Earl de Blonville www.earldeblonville.com provided this endorsement on LinkedIn for Ripley Davenport:

"Ripley is not your boastful hero, pushing the odds just for attention. No, in contrast to the rather plentiful and tiresome 'I-Was-There-First' types, Ripley is one of those rare individuals who's drive is pure curiosity; of the old stamp, when men struggled across deserts just to know what lay in some small valley of fragmented myth. I regard him as a quintessential explorer who shines, like brass, from hardest use. And believe me, he has known hardship: but that is for him to reveal. His inspiration is quirky, because he is authentic and original - not a pleaser but a seeker. He is as flawed and human as real explorers so often are, when you peel away the gloss of popular myth. Most of all, he is a wonderful human being and if you were lucky enough to travel with him, and could stand the rigours of doing so that Mother Nature imposes in her democratic way, then you would learn a thing or two about not only yourself, but about the timeless nature of desert exploration that has caught so many in its spell. I think Ripley is a keeper of the old magic. And for those would who hear his stories, and detect the inner landscapes they reveal, they should also listen to their own hearts, as he speaks of the dreams and drive that through the millennia brought us all to this point. His inner vision helps us to see who we really are, or could be, beyond the drudge of a daily suburban existence that for most passes as a life."

It is interesting to correlate this glowing endorsement with Ripley Davenport's claimed expedition history. First, we have the expeditions prior to 2010. As noted in the main page of ripleydavenport.net, the bulk of Ripley's experiences are basic outdoor tourism with nothing to distinguish them as "expeditions" and everything indicating they are the same experiences of thousands of vacationers each year. Only Namibia and Karakum are distinctive and those two have no documentation at all.

Turning to what Ripley actually has done. He went to Mongolia in 2010 and attempted to walk across the country pulling a trailer. He made it partway and has meager documentation for that effort. Ripley's mission, expressed on his website at the time was "Ripley Davenport will attempt the first recorded solo and unassisted traverse across the vast landmass of Mongolia."

Which seems at odds with Earl's characterization of Ripley: "No, in contrast to the rather plentiful and tiresome 'I-Was-There-First' types, Ripley is one of those rare individuals who's drive is pure curiosity; of the old stamp, when men struggled across deserts just to know what lay in some small valley of fragmented myth."

Ripley's 2011 Gobi trip was a for-profit, guided trekking holiday and his latest expedition to Death Valley was over 16 hours after it began, with no explanation.

So, to recap. Earl (who apparently has never met Ripley, much less traveled with him) characterizes him as "a quintessential explorer" based on big claims (Namib, Karakum) with no factual evidence to support them and small claims (Mongolia, Death Valley) both of which ended well before the goal was achieved and both of which have the most meagre of documentation.

Perhaps Earl and Ripley are kindred spirits inhabiting that "small valley of fragmented myth" where, in spite of their best efforts, they have been repeatedly denied a Darwin Award.