Links | Walking the Amazon: The blog of a journey from source to sea

Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ “Transglobe Expedition Trust”

“Ed , you have already done fantastically well and we at the Transglobe Expedition Trust are proud of you.

Very Best Wishes
Ran”

The Transglobe Expedition Trust (TET) is a charity which was established in 1993 to perpetuate the memory of the Transglobe Expedition by supporting humanitarian, scientific or educational projects which follow in the expedition’s tradition of adventure and perseverance. This tradition was described by its patron HRH the Prince of Wales as “mad but marvelous”. Anton Bowring, trustee, says to Ed,

“if you press on and confound the pundits by travelling where no one else thought possible, you will be at the very front line of human achievement.”

Mike Stroud

“I was thrilled to hear of the ‘Walking the Amazon’ expedition, for not only is it ambitious but it is also novel. Not [...] just a further repeat of something done before, but instead a truly unique and massive challenge. I have no hesitation in offering my full support“.

Mike is an expert on human health and endurance under extreme conditions. He has studied this based on personal experience - running marathons in the Sahara, and trekking across polar ice with Ranulph Fiennes. In 1992/3 Stroud and Fiennes made the first unsupported crossing of the Antarctic continent.

Ben Saunders

Ed and Ben were in the same platoon at Sandhurst and both share a love for testing their resolve against the harshest environments on Earth. Ben Saunders is the youngest person to ski solo to the North Pole and holds the record for the longest solo Arctic journey by a Briton. Ben wrote to Ed and Luke, “What a brilliant trip. Keep the updates coming lads - reading about your exploits is making post-Arctic life in London far more bearable!” Read about Ben’s latest expedition at bensaunders.com

Sam McConnell

sam-mcconnell-head Sam is a leading desert expedition consultant who runs his own business - Desert Expeditions. Sam has worked with Ed in Patagonia running scientific research expeditions and recently organized a series of inspiring talks by explorers for National Geographic. Sam was the first man ever to walk across the Namib Desert, solo and unsupported, in 2002. He is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Scott Polar Research Institute

On Thursday 19th June 2008, Sir Ranulph Fiennes was in Cambridge to present the Transglobe Expedition archives to the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) for permanent safe-keeping. The Institute is a well-known and long-established centre for research into both polar regions. It is part of the University of Cambridge and is a sub-department of the Department of Geography.