Dennis Schmitt File:Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Dennis schmitt on warming island 2006.JPG(born Berkeley, California), is a veteran explorer from UC Berkeley who, in 2006, is credited with discovering and naming the northernmost permanent island on Earth, Warming Island or Uunartoq Qeqertoq in Inuit off the north coast of Greenland, visible now because of Arctic shrinkage." The Sierra Club reported on a Schmitt quote to the New York Times:[1]
- "We felt the exhilaration of discovery. We were exploring something new. But of course, there was also something scary about what we did there. We were looking in the face of these changes, and all of us were thinking of the dire consequences."
Bibliography
Schmitt's father was a plumber. He received a BA Anthropology from UC Berkeley after studying linguistics with Noam Chomsky, who, as part of a special program, recruited Schmitt, aged 19, to travel to Alaska's Brooks Range and attempt to learn the Nunamiu dialect, which no outsider had yet accomplished; Schmitt succeeded.[2]
Schmitt speaks ten languages, including Russian, Norwegian, Danish, French. Schmitt lived for four years at an Alaskan Eskimo village named Anaktuvuk Pass before leading expeditions, including the Sierra Club. In 2003, Schmitt discovered what at the time might have been the northernmost land in the world, which he named "83-42" due to it's location at 83º42. In 2007, he discovered "Stray Dog West" at 83º4030. As an explorer, he is known for his habit of picking up his gear and walking off without waiting for others to follow him.[3]
Schmitt lives in Berkeley. He composes classical music, being credited for the soundtrack to the 1978 movie, The Alaska Wilderness Adventure. Under the pen name D O'Farrell, Schmitt writes sonnets.
Notable events
- The only person to climb Alaska's Brooks Range from Point Hope to the Mackenzie River.
- Made the first traverse of Axel Heiberg Island, northern Canada.
- Crossing the sea ice of the Bering Straits, including traveling through Eskimo villages of then Soviet-controlled eastern Siberia, earning the name "the boy who crossed the Bering Straits." Upon his return, the FBI detained and released Schmitt without charge.[2]
Notes
- ^ "Geography in Action". Sierra Club. 2007-06-05. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
- ^ a b "Dennis Schmitt, Arctic Explorer". The Warming Island Project. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
- ^ Richardson, John H. (2007-09-18). "Journey to the End of the Earth". Esquire Magazine. Retrieved 2007-09-23.