It has been far too long since I posted anything on the Walking the Amazon Expedition, in which Ed Stafford and Cho Sanchez are covering the entire length of the Amazon River on foot, a journey of more than 4000 miles, through some of the harshest, most demanding terrain on the planet. Currently, Ed has been out on his little trek for 779 days (Cho joined him a bit later on down the road), and the pair are in North Central Brazil, continuing their slow, but steady, march to the sea, where the Amazon empties into the Atlantic Ocean, the finish line for this epic adventure.
Today, the expedition got a little mainstream attention with a story on ABC's Good Morning America. Reporter Bill Weir joined Ed for two days of his march through the jungle, and got a small glimpse of what it is like to hike the Amazon. The results are the video report that you can watch below, and the written story posted on the ABC News website, which you can read by clicking here.
As of now, Ed is expecting to complete his journey at the end of August, and he already has a plane ticket booked for home. I can't even imagine what it is going to be like for him when he is done, but I do know I want to read the inevitable book of his adventures.
Every time I read up on this expedition, I can't help but be blown away. It is such an incredible undertaking, and a staggering achievement. As someone who has actually been to the Amazon, I can tell you that I can't even imagine hiking for more than a day or two there. In fact, I did some jungle trekking, and it was swelteringly hot, incredibly humid, and paths were transient at best. The water levels change dramatically with the seasons, and there are plenty of nasty bugs, snakes, and diseases that can make you sick or worse. I have tremendous respect for both Ed and Cho, and I can't wait to see them finish up.
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