Going to Extremes with Mark Jenkins

El Vedauwoo (Part 1 and 2) - Today is the 18th anniversary of Todd Skinner’s death. Todd was the most famous climber Wyoming ever produced. He and I attended the University of Wyoming at the same time and we both learned how to climb hard in Vedauwoo. Thereafter, I became an alpinist and Todd became one of the world’s greatest sport climbers. We teamed up for a wild, hilarious expedition to Mexico before he tragically died in Yosemite.

The Bike Messenger (Part 1 and 2) - I had failed on another Himalayan expedition and felt lost. I took a bus from Lhasa north into the heart of Tibet. I wanted to get a pony but ended up getting a bicycle. I pedaled into the Nyainqêntanglha Mountains, my pack strapped to the bicycle. I intended to solo a peak. Instead, I ended up becoming a messenger for an old Buddhist woman. What you expect is never what you get.

This is Going to Extremes. Stories of adventure. I'm Mark Jenkins, lifelong resident of Wyoming and former international correspondent for National Geographic magazine.

Today's story is about the first descent of the largest cave in the world. Hong Kong dong, located deep inside Vietnam.

The story continues in a moment. You've been listening to Going to Extremes. Stories of adventure with me, Mark Jenkins. Hear more episodes online at Wyoming Public Media.

A world-renowned explorer, critically acclaimed author, and international journalist, for the last decade Jenkins has covered the globe. As a foreign correspondent for the past 30 years, Mark Jenkins has explored the most remote, difficult, and dangerous places on the planet.

Burke and Wills were 19th-century explorers in Australia. Like Lewis and Clark, their dream was to cross their continent. That is where the similarity ends. Burke and Wills had over a thousand miles of horrifying desert to cross. They made it, but this story does not end well.