HYDE PARK — Visitors can walk in the footsteps of the some of National Geographic’s explorers as they venture into the crystal caverns and ascend into the canopy of the rainforest in a new exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry.
“Earth Explorers,” a new exhibit that opened Thursday, shows how today’s most ambitious adventurers prepare to enter the most remote and wild landscapes on the planet.
“All these guys do amazing things, but these explorers aren’t reckless,” said Robin Stapley, the creative director for the exhibit.
The exhibit starts with Michael Fay’s trek by foot across the rainforests of central Africa, where a simple task like crossing a river can take a full day.
Visitors wind their way through five different ecosystems and learn about the explorers who brave the extreme environments.
The museum also has the camera a team from National Geographic strapped to the fin of a great white shark and visitors can see the footage the camera captured of the shark hunting its prey.
Stapley had access to National Geographic’s archives and has included rare footage of explorers venturing into caverns in Mexico, where crystals grow as tall as streetlights.
He was also able to get exclusive interviews with many of the explorers the exhibit features photos of his subjects when they were as young as many of the museum's visitors.
“You learn about the explorers and why they chose to become explorers and hopefully that will inspire some young explorers,” Stapley said.
The exhibit runs through Sept. 1. The exhibit is not included with general admission to the museum and requires an additional $9 ticket for adults and $7 for children.
