Walking the Amazon Blog

I am part of the Francis Holland School Geography Club. We have been studying what you are doing. My question is… What is the hardest thing about doing this wonderful thing?

Ed: If I´m honest at this stage the hardest thing has been getting on well with Luke and finding our feet with each other. Although we were friends beforehand we didn´t know each other as well as we do now that we´ve spend over 100 days in each other´s company! We have had to be very honest and open with each other to combat a phenomena that many expeditions have reported suffering from. Basically when your brain has nothing to focus on it can direct this energy into the only thing it can - your partner! We knew that we could be susceptible to this but underestimated the degree. All is well now though and we expect the expeditions real hardships still lye ahead - in the jungle.

Luke: I have to agree with Ed on this. So far we have had to deal with dry arid desert conditions, altitude, snow and freezing temperatures, steep climbs followed by steep descents and fast flowing rivers. But the real test has definately been with each other. We´ve had a few times when we´ve had to just sit down and talk through a lot of problems we´re having with each other. But we are both determined and will keep going. Of course, like Ed says, we´ve not reached the jungles yet…and all the animals, insects, heat and humidity it has to offer. Ask us again in a few months, our answers may be different.

Is there something that you have to live without that is really hard?

Ed: No. Although I love many things that I don´t have access to at the moment (nice food, comfy beds, my friend and family - not necessarily in that order!) whilst I am walking I am enjoying the new surroundings and the experience so much that I don´t miss anything really.

Luke: This is easy for me to answer as I have a fiancee back in England. It has been the hardest thing in my life to say goodbye to her for up to two years. She´s very understanding (thankfully) and will keep herself busy with her own travels. Otherwise no. You get so wrapped up in your surroundings and day to day life whilst on the move that you appreciate everything here. Things like a hot shower become a far away memory and the ultimate reward when in a good town.

Good luck and we will be checking on your blog.
Rosie Lom

Hello!
I am part of the Francis Holland (Clarence Gate- Baker Street,
London,England) Globetrotters Club (to do with Geography) and I would just
like to ask you a couple of questions:
How did you come to the decision to walk the whole length of the amazon river??

Ed: We have both been leading conservation expeditions to remote parts of the globe for some years now. I think it is fate but we both got itchy feet at the same time to push the boundaries of what we could do with the experience that we now have. Luke wanted to kayak down the Amazon and I had plans to walk it. We sat down over a drink and came to the decision that walking the river would provide us with the ultimate challenge that we were looking for. The fact that no-one had ever done it before was hugely exciting and has spurred us on to get to the mouth.

Luke: For the last few years I had been wanting to do something “big”. I looked at walking round the equator…but something too similar had been done. Eventually I was looking at taking just one canoe down the entire Amazon, but again similar things have already been done. Until I was in Belize with Ed at the beginning of last year and, over a drink we talked about our dreams and were surprised that what we wanted was so similar to each other. That was it! Ed´s hadn´t even been contemplated so we decided that was the one for us.

Have you ever been to Brazil or any of the other countries that the amazon river crosses?

Ed: The majority of my jungle experience has been Central America although I have spent some time in the rain-forests of Borneo, Asia. When working with the BBC Natural History Unit in 2007 I visited Brazil for the first time but I had never been to Peru. For this reason Luke and I did a recce (advance trip) before the expedition to see more of what we were going to be walking through and meet people that may be able to help us if we get into trouble. We´ve now got great contacts in all the main cities along the way (such as chiefs of police) and are in a good position to attempt what we are doing.

Luke: I had never been to either of the countries (Brazil or Peru) but like Ed the majority of my jungle experience was in Central America and Malaysian Borneo and Indonesia. Doing the trip in reverse and checking out all the major ports only seemed sensible to us and has quite rightly given us a good understanding of what is to come.

Before you went on the long expedition, what was your previous job?

Ed: Working with the BBC. See “Expedition Guyana” on BBC 1 on Sunday 20th July at 8pm. I was helping the crew film wildlife in a remote part of Guyana called the Upper Essequibo. It was great fun - I got to build a base camp with the local Amerindians in the middle of the jungle for 7 weeks before the BBC crew arrived.

Luke: Most of the year I would either be working in the Lake District as an outdoor instructor with the Outward Bound Trust or as a freelance climbing instructor in London. The rest of the year was spent leading expeditions abroad either in Central America or Asia.

How did you guys (Ed and Luke) meet?

Ed: Luke and I used to work for an expedition charity called Trekforce. We were both leading expeditions to Belize (Central America) in 2004 and immediately got on like a house on fire. We did a fun machete lesson that involved Luke juggling 4 machetes! (Not very advisable I hasten to add!).

Luke: It was my first expedition with Trekforce and Ed´s third) I believe. We got on like a house on fire and the machete lesson Ed talks about also involved a mock machet fight that we had trained hard to get right. (DEFINATELY not advisable to do at home).

Good luck to you both and I look foreword to hearing back from you soon!
Roxy A.S

Hi, my name is Alice; I go to Francis Holland School (Clarence Gate, London).

My class and I are very interested in any animals you might have encountered on your journey, as we know that there are a great many different species that have developed within the rainforest. We would like to know in particular about any reptiles, amphibians, or insects.

Ed: So far we have journeyed through the arid Colca Canyon and up and over the Andes mountains. We haven´t entered the jungle yet but we have seen…

1. Condors (Vultur gryphus) - the second largest flying bird with a wingspan of up to 3 meters.
2. Guanacos (Lama guanicoe) a camelid animal native to South America which looks like a lama.
3. Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus) - which I am afraid we ate - sorry! - it is quite normal here to do so.

We have also been walking through a very agricultural area and have seen animals familiar to us in the UK (pigs, sheep, cows, horses etc). Most are exotic here (i.e. they were brought here by humans).

Luke: Not much more I can add to this other than, several eagles and hawks. This is probably another question best asked in a couple of months. Once we get deep into the jungles then there will be a multitude of animals, plants and insects ranging from three toed sloths, monkeys to large cats, pecari (wild boar) to anacondas (and plenty of other snakes) and piranha to name but a few.

Thanks for your time,
Alice.
P.S. My geography teacher would like to know whether you have seen any
“scary” animals, and if so, how did you cope with them?

Ed: Not yet - unless Luke counts! On previous expeditions we have both encountered quite a few Fer de Lance (Bothrops Atrox). They are highly venomous vipers that are responsible for a large percentage of snake-related deaths in Central and South America. If it is within a static camp and we are going to be there for a while with volunteers occasionally we have to kill them. This is unfortunate but the risks to the lives of people that we are leading is just too high.

Luke: As Ed says the Fer de Lance (named for the pointy head it has) has been very common on previous trips. They tend to be territorial and once have a sniff for food will keep coming back thus having to kill them as they then pose a threat to us…very sad. I´ve narrowly missed being bitten on the leg whilst clearing some ground with my machete…a moment which sent my heart racing - as I was completely on my own. Another time in the night I was circled by a large cat, possibly a Jaguar (Panthera Onca) but more likely a Puma (Puma Concolor). I could see the large eyes directly in front of me reflected back from my head torch. Rather stupidly I started rubbing my fingers together and making those typical “kiss” noises you´d normally do with a domestic cat. I then saw the tops of the cat´s eyebrows furrow as if to look serious and it then started moving silently round me. It was then I got a little nervous.

Thank you, and good luck.

Ed: Thanks to all the questions - keep them coming! Its great to get feedback from people and we get quite lonely out here! Ed x

Luke: Yes, thank you very much. Please keep them coming, more and more. We´ll answer them all as best as we can. Luke x

Questions via The Young Times.

Luke and I have just entered the infamous “Red Zone”. This is an area of the Andes that has a history of violence and illegal activity.

 

From the 1970s onwards the Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso or Peruvian Communist Party) have had a stronghold in the Upper Huallaga Valley, still the largest coca-growing area in the world, and the Huanta province, Ayacucho. Luke and my location is currently directly between these two places. Some areas are still largely un-policed due to the sheer difficulty of controlling such a lawless area. The Shining Path are still in existence but their activities have reportedly switched from far-left politics to ensuring they have a hand in the narcotics trade.

“In 1992, during the worst of the Shining Path offensive, London’s Channel 4, of the Independent Broadcasting Authority, a dependency of the British Office of the Interior, coordinated with the Shining Path’s “ambassador” in London, Adolfo Olaechea, to send two journalists to Peru. These contacted The Shining Path’s units, and they filmed a report highly favorable to Shining Path, which Channel 4 broadcast on July 10, 1992, despite an official request from the Peruvian government not to give SL such free propaganda. The RCP then used the film to raise funds in the United States.” extract from the November 17, 1995 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.

 

One woman that we spoke to said that there will always be drugs barons here because the locals can earn so much more money from selling coca that will be made into cocaine that the local people are supportive of the trade. This opinion is far from generally accepted as in some areas “Rondas” (ad-hoc police units) were formed to protect the land for the people and to stop the advance of anyone who wanted to control the area: drugs barons, Shining Path, whoever. It is clearly a contentious issue that Luke and I are keen to learn more about but hopefully remain impartial as we walk through this area.

 

We have taken advice from the ex-Cheif of Police of Peru who told us we would have no problems walking along the river. Others have different opinions but all have told us to stick to the river channels themselves and not to walk up into the more remote areas where the processing plants are believed to be.

Oswaldo - our guide - has a brother who is a school teacher in the middle of this area. We should reach his town in  3 weeks and hopefully we will give a talk to the local children on why we are doing this trip.

Ed

  

We are currently in Curahuasi waiting on my boots to arrive (been a long time in the waiting). Our route to date has not been very linear. After leaving Chinchaypucyo we headed deeper into the hills going up and down, up and down and repeating as the days went by. Eventually we contoured round a set of hills at about 3900m in the cloud (was a lot like walking in the fells or Dartmoor) and on the same day did a 2100m descent to the main road where we camped for the night. A kind old gentleman warned us from drinking the water from the river beside us it had raw sewage in from the large town up the road…we nodded our heads slowly as we sipped at our coffees made from that very same water. In preparation for next morning´s breakfast I´d got a pan of water ready and by early hours there was a small brown layer of dubious looking sediment at the bottom of the pan. We all exchanged glances and decided that boiling the water “thoroughly” was our best and only option.

From here it was a long walk along the road to Curahuasi (with a short detour and stay in Abancay to wait for yet another package). My boots still hadn´t turned up so to avoid insanity for staying in civilisation for too long, we decided to head on for a couple of days, and return to collect them from the post office in Curahuasi. The town we headed for was Huanipaca (pronounced Wanipacka). We gained 1200m on the first day and aimed for a point that had water….it didn´t. We could see out path stretching out along the side of the mountains for about 10km. We´d walked over 8 hours and were a little stumped. We didn´t want to turn back and the map didn´t show any promising results for water if we went on. So, we carried on, each bend showing the same dried up results as before - no water. Until, in the distance and far below we spied an aqua duct, with water in. This must be coming from somewhere and lo and behold there was huge gully which went up to our road. When we got there it did have water but only a trickle. Fine, this was more than enough. So, after several sweet brews we finally chilled and sorted out sleeping. We were on a very steep slope so Ed bivvied in a tire tract by the water, Os on the edge of a lay-by and I underneath a massive overhanging rock. Our sleep was periodically interrupted during the night by the odd car/lorry going past bibbing their horn right by our ears…twice I leaped out of my skin as, after being startled awake by the sound of the horn and throwing back my blanket, I see two huge glaring lights racing toward me.

The morning was spectacular and possibly the best we´ve seen so far. Both Ed and I were up at the same time to see it. Far down below us (possibly well over 1000m) was a small town hidden now in the dark blanket of a temperature inversion. Around us and way across the other side of the river were the snow capped peaks of part of the Andes. At this point the sun decided to poke its head above the mountains to the East. The golden rays bounced off the surrounding peaks spreading colours all across the valley - the cold morning chill was instantly vanquished. Within minutes further back along the track and up on the hill we started witnessing Katabatic winds sending the cloud and mist tumbling down the slope and over the track. All very beautiful.

Once in Huanipaca we sorted the donkeys and returned to Curahuasi (to pick up the boots). As we were about to go we thought we´d ask the “local” policeman about our onward journey over the hills. Instead of a lengthy reply he nodded at our chosen route, pulled out a well used note book and pencil, traditionally licking the end and flicking through the pages to the current one. I thought he´d want to know our web address but no, he wanted all our “details”; age, date of birth, passport number etc and of course wanted Oswaldo´s ID card for inspection. I think he must have been rather bored.

 

So, we´re in Curahuasi waiting for my boots to arrive. Tomorrow we will head back to Huanipaca where we venture over our last mountain and eventually drop down to the Apurimac River. Here we intend to part company with the donkeys and continue along the rivers edge.

Thanks, Luke

Thanks to Abigail and Georgina who sent the following questions after reading the article about us in The Young Times, here are our answers…

Abigail and Georgina asked: How long did it take you to climb Mount Mismi to the top of the mountain?

Ed - It took us about three weeks to walk to the top of Nevado Mismi from the Pacific Ocean. We underestimated the conditions in the Colca Canyon (the deepest canyon in the world!) somewhat and had to do some huge detours up and down mountains in order to get to the source.

Luke - On summit day we were up and gone by 06.40(ish) and was on the top by about 11.30. Because of where we camped (quite close to the source) we only had to climb 700m in height to reach the top. It was a tough day as the altitude didn’t allow us to move fast. We had to kick steps all the way up and follow the ridge to the summit. Looking over the other side and the mountain dropped away very steeply. By the time we headed down the sun had melted the snow a little and made the descent a cross between step kicking and sliding.

Abigail and Georgina asked: Who found the new source of the Amazon in Peru?

Ed - The furthest source of the Amazon was only found when aerial mapping was carried out in the 50s. It then became very obvious that Nevado Mismi was the mountain upon which the furthest source sprang. The first person to go to this furthest source of the Amazon that I know of (sitting in the middle of a field on the side of a canyon in the Andes without Google!) is John Ridgeway in 1971 when he became the first to navigate the entire length of the Amazon river by foot and cargo boat. An iron cross at the source dates back to 1971 but I am ashamed to admit that I can’t remember who erected it! [see paragraph below] We have pictures so I will try and find out when we are in a town. 

**Added by Ed - 18th June** - OK, after a smidgen of research and some memory prompting by reviewing our video tapes… the iron cross that Luke and I refer to in our video blog was erected by Loren McIntyre who lead a 3-man National Geographic expedition to find the furthest source of the Amazon in 1971. This is the first expedition that I know of who reached this source and it predated John Ridgeway’s 1971 expedition.

Luke - I am not sure why the Amazon hit the news recently for being the “longest river in the world”. This source has been known, as Ed said, since 1971 at the very latest. Still the Amazon is a very dynamic river and its length changes all the time as new channels are cut by erosion. We hope it will still be the longest river in the world by the time we finish!

Much thanks to Abigail and Georgina, please stay tuned…

Ed and Luke. 

Questions via The Young Times.

After the “short” stop over in Cuzco sorting a multitude of administration, Ed, Oswaldo and I have hit the trail again. We’re currently in a small market town called Chinchaypucyo, just a few kilometres off to the north of the River Apurimac.

  

Getting here has involved a lot of recognition in hind-sight! For example, we now know we should have walked the final few kilometres to Paruru before having our break in Cuzco. This would have enabled us to walk directly west from there and get here quicker…but no, we had to take the donkeys directly south to the river believing there was a route suitable for the them along the river. There was, but not for long. So, shortly after heading along the river we found we had to head north again. Walking steeply uphill from the river was almost heart breaking, especially as we could see that walking along the river’s edge was possible! But, we’d chosen to use the donkeys so we had to carry on regardless.

In this strange box-shaped leg we did we managed to lose nearly two days. Plus the next week’s walking wasn’t looking to appealing with lots of ups and downs and zig-zagging through the mountains. But, Ed had an idea to catch up some time, “We’ll head directly West from here, over the mountains and down to Chinchapucyo – should take us two days” and he wasn’t wrong.

  

Our only problem was camping at over 4000m with nothing but a half season sleeping bag and a blanket (we’ve ditched all out winter kit for the jungle equipment now!).

Tomorrow we head up and over some more mountains and will continue the next couple of weeks doing much the same until we reckon we’ll be able to sell the donkeys and drop out of altitude and eventually, get into the trees!

More videos on their way. More blogs too, apologies for the delay in this…

Luke