News – A Walk in the Woods
The Amazon River, only bested by the Nile in terms of length, is surrounded by some of the toughest terrain on the planet. After 859 days, nearly two and a half years, Ed Stafford completed a walk that started at the source of the river in the mountains of Peru and finished at Brazil’s shore. He is the first person to ever accomplish this feat.
The 34 year old former British army captain embarked on this incredible journey in 2008. When he began, he expected that the trip would be roughly 4,000 miles long. However, due to serious flooding in the region, he had to adjust his path and increase his trip by 2,000 miles.
Originally, Stafford had begun the trip with a partner, but shortly after they had a falling out and he was forced to walk alone. Some time later, another man, a Peruvian forestry worker named Gadiel Cho Sanchez Rivera, pledged to walk with him for five days and actually ended up completing the journey with him.
According to Stafford’s media team, during his trip he was accused of murder twice, was imprisoned, held hostage as angry tribes stuffed concrete into his mouth, was chased by yet another angry tribe with bows and arrows, was stung by what must have been hundreds of wasps, and had to have his travel companion remove a botfly from his head. He also estimates that he received roughly 50,000 mosquito bites, countless scorpion attacks, and a skin disease. He had to constantly dodge snakes, ants, electric eels, and numerous other dangerous jungle creatures as well. While in the rainforest, Stafford’s diet consisted mainly of piranha, rice, and beans.
Stafford had a mere 52 miles to go until his 6,000 mile trek would be complete and ended up passing out on the side of the road, exhausted and suffering from a terrible skin rash, a humbling experience considering what he had previously been through.
Many explorers had deemed this route impossible, so what Stafford has done is absolutely incredible. The fact that he made it through alive is a miracle.
All of Stafford’s hard work was done to raise awareness about protecting the rainforest. Having spent more than two years of his life there, he would definitely know it better than most anyone else.
To read the original article, please go to http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2010/08/09/14966741.html