[meteorite-list] Meteorite hunters: adrenaline junkies?

From: Matson, Robert <ROBERT.D.MATSON_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat Dec 4 17:11:45 2004
Message-ID: <AF564D2B9D91D411B9FE00508BF1C86904EE620E_at_US-Torrance.mail.saic.com>

Hi Greg and List,

> Great question, why do it? "Because it's there", as spoken by
> British climber George Mallory in 1924 when he was asked why he
> wanted to climb Mount Everest.

As a mountaineer myself, I can appreciate the attraction. There is
nothing quite like climbing an ice couloir at 14,000-feet elevation
and thousands of feet of exposure below you to put your life into
focus. It makes you feel ALIVE. It also lends perspective to
the really minor inconveniences that occur in other facets of ones
life (particular at work). You find yourself saying, "you know,
this is nothing compared to the time I nearly killed myself on
North Palisade."

> It's kind of funny you ask now. I just had a phone conversation
> a couple days ago with Mike. We both enjoy the thrill of the
> chase, the excitement of the unknown and experiencing different
> cultures. The risk is always there but is part of the "drive"
> that keeps us going.

I don't mind taking risks -- but I prefer to be in complete control
of those risks. Going into militarized zones where I might be
either shot or run over a landmine is not my cup of tea.

> I am single, without children, so I can take these risks without
> worrying.

I don't have any children, but as of three years ago I do have a
wife so I can't be quite as "reckless" as I was in my youth.

> One of my most "adventurous" trips was to Kenya right before the
> deadline when the US was to invade Iraq, see 'Meteorite Magazine'
> August 2003 article I wrote, when Dave Marsocci, myself and others
> went there to search out desert regions for the allusive black
> stones we crave . If you do not have the magazine, I will be
> happy to email you the article (out of copies, sorry).

(I've been a subscriber for 5+ years, so I remember the article).

Talk about timing. My wife and I have a similar experience. We
got married on September 8th, 2001, and left on our honeymoon on
the 10th. We connected in London on the morning of 9/11, and
while on route to Athens the WTC towers and Pentagon were hit.
The airline didn't say a word about it. We found out from the
taxi driver on our way to our hotel. He was in tears, speaking
in very broken English. It took us about 15 minutes to figure
out what he was saying, and even when we heard it we couldn't
believe it. In the hotel lobby a stone's throw from the Acropolis
we saw the footage for the first time. We actually watched live
as the first tower came down.

Now Athens is probably as safe as anywhere else for an American
couple, but this was only the first leg of our 3-leg honeymoon.
Most of our time was to be spent in Turkey. I knew our parents
did not want us continuing on to a 99% Muslim country, so we
chose not to contact them until we were already there. (I'm very
glad we went because the Turks treated us like royalty.) Sadly,
three years and 2 wars later, I don't think our welcome would
be quite as warm now.

For you, Mike and others, it sounds like meteorites may be the
"excuse" for international travel -- but that the thrill is really
in the experience and not so much in the meteorites themselves.
That is to say, there's certainly more glamour in traveling abroad
to an exotic destination to hunt for space rocks than there is, say,
in doing so in the relative safety of the Mojave desert. But
that doesn't keep me from wanting to go hunt in Oman!

Take care,
Rob
Received on Sat 04 Dec 2004 05:07:53 PM PST