JG
“We’re just about to set off
on our 4 th season. It’s going to
be our biggest and boldest yet.”
AO: To date, what has been the most challenging mys-
tery/discovery that you’ve uncovered? Was it/will it ever
be solved?
JG: We recently undertook an expedition to investigate the
Ark of the Covenant. It’s the most iconic religious relic of all
time, and I’m just one in a long line of adventurers who’ve
gone looking for it (including my cinematic hero). I fretted
that we might not be able to bring anything new to the
quest, but we managed to explore a never-before filmed
tunnel beneath the old city of Jerusalem where we discov-
ered the signature of a famed 19 th century explorer who
wedged himself there a century and a half ago. We also
performed the first-ever metal analysis of holy implements
that purportedly traveled to Ethiopia with the Ark. As to
whether anyone will ever find the actual Ark itself, perhaps
Indiana Jones’ sidekick Sallah put it best: “… it is something
that man was not meant to disturb...It is not of this Earth.”
AO: Assuming you eat while you’re journeying through
exotic locations, what food have you eaten that was the
m ost peculiar, yet delicious? What’s the worst thing
you’ve ever tried?
JG: Akutaq is a kind of ice cream made from moose fat by
native peoples in Alaska. It’s way better than it sounds. I’ve
eaten just about everything from rotted shark meat (Ice-
land, horrible) to fried spiders (Cambodia, also awful) to a
shot of whiskey with a human toe in it (Yukon, not bad). The
bartender insists that the toe has to touch your lips in order
for it to count. Be careful though, there’s a stiff fine for swal-
lowing the toe.
AO: Was there ever a time where you felt you were in
real danger during an expedition? What happened, and
what did you learn from it?
JG: Oh, sure. More than a few times. I had part of an ice-
wall collapse near me on a rappel in Siberia, dove in lethal,
mud-black water in Myanmar searching for a missing
golden bell, spent the night in the radioactive ruins of Cher-
nobyl and nearly died in a hut in Namibia from a fever. I’ve
learned two things: situational awareness is really impor-
tant, and also fate is ultimately out of your hands.
AO: What’s the most rewarding thing about traveling all
over the world? What is the hardest part about being
away all the time? Do the pros outweigh the cons?