see darkness on this trip. The sun gets low in the sky, but it never gets dark (Thank you blackout curtains).

 

Today, we were a bit farther south, so the sun did linger along the horizon, which made for an amazing display at 3 AM. A mirage of the sun made for a "stacked plates" look on the horizon. I was the only person up this early to catch this wonderful sight.

July 16 2024 - On The Sea Ice, Baffin Bay

 

Today, conditions were good for making a trip out onto the sea ice in the middle of Baffin Bay, somewhere between Greenland and Arctic Canada. We've been extremely lucky with the weather on this trip. It was sunny and clear for just long enough for us to get out the ice and back before the fog eventually rolled in.

Standing on a drifting ice floe in the middle of the sea was definitely the highlight of the day! It's not every day that you get to stand on a part of the frozen ocean. Sea ice is not icebergs, it's frozen sea water that floats in shifting sheets.

July 15 2024 - Kullorsuaq, Greenland

Today we visited the small town of Kullorsuaq. This village has a population of only about 500 people or so, and because of the winter sea ice, they only get resupply ships in the summer months, nothing at all between November and June!

About half the village came on board last night to join us for dinner. So many of the kids too! They were running around, jumping in the pool and riding the elevator up and down. We were treated to some local music, dancing and a brief fashion show as well. A wonderful day here in northwestern Greenland.

July 13 2024 - Salliaruseq Island, Greenland

Our amazing home base, the Ponant ship Le Boreal. It has been home for the past week and is a fantastic ship. Here it is positioned just off of Salliaruseq Island, Greenland as we went ashore to explore the Mars-like terrain of the island, which is unlike any other spot we've seen in Greenland so far!

 

The ground here is very Mars-like with iron and sulfur deposits that really made it seem like stepping onto another planet.

July 12 2024 - Eqi Glacier, Greenland

Today was foggy enough that we couldn't go ashore because visibility wasn't good enough to scout for any polar bears in the area. Instead, we took the Zodiacs out and cruised through the dense brash ice up to the face of Eqi Glacier, which is about 4km wide and very active.

We could hear the cracks and booms of icebergs calving off. As we were out, the ice got more dense which made for a bit of an obstacle course getting back to our mothership, Le Boreal. It was great fun.

July 11 2024 - Qeqertarsuaq, Greenland

Wow. The morning light at Qeqertarsuaq, Greenland was epic! I woke up early and scrambled to get to the top deck of Le Boreal, and I was treated to this stunning display of Arctic light.

 

We took a Zodiac cruise around the shoreline and got to see some amazing geological formations, shaped by ancient volcanic activity.

July 10 2024 - Ilulissat, Greenland

We were treated to some absolutely amazing icebergs around Ilulissat! Some local fishing boats picked us up out and we went out cruising around the massive bergs near the entrance to the nearby ice fjord.

 

The glacier here is one of the most active iceberg producers in the world. Took so many photos here that it'll take me quite a while to sort through them all. The overcast light and the blue ice made for an enchanting scene.

July 08 2024 - Sisimiut, Greenland

This fishing town sits just above the Arctic Circle, and is the 2nd largest, next to the capitol of Nuuk. The colourful houses, and moody, cloudy light made it extra charming this morning. I walked around town, visited the local museum, and tasted a few of the local delicacies like snow crab, dried fish, and musk ox soup. This afternoon I'll be giving my first presentation of this voyage aboard Le Boreal.

July 07 2024 - Kangerlussuaq, Greenland

 

I have arrived in Greenland after an overnight in Paris, then onward to Kangerlussuaq.

 

The Ponant expedition ship, Le Boreal, will be my home for the next 2 weeks. Before boarding the ship, we took a drive out to Reindeer Glacier, along the edge of the Greenland Ice Cap. The weather really cooperated, but the katabatic winds coming off of the ice sheet were very intense.

I'm aboard the ship now, and I'll keep updating as often as I can.

July 04 2024 - Headed To Greenland

 

Tomorrow I depart on my latest adventure. I'll be flying to Paris where I'll hop onto a charter flight, headed for Greenland. I'll be giving a series of lectures for Ponant aboard their expedition ship Le Boreal. This is part of a partnership between Ponant and The Explorers Club. The plan is to board the ship in Kangerlussuaq, then head up into Baffin Bay, making stops at numerous communities, glaciers, fjords, and other places of interest before heading out into the sea ice in the bay before eventually returning to Kangerlussuaq.

 

It is a great honour to be invited to represent The Explorers Club aboard this voyage, and I'm really looking forward to returning to Greenland. This will be my 3rd time there.

June 24 2024 - Toronto Premiere: Diving Into The Darkness

 

Tonight was the Toronto premiere special private screening of the new documentary film "Diving Into The Darkness" about the life of cave diver Jill Heinerth. Jill is a friend, and we are both Explorers In Residence for the RCGS.

 

The film is epic. The frightening situations that Jill has been through are jaw dropping. Scuba diving in caves in one of the most dangerous things a person can do, and Jill continues to be second to none. The film is also inspiring, encouraging young people, especially young women to follow their dreams no matter how wild they are, even if others tell you you can't do it.

 

Hopefully the film will have a wide distribution soon. Greta job Jill & team!

June 23 2024 - Violent Earth on CNN

 

The volcanoes episode of CNN's new 5 part series "Violent Earth with Liev Schrieber" aired tonight, and I was impressed. It showcased eruptions Mount St Helens, Fuego in Guatemala, Nevado Del Ruiz in Colombia, Kilauea and more.

 

I filmed my portions of the eposide in Los Angeles back in February, and I was pleased to see that my interviews were used throughout the entire episode.

June 20 2024 - IAATO Ambassador

 

Thank you to IAATO (the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators) for designating me as an Antarctic Ambassador.

I have been to Antarctica 5 times now and it is truly one of the most beautiful, pristine wilderness areas left in the world, and it must be preserved.

June 13 2024 - Tornado Warned Storm - Waubaushene, Ontario

 

I intercepted a tornado warned line of storms over Georgian Bay on Lake Ontario as they overtook me in the town of Waubaushene. I met up with The Weather Network, and we were treated to a very picturesque shelf cloud over the water as the storms approached.

 

More info & photos

June 10 2024 - Mysteries From Above Season 3

 

Season 3 of Mysteries From Above is now available to view in Canada on Cottage Life TV. I’ll update when I know where else it will be viewable.

 

I’ve been an on-camera contributor on this show since the very beginning and I hope you enjoy it. We investigate all kinds of interesting sites that can only be fully appreciated when viewed by them from above via satellite, drones, or aerial photography.

June 07 2024 - Explorers Club Event - Toronto

The Canadian Cchapter of The Explorers Club often has get-togethers in Toronto, usually with a guest speaker. This month we had a much larger event than usual.

It was held at the historic Arts And Letters Club downtown, and feature ont one, but three different speakers. I was invited to be the master of ceremonies of the event, a role I was happy to take on. It was a great evening full of interesting talks and fscinating people.

The talks included:

Heather Schibli - Ecologically Driven Design & The Network Of Nature.

Carol Devine - Ferocious Impact & Intrepid Response: Climate Change & Health Action From The Forefront.

Mark Terry - Youth Climate Report: Amplifying The Voices Of Indigenous Yuth In Africa & South America

June 05 2024 - Greenhouse Gas Conference: Ashgabat

It was a tremendous honour to be a panelist at TESC 2024 today, the Turkmen Energy Scientific Conference in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

I was part of the session: Reduction Of Methane and CO2 Emissions In Hydrocarbon Production. My role was to talk about some of the high-profile ways the country of Turkmenistan can improve their greenhouse gas emissions by building on their recent successes at places like the Darvaza crater, and propose a new expedition.

The panel also included representatives from:
- The United Nations Energy Program.
- NASA JPL.
- Scientific-Research Institute of Turkmengas.
- Capterio.
And others.

The country has a long way to go to curb their emissions, but every journey begins with the first few steps. It is impossible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions without working with oil & gas companies and governments directly, and I appreciate the invitation to be part of the dialogue.

June 02 2024 - CNN Violent Earth

 

The new CNN 5-part series Violent Earth starts airing tonight! I’m featured in the volcanoes episode, along with Jess Phoenix which will air on June 23rd.

Each episode, hosted by Liev Schrieber will feature a different force of nature (tornadoes, wildfires, tsunamis, volcanoes, and hurricanes).

June 01 2024 - Ontario Science Centre

 

Today I attended a special 2-part preview at the the Ontario Science Centre here in Toronto.

 

First was the new IMAX film Backyard Wilderness: "Join a young girl named Katie as she steps outside her front door to explore the wonders of the natural world. From the top of the trees to the bottom of a pond, Katie uncovers an array of amazing wildlife in the woods behind her home. Captured by cameras mounted inside dens, nests and along the forest floor, this film reveals a hidden world that is home to wolves, birds, butterflies, frogs and so much more.'

 

After the film I got to see the new exhibit Nature All Around Us, where I met up with good friend Julian Victor who hosts the On The Wildside segment on Breakfast Television, which focuses on educating people about urban wildlife.

 

It was great fun to see the new film & exhibit which runs until the fall.

May 25 2024 - Film Screening Elora, Ontario

 

I had a great time at the public screening of the new documentary feature film “Carrying A Dream”, featuring my long-time friend Frederick Schuett from One Axe Pursuits.
They are working hard, getting the film on the festival circuit, so go see it if you get the chance.

 

Frederick was my chief rope rigger who designed and operated the rope system I used on the Darvaza fire crater expedition.

May 10 2024 - Intense Geomagnetic Storm

 

Very active sun spots have erupted in massive solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CME's), sparking a solar storm the likes of which we haven't seen since 2003.

 

This intense storm reacked G5 levels (the highest) and caused dramatic northern lights to be visible all over the world, even as far south a s Florida.

 

I live in Toronto where there is a lot of light pollution, so I drove north up to the shores of Georgian bay on Lake Huron to try and view the aurora borealis. The weather forecast was tricky, and I encountered rain and clouds on my drive up, but eventually the skies cleared and I was treated to the best display of northern lights I've ever seen in Ontario.

May 08 2024 - Expedition News

 

When I opened my inbox this morning, I was delighted to see that I had been included in a small feature in the latest issue. While in New York recently, I was chatting with one of my fellow explorers Mark Fowler, who has nicknamed me "The Human Extremophile" due to my love of extreme environments. Our conversation was overheard by Expedition News editor Jeff Blumenfeld, and the next thing I know, it's in the Expedition News.

 

Thanks Jeff & Mark.

April 22 2024 - Explorers Club Annual Dinner - New York

 

I was supposed to be back in Bristol, U.K. this week, but a schedule snafu meant that that trip is postponed. Unfortunately that trip was meant to happen the same week as the Explorers Club Annual Dinner, which I always try to attend. The last minute cancellation came at a point when all the dinner tickets were already sold out, so I did the next best thing and flew down to New York the morning right after the dinner so that I could at least attend the day-long open house at TEC headquarters.

 

It was great to meet up with so many old friends. and make many new ones as well. It's hard to walk 10 feet in that building without running into someone I know, which is the best part of the multi-day events surrounding ECAD.

 

I was able to attend the Annual General Meeting, and a significant time was spent at the club's newly renovated bar area.

 

I scheduled my flight back to Toronto late enough on Monday to be able to spend even more time hanging out and chatting with amazing explores from all over the world.

 

Many thanks to all the organizers and volunteers who make it all possible.

April 11 2024 - Annapurna Film Screening

 

Great fun last night at the Toronto premiere of the new film Annapurna, which chronicles the trials and tribulations of mountain climber Don Bowie as he mounts 6 expeditions over 13 years to try and reach the summit of one of the most dangerous mountains in the world.
The event was graciously hosted by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society

April 08 2024 - Total Solar Eclipse - Cowansville, Quebec

 

I live in Toronto and Niagara Falls was in the path of totality and close to home, but after looking closely at the weather forecast for several days, it became clear that the Eastern Townships of Quebec was going to be the place with the best chances of having clear skies for the eclipse.

 

I ended up in Cowansville Quebec after an overnight stay in Montreal, and the eclipse was as amazing as I was expecting it to be. It has been 7 years since my last eclipse (which was also my first), and I was eagerly anticipating this. Our position was perfect and our location got 3 minutes and 23 seconds of totality.

 

Because the sun is very active right now, we got a great view of red solar prominences along with the spectacular corona. What sight to behold, especially with the naked eye during totality.

 

The adventure wasn't without it's setbacks. We ended up with a flat tire right before the eclipse, but luckily we found a place in town that was able to help us out. It worked out well, because as we were getting the tire fixed, it gave us time to let the traffic disperse a bit.

March 28 2024 - Fenside Public School

 

Thank you so much to the students and staff at Fenside Public School in North York, Ontario for the incredibly warm welcome. I was there giving a presentation about forces of nature to a gymnasium full of K-6 students.

 

They had so many great questions, and a lot of them wanted to volunteer to be my assistant!

March 17 2024 - Bristol, U.K.

 

I'm currently in the U.K. for a few days, in the city of Bristol.

 

I don't have a lot of spare time here (more on that later), but I did get the opportunity to walk around a bit today after arriving. My hotel is in the historical downtown, so I got to walk across the River Avon, see the Bristol Cathedral, and wander around Millennium Park.

 

It is a lovely city, and this is my first time visiting this part of the U.K. despite having visited the country numerous times before.

 

 

I have a few friends in the area, so I'll try to meet up with at least one of them during my stay. FYI Bristol is home to a lot of film & TV production, including the BBC Natural History unit. These are the folks that bring you the amazing "Planet Earth" documentaries among others.

 

I will be filming here, but not with the BBC. I'll give more details in the next couple of days. Now I'm off to sleep off some of my jet lag.

March 16 2024 - En Route to England

 

I'm in the process of travelling from Toronto to Bristol in the U.K. for a few days.

 

On one of my flights I captured a cool optical phenomenon. A “cloud bow”. The sun above and behind us and the water droplets in the clouds below refracted the light and produced a bow that is very similar to the kind you might see on a foggy day (a fogbow). It’s also similar to a rainbow but doesn’t have as vibrant colours.

If you are able to actually see the plane’s shadow in the clouds, you might spot a small colourful ring around it. This is called a “Glory”. I couldn’t see if there was one of these as well from my angle.

The next time you have a window seat, keep an eye out for it.

March 15 2024 - CBC News

 

I was interviewed today by CBC news regarding yesterday's tornado outbreak in the U.S. There were numerous damaging tornadoes across parts of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio last night.

 

The town of Winchester, Indiana appears to have been the worst hit. At least 3 fatalities have been reported so far.

March 14 2024 - Whiskey And A Map Podcast

 

My conversation with Michael Reinhart on the Whiskey and a Map Podcast is now available wherever you listen to podcasts.

 

It is also available in video form on YouTube.

 

March 11 2024 - Atmospheric Display In Toronto

 

 

The sky above Ontario really put on a show for us this afternoon. Thin cirrostratus clouds provided the perfect conditions for a phenomenal 22 degree solar halo around the sun above the city of Toronto.

 

 

Better still, later in the afternoon, I looked up to see a rare Circumzeinithal Arc high in the sky. Both the halo and the "upside-down rainbow" are caused by sunlight refracting through high-altitude ice crystals in the thin cirrostratus clouds.

 

Whenever there are thin, high altitude clouds in the sky, I reccommend looking up, you never know what you might see!

 

March 04 2024 - Filming At The OSC

 

 

Today was spent at the Ontario Science Center helping out The Weather Network. We were filming a bunch of segments for their series "Science Behind The Weather" which will air on their main channel and on social media.

 

At this time of year, the Science Centre is closed on Mondays, so we basically had the entire museum to ourselves, which was great.

 

TWN meteorologist & storm hunter Mark Robinson brought his daughter along, and her long, straight hair made for perfect demonstrations of the Van De Graaf Generator. It was hilarious to see her hair sticking straight up. BTW, if that ever happens to you during a thunderstorm, seek shelter immediately. Do not hesitate.

 

We also filmed segments about the science behind hail, flash flooding and other weather phenomena.

 

Feb 29 2024 - More Filming - Hamilton, ON

 

 

It’s been a busy week, with more filming. This time it’s for season 2 of “Prime Suspect Earth” for the U.S. Weather Channel. Today's shoot was on a green screen in a studio in Hamilton, Ontario.

I’m so grateful that I get to help showcase so many really interesting places, phenomena, and wild stories that are seen by so many people around the world. My hope is that I can help get kids (and adults) interested in science and nature by being enthusiastic about it myself.

Thank you to everyone who’s watched the various shows I’ve been involved in over the years. There’s lots of other plans in the works right now, including additional programs, trips, expeditions and more.

 

Feb 23 2024 - Los Angeles, California

 

 

A very hectic couple of days! I just got home from a whirlwind trip to California and back where I was doing an on-camera interview for a new CNN 5-part series that will be airing sometime in June of this year.

 

I flew out to Los Angeles on Thursday, arriving in the late afternoon, then on Friday morning I filmed my parts, then went straight from the filming location back to the airport to fly home.

 

I wasn't even there long enough to feel the full effects of the jet-lag.

 

I look forward to seeing the entire series, and I'll pass along more information when it becomes available.

 

Feb 21 2024 - Los Angeles, California

 

 

A very special package arrived today. My copy of the new book “Judging Extreme Weather” by Randy Cerveny (signed by the author).

Randy is the de facto keeper of world weather records with the World Meteorological Organization, and I look forward to reading the rest of this (I did get a sneak peek at one of the chapters before it was released because I was one of the early reviewers).

 

If you have any interest in the wild world of weather extremes, I suggest you grab a copy.

 

Jan 25 2024 - Filming

 

 

It looks like I'm going to be spending quite a bit of time in TV studios, filming for a few different programs.

 

Today I was on set, shooting the last of my on-camera interviews for season 3 of Mysteries From Above. I'll be sure to let everyone know when those shows will be airing.

 

Jan 23 2024 - Electronic Arts Talk

 

 

Many thanks to everyone over at Electronic Arts (EA Games) for inviting me to give a talk today. I shared many stories from my years of doing expeditions, and shared some insight into the things I've learned and how to apply them in the business world.

 

Jan 12 2024 - Thundersnow

 

 

This has been one of the mildest winters on record here in Toronto (if not the warmest). The effects of the strong el Nino are still being felt here in Ontario.

 

Today, the most potent storm of the season came through the Great Lakes and brought thunder & lightning along with it. Thundersnow is pretty rare in most parts of the world, but here it happens more than anywhere else.

Jan 01 2024 - Happy New Year!

 

I hope that 2023 tnreated you well.

 

As we look forward to 2024 I'm happy to say that I already have big expectations for the new year with trips planned to: Tornado Alley, Greenland, Yukon, Alaska and Costa Rica. I'm sure that many more adventures will be had in the coming year, and I'll keep updating this page as the year progresses.

 

Stay safe.