Throughout the day yesterday I had hoped to get more updates on the final leg, how they were feeling, and what it was like to finally finish, but it turns out that their website, WalkingTheAmazon.com has been getting hammered with traffic, and although they finally managed to upload a blog post, and some photos, the site has been overwhelmed with hits. So, Ed was kind enough to post updates to his other website as well, which can be found at EdStafford.org.
According to the blog post, Ed and Cho walked from 12 noon local time in Brazil on Sunday, all through the night, and into the next morning, arriving at the ocean at 9 AM, a bit later than they had anticipated, but they finished the job they had set out to do. Considering Ed had collapsed on the side of the road just the day before, it was a wonder that he managed to make it to the finish line at all.
As I predicted, Ed is still struggling to put it all in perspective, but he does say that he was nearly in tears when they waded out into the water, noting that it was "A day I will never forget for the rest of my life. No-one will ever take that away from us." I suspect it'll be some time before he can truly convey what it was like to complete the journey after all those long days in the jungle.
Now, both men are headed home. Cho is going back to Peru and Ed is, as of this writing, in Rio, preparing to board a plane to the U.K. The two men who became great friends on this trek won't be apart for long though, as Cho is already scheduled to go to the U.K. to visit Ed in short order. I imagine they'll be making some appearances together while he's there.
Again, congratulations to both men. I can't imagine the sense of satisfaction and relief they must be feeling right now. I think this calls for a little rest and relaxation. You've both earned it.
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