National Geographic Announces 2009 Adventurers of the Year

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After three months of voting, during which more than 20,000 ballots were cast, National Geographic Adventure has announced their selection for the Adventurer of the Year, with a tie giving the award to two very deserving winners.

The winners of the award are explorer Albert Yu-Min Lin and soldier/climber Marc Hoffmeister. Lin earned his honors for leading an expedition to a remote part of Mongolia, where he has been searching for the missing tomb of Ghenghis Kahn, which was hidden by the Kahn’s followers upon his death back in 1227. For his part, Hoffmeister was recognized for leading a team of Iraq war vets up the West Buttress Route of Denali. A number of those vets, including Hoffmeister himself, were injured in that conflict, with some even losing limbs.

Both of the winners expressed their gratitude for winning the award, but also were quick to note that they are just part of a much bigger team. Each of them also continues their adventures, with Lin continuing his search, while working to maintain the heritage of Mongolia, while Hoffmeister has gotten into whitewater rafting, adventure racing, and more climbing, summiting Kilimanjaro. To read Lin’s reaction to wining, click here and for Hoffmeister’s comments, click here.

The announcement of these awards continues the return to prominence of the Adventure Blog, which I recently noted had sprung back to life in recent days. It’s nice to have it back, and it’s nice to see the tradition of the Adventurer of the Year awards continuing.

Kraig Becker