Amazon hiker arrives home after 2-year, 4,000-mile trek
This guy walked the entire length of the Amazon River - some 4,000 miles - braving snakes, malaria-ridden mosquitoes, and suspicious indigenous people. It's a pretty amazing feat, one I'd certainly not care to duplicate, but it's something that's never been done before, so it's worth noting.(CNN) -- British explorer Ed Stafford arrives home to Leicestershire, England, on Wednesday, two days after he completed a two-year, 4,000-mile trek along the Amazon River.
The hike, which he started at Camana, Peru, on April 2, 2008, ended Monday at Maruda Beach, Brazil.
One thing I always wonder about these types of stories is where the heck do people find these types of jobs? I'd like the kind of freedom to leave my home and my work for almost two and a half years to wander around a foreign country; hell, there's enough of the USA to keep someone busy for the rest of their natural-born life. Not to detract from Mr. Stafford's achievement, of course, but who actually has two and a half years of no income to spare? And if someone's bankrolling him, then hell, give me a yell - I've got a few ideas we could pitch right here in America...
Guess it kinda puts "500 Miles" by the Proclaimers all to shame, eh?
That is all.
6 comments:
I think he had sponsor at first, but they pulled out early on. Two years of few expense, terrible living conditions, and then a book deal, possibly a movie, or TV show. If I was still laid off I might consider it.
Read all about him
http://www.edstafford.org/about
While on my recent motorcycle trip, I got the chance to meet my Uncle's Nephew (actually his wife's nephew, not really related to me directly).
The Nephew's son, after graduating college and before going to work, hiked both the entire Appalachian Trail (2,179 miles), and the Pacific Crest Trail (2,650 miles), pretty much one right after the other.
Not exactly 4,000 miles through the untamed jungle, but pretty impressive nonetheless.
My question was "Why?"
The Answer: "Because they were there."
I have a friend that several years ago found himself between jobs for a few weeks. He was driving from Colorado back to California and out in the middle of nowhere Utah he came upon a trail that he had seen several times before. It was a single dirt trail that just disappeared off to the horizon to the south. But this time he was prepared.
He pulled off the highway, grabbed two gallon jugs of water, stuffed his pockets full of jerky and took off walking. Two days later, he was still following this trail that was still just meandering south. At this point he had expended half of his water supply and food so he turned around and walked two days back to his truck.
To this day he claims it was one of the best little strolls he ever took.
He always intended to go back with a motorcycle to see if he could finally find out where that trail went, but never did.
The Proclaimers. There is a girl who frequents my favored watering-hole, who plays that damn song three times a night. I think she gets a kickback from the bartender, as it always makes me drink more (to get the earworm out.)
WV: goeupers- those damn shoulder-things, again...
You only live once. When your heart truly calls you to do something extraordinary like this, you have to follow it.
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