My walk of life: “Danger is always around the corner”
Ed Stafford is midway through an attempt to become the first man to walk the length of the Amazon river. He spoke to us via satellite phone about spending more than two years in the jungle
I am two days’ walk from Juruá ‘City’ and Cho and I have set up camp in a swamp. The problem with crossing huge rivers such as the River Juruá is that the surrounding jungle is horrendously tangled and virtually impenetrable. At this time of year, the river spills its banks, forming a wall of water that glides through the forest, silently flooding it. The ground is broken and – as it’s dry season – the swamp bed is visible. We have to climb over buttress roots and cut through thorns with our machetes. It’s slow work. The canopy is low and the trees small and twisted – it must be the least attractive jungle imaginable. But we have food and water, so, right now, we’re in pretty good spirits.
I’m walking along the Amazon. All of it. I started at its source on 2 April 2008 and I’ll finish where it joins the Atlantic Ocean. With a bit of luck, and if we get a wriggle on, we could reach the ocean by next July. But it could easily be a month or two later. No one has ever done this before. The river is 6,400km/4,000 miles long, but we can’t always follow right alongside it, so I’ll have travelled a little further than that. Right now, I’ve covered around 4,000km/2,500 miles and have just 3,000km/1,875 miles left to go.
Cho is my expedition partner. I met him last year in Peru and he’s really taken the expedition to heart. He’s as committed as I am to reaching the Atlantic. Tiredness, hunger, soreness, homesickness, thirst, loneliness and fear are all part of our daily experiences. Danger is always around the corner. I’m not talking about jaguars and vipers – although the jungle has many deadly animals, most run a mile when they hear the two of us crashing along. It’s usually people that cause problems, like those from Nuevo Pozo, who marched us into their community at arrow-point to find out if we had permission to be in their area. I wasn’t sure we’d get out of that one alive.
In Peru we had to pass through an area notorious for its cocaine production and trafficking. I asked seven people for advice on the route ahead and all said I would be killed if I went on. It felt like Russian roulette, but I continued. Despite some crude threats shouted from vehicles, I’ve had no problems. People give in to fear all too often; after continuing through that, no one will convince me to abandon this journey. If we ran out of money, I’d work until we could move on. If I was ill or injured, I’d wait until I had my health back. Giving up is not an option.
But it’s not just willpower that keeps me out here: I am having the most incredible adventure. Summiting Nevado Mismi was an obvious high point. Looking out across the Amazon basin knowing I’d be walking for the next two years was overwhelmingly exciting. But the moment I think I’ll most treasure from my journey was much less spectacular. We’d been walking through an area of Peru where everyone was suspicious, scared or aggressive towards us. Myths of gringo organ traffickers were rife and education was limited. We were approaching a small jungle town as the sun started to set, when a little old lady and her granddaughter joined us on the path. They started chatting and the little girl held my hand. They walked with us happily until we reached the town. Cynically, I thought they were going to ask for money or food. But when we arrived, they smiled, shook our hands and wished us luck before returning to their house, some kilometres back in the darkness. At that time, when goodwill had been somewhat lacking, it brought me close to tears.
I’m learning and being humbled all the time. I take huge pride in what I’ve achieved so far and it increases every time we overcome an obstacle. I know myself and my weaknesses better than ever – there is no hiding them here. I used to think the expedition wouldn’t change me as I was a military man and had travelled widely and seen a lot. But this is undoubtedly the hardest and most rewarding thing I have ever done.
Interview by Julia Buckley
- This entry was posted on: Thursday, November 26th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
- Filed under: Features, People, Walk Winter 2009
- Tags: long-distance walks, People, real-life stories, walking challenges
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