Adventure Blog - Fly Monarca Expedition

November 6th, 2020 - Benjamin Jordan

How do you start something that seems impossible to finish? An unsupported, 2,800 km paraglider journey across the US? In one season!?

'Yeah right!' I thought, slowly packing my bag, just one meter north of US/Mexico border.

Who was I kidding? My 1200 km Canadian Rockies journey took almost two months and was less than half that distance! And besides, these desert bumps in southern Arizona are no Rocky Mountains. Not only have I never flown in this type of environment, I've never BEEN in this type of environment. Lizards, rattle snakes and wind so strong it'll blow your hair right off. Welcome to southern Arizona. Welcome to me, tricking my mind into stumbling out the perceived impossible.

Hello World - Now almost two months deep, we were still struggling to get through our first of four states, but a different strategy was beginning to take hold. Feel Good -- Fly Good.

Until now, I'd let my obsession over making distance judge my overall performance quite harshly and lost countless hours of sleep in the process. Over the past few days, I've realized I may not complete this journey in one year and once I got over that, everything began to fell good again.

"Break the big mission down into small missions"

"Break the big mission down into small missions", advice from the great Will Gaad and something I employ every day, even when feeling overwhelmed at the grocery store. But now, I'm so bewildered that I've broken it down again, again and again until I've reached the simplest of tasks: Breath in, check. Breath out, check. Am I getting anywhere?

Years of dreaming, research and phone calls to sponsors, reassuring them that I could really do this has all come down to this single, finite, moment. Now the only one left to convince is myself.

Breath in. Breath out. Smile for the camera. Walk forward...

Ben

The Desert, Dust and I

Moving through Mountains

Desert Life

Cliff Launches

Saguaro Hills

Pink Flower

November 6th, 2020 - Benjamin Jordan - Fly Monarca Expedition

Benjamin Jordan is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and record-breaking paraglider pilot.

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Expedition Blog & Articles

Expedition Gear List Because I fly and hike with all of my own equipment, I am limited to what I can carry on an expedition like this. As a rule of thumb, everything I carry must be used at least once per day, have at least two uses, and be bomb-proof. Camping - Big Agnes Tiger Wall 2 (Carbon) Tent - Big Agnes Starfire 20 Down Sleeping Bag - Big Agnes Insulated AXL Air Sleeping Pad - Goal Zero Crush Light - Jet Boil Stove, Pot and Fuel - MSR 3L Hydromdary Water Bladder - MSR 10L Dromdary Water Bladder - USB Headlamp - 10L Drysack Camera & Electronics - Goal Zero Nomad 7+ Solar Panel x 2 - Goal Zero Flip 30 Power Bank - Garmin VIRB 360 Camera - Sony RX100IV Camera - GoPro Hero 8, 7 & 4 - Gimbal for GoPro - Tabletop Tripod - 3-way Selfie Stick - Co-pilot GoPro Mount - Zoom H1 Audio Recorder - Lavalier Microphone - USB Cables - Battery Chargers - Extra Batteries Navigation & Communication - Garmin InReach Explorer SE+ Satellite Messenger - Garmin Fenix 6S Pro Solar GPS Watch - Smart Phone (Samsung Galaxy S7) Paragliding - Ozone Alpina 3 Paraglider - Ozone Ozium 2 Harness - High Adventure Beamer 3 Lite Steerable Reserve Parachute - Ozone Saucisse Light Concertina Bag - Ozone X-Alps Backpack - Helmet Clothing - Big Agnes Soda Peak Down Jacket - Athletic Long-sleeve Shirt - Prana Pants - Hiking Boots - Sunhat - Sunglasses - Work gloves - Down mittens - Athletic Tights - Athletic Underwear - Compression Socks x 2 - Merino Thermal Underwear Food (Typical 14-day Ration) - Instant Ramen Noodles (7 x 100g) - Instant Mashed Potatoes (7 x 100g) - Peanut Butter 3 kg (6 x 500g ziplocks) - Coffee (250g) Misc - Banjo - First Aid Kit - General Repair Kit - Extra Ziplock Bags - Canadian Passport - Cash & Debit/Credit Card - Toothbrush & Paste - American Flag Read more

This is Teamwork As a documentary filmmaker, I've become known as a lone wolf. Working alone has not only saved me financially, it has also afforded me complete, creative control over my process. But there's downsides to the solo-show as well. For one, it's lonely. Perhaps more significantly, it's limiting aesthetically, as much of the footage needs to be captured by the discipline of repetitive camera placement, annihilating any possibility of authentic, off-the-cuff material. Enter Lyndsay Nicole. Lyndsay is not just my best friend and partner, she is also a strong and creative paraglider pilot that has generously volunteered her time to support the documentary tasks of the Fly Monarca Expedition. Throughout my self-propelled journey, she will travel and work autonomously from Turtle, the Chevy Astrovan, named not only for its color, but speed characteristics as well. Why the change? It was during the three weeks of post-expedition b-roll that she shot with me after my expedition two years ago that we realized the value of our teamwork. The drone and gimbal-stabilized 4k material she captured then were the meat and potatoes of our award-winning documentary, "The Endless Chain", and inspired us to further our efforts for the Monarca expedition. Instead of joining me post-expedition, this time she'll catch it all live! As I leap, and sometimes crawl, forward on this journey, Lyndsay will be there at (almost) every turn; hiking up mountains capturing that 4k gold, then making her way back down before chasing me as I head north. This is new, this is exciting, this is Teamwork. Ben Read more

The Majestic Monarch The incredible Monarch (Monarca in Spanish) is our planet's furthest migrating butterfly. Over the course of just one year, and four generations, this magnificent insect travels more than 7000 km (3000 miles) from Mexico to Canada and back. In Mexico they reunite at one of just a few special over-wintering sites, each offering sanctuary to millions of butterflies. As if travelling so far wasn't enough, exactly how they manage to reunite on the same tree branches that their great grandparents had rested on the previous year, remains a mystery to scientists until this very day. Though these butterflies often appear to be blowing around in the wind at random, there's nothing random about their incredible migration. Like birds their north-south movement is due to their narrow margin of temperature tolerance: Canada works in the summer, Mexico in the Winter. That seems simple enough, but there's more. Monarch butterflies are only able to lay their eggs on milkweed plants which grow in specific parts North America and only at specific times of year. This is because their larvae are only able to eat milkweed and why the greatest migration occurs through the "Corn Belt" of the United States, where the plant is most common. But there's a problem. Milkweed is disappearing, and fast. Industrial-scale farming as well as herbicide application and increased mowing in roadside ditches is one of many challenges causing this pollinator superfood to retreat. Because of this, Monarch's are down to just 15% of their population in less than two decades and, with such low numbers today, one bad year could mark their end. But here is hope. And that hope, is you! If you plant just one seed this year, make it Milkweed! This vital food source will attract not just Monarchs to your yard but other beautiful butterflies as well. Even cooler is that Monarch Watch is offering to send FREE seeds to schools and restoration projects (of 2 acres or more) ..OR if you're like me and just down to make a difference while summoning all the Monarchs to your yard, get your seeds from them here at the Milkweed Market! This is a great thing to do with your kids, students or on your own. NEWS: We are building a photo gallery of the Milkweed that you plant. Please send us a photo or two to lyndsay@benjaminjordan.com so we can include your plants and inspire others to take action as well. Thank you for caring and taking action! Read more

Expedition Press Release Nov 15, 2020 - Nelson, BC, Canada - Inspired by the incredible migration of the Monarch butterfly, over the spring and summer of 2020, Benjamin Jordan became the first person to paraglide from Mexico to Canada, setting a new World Distance Record and completing the first ever un-powered paraglider journey across the United States. Monarchs are the world's furthest migrating butterfly. Over four generations, they fly all the way from Mexico to Canada and back, completing the 7000 km round-trip each year. Exactly how they manage to find the exact same overwintering site that their ancestors overwintered on the previous year, remains a mystery to scientists to this very day. Due to industrial farming and climate change, over the last 20 years, the Monarch population has dwindled to just 2.3% and, as their existence becomes more threatened by extinction, Jordan felt compelled to raise awareness around this phenomenal invertebrate. Just like the Monarch, Benjamin's remarkable journey was completed without using fuel or power of any kind, but by simply relying on his understanding of the natural world and the weather systems as they pass. Over Arizona, Utah, Idaho, and Montana, Jordan climbed his way to the clouds using thermals then flew onward, at times covering more than 100 km in a single flight. Jordan is now hard at work, producing his next documentary film "Fly Monarca" about the journey and how it parallels that of the marvellous Monarch. His goal is to help the general public become aware of the challenges they face and the simple steps they can take to help the Monarch butterfly thrive again. -- Media Inquiries: Lyndsay Nicole lyndsay@benjaminjordan.com 1 888 205 1687 Read more

Thank You

This ambitious project was made possible by a select group of bold, forward-thinking businesses and organizations. It comes as no surprise that each of them are leaders in their respective fields and industries.

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Team Monarca

We are currently post-producing a new documentary while publishing online, writing articles and doing interviews about the expedition and Monarch conservation. Please contact us about any of the above or to find out how you can take part in this exciting new project.

Lyndsay Nicole
Media / Public Relations
lyndsay@benjaminjordan.com
1 888 205 1687

Benjamin Jordan
Athlete / Filmmaker
(please contact Lyndsay for interviews, sponsorship information, etc.)