The last time we checked in with the Walking the Amazon expedition, Ed Stafford and his faithful companion Cho, had made their way into the Brazilian city of Manaus. The pair planned to travel to a nearby town, away from the hustle and bustle, and rest up, repair their rubber rafts, and resupply before heading back out into the jungle. As of yesterday, they are back on the road (quite literally) and continuing their long march to the Atlantic Ocean.
In their most recent dispatch, Ed notes that they are walking the "line of least resistance", which at the moment means that they are sticking to some remote jungle roads that will carry them out of Manaus and towards the heart of the Amazon once again. On their first day back on their feet, the managed to cover 23 miles, but were feeling rather stiff and sore in the process. Walking the roads will help them make good time for the near term though, but Ed says that it is surreal to be walking in civilization again, after so many weeks in the rainforest.
Today is Ed's 681st day in the Amazon, as he continues his march to go end-to-end. If successful, and it's beginning to look like there is no reason why he wouldn't be, he'll become the first person to ever hike the length of the Amazon River. That's a journey of more than 4000 miles through some of the most dangerous, challenging and amazing terrain on the planet. The Amazon isn't referred to as "The Green Hell" for nothing.
I remain in awe of the ambition of this expedition and the tremendous efforts that both Ed and Cho have put into it. They still have a very long way to go, but they're on their final push now, and they'll be wading into the Atlantic before they know it. From there, they can finally go home, for a much earned rest.
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