Noted. And let's not forget Conrad Anker. Perhaps more adventurer than explorer, but you have to give the guy some credit after losing most of his friends to the mountain.

Thor Heyerdahl has passed, perhaps one of the last great explorers of our time. I wonder who people will look to in the future as a hero. Hopefully not just rock stars and self-help gurus. Our cushy American lives are so removed from any sense of hardship and adventure. Everyone slips into complacency. There's a huge world out there and plenty left to discover. But not from the couch.