April 28th, 2009
I’m writing my last blog entry from the comfort of my desk in London. It’s good to be back and to see friends and family again, and I’m loving the fast internet connection! The expedition already feels like a distant dream, but many of the exciting moments can be played back like a video in my mind.
The next adventure now is to settle back into life in the UK. I hope to return to Guyana in the future to attempt a first descent of the Essequibo River, but that won’t be before 2011.
The sun is shining and it’s a beautiful British day, so I’m off to Hyde Park for some fresh air!
April 9th, 2009
The Guyanese media have shown great interest in the expedition. Below are links to articles that came out:
Kaieteur News
Guyana Chronicle
GINA
Have a fun Easter, eat plenty of chocolate (I know I will)!
April 3rd, 2009
We woke up to heavy rains and large seas on our arrival day, so we had to cancel the journey from Parika to Georgetown, which would have taken us out into the Atlantic and would have been very dangerous as the boat is designed for river travel. So we put the boat on a trailer and got it back safely, much wiser idea!
The night of our arrival, Rupert, Danny and I were invited by Sarah for a delicious and hearty supper. The next day we had a press conference with the Minister of Tourism, where I showed some photos and gave a brief overview of our adventure. Rupert and Danny are flying back to Kaieteur (from where they get a speed boat upriver to Chenapau) on Sunday. So we’ve got time to relax, play cards in cafes, print photos etc before they head off home. I’ll be sad to see them go but we’ll keep in touch. I fly home to the UK in just over 2 weeks time.
Thank you to everyone who’s sponsored, supported and sent messages of encouragement for the expedition. Without the kind help of people in Guyana and back home, it would have been impossible to organize and complete this challenging journey, so I am very grateful. I think Rupert, Danny and I can say that we are the first ever team to have made a full journey from the source of the Potaro River to its mouth, which is very nice. It was very tough and, reviewing my diary notes, I’ve counted 17 sections of rapids and falls, which either required us to haul the boat through the foaming waters or portage it overland through the jungle.
Guyana is a stunning country and the people here are extremely friendly and welcoming. I strongly recommend it to anyone looking to break away from the crowds and experiance something unique and special. The following companies are good friends of mine:
Bushmasters- Get your hands dirty and immerse yourself in the jungle.
Rainforest Tours- Discover the beauty of the interior and the majestic Kaieteur Falls.
Angcam- Jet boat up the Essequibo and discover wildlife and rapids.
If you’ve enjoyed following the jungle adventure, then you may be interested in following Ed Stafford’s walking of the Amazon River from source to mouth. He’s been going for 366 days and is a real inspiration.
Here with a couple of photos which bring back fun memories.
March 31st, 2009
It’s day 34 of the expedition and I’m sitting in front of a computer, in the Angcam travel agency of Parika, enjoying the wonders of broadband technology by surfing the Internet here. Here’s a quick overview of the last few days to explain how I got here.
We finally reached the mouth of the Potaro, on day 29, and started the long descent of the Essequibo. That day we paddled for an uninterrupted 9 hours, with no more rapids to contend with. The same the following day and then a marathon 11 hours the next (paddling in the dark for the last 2 hours, as we set off late after a morning fishing session). These long, hot days passed extremely slowly, as we were used to action packed, adrenalising rapids, keeping us busy at least once or twice a day. In addition, we all found the boat very uncomfortable for paddling long hours on and we found ourselves constantly battling into the wind, which is predominantly from the North-East here, so always against us. All in all, the effect was frustration and some friction in the team. None of us were happy and our morale started to fall. We finally paddled into Bartica this morning, after 5 days on the Essequibo, and I decided to put the expedition boat on a speed boat and get us to Parika today. The conditions at this level are horrendous for paddling and I saw no point in spending the next 7 days fighting the tides, waves and currents to get here. I’m very proud of what we’ve already achieved and wanted to end the expedition on a good note.
Ray, director of Angcam travel agency, has been a great help to us on this expedition and has put us up for the night and we’re also using his docking space by the harbour. We’re currently planning the Georgetown arrival for tomorrow morning, (10.00am at the seawall, by the bandstand near the Pegasus, if you wanna join us for the press conference), using an outboard engine. We’ll be heading out into the Atlantic, which should be fun.
Here with a photo overview of the exped:
Day 1-We’re just waiting on confirmation that Kaieteur airstrip is no longer under heavy rain and we can pack our remaining kit into the Skyvan.
Day 12- Enter dense secondary rainforest on Mount Ayanganna. Progress very slow and tiring, but surroundings stunning.
Day 20- Rupert fighting to keep the boat from being swept over Kaieteur Falls (I was pretty anxious!).
Day 22- The first section of our gruelling 2 and a half day portage around Kaieteur Falls. We were helped by a local from Chenapau, so we were 4 of us in total. The last portage around the falls was undertaken by a team of 8 locals (a few years ago) and their boat was 16 feet, not like our 20 feet monster!
Day 24- Setting off from Tukiet (below Kaieteur). Good to be back on the river and journeying down a beautiful valley.
Day 27- Wilkinson Marco (cool name!), his wife and baby (10 months), show us the way down the first 2 miles of Kangarooma Falls. 3 portages and a few sketchy rapids left us all buzzing at the end of the day.
Day 33- Early morning on the Essequibo and the water is nice and calm, so paddling (even against the tide) not so bad. I’m reviewing my dodgy tide calculations, hence the serious face!
More news soon. XXX
March 27th, 2009
Charles has just telephoned from his satellite phone as he is still suffering with no internet connection, so he has dictated the following to keep you updated:-
“We reached Potaro yesterday after 29 days of hard journeying since the start date, it was an exhilarating moment, but one quite quiet - as it is truly in the middle of nowhere!
The last week or so on the Potaro was very tough going where we encountered three miles of high swelling rapids at Kangarooma Falls and it was only with the help of locals that we managed to get through safely.
The boat had to be hauled over a number of trails at the particularly dangerous spots on the rapids but it was exhilarating as ever and although very difficult at times it was great to have overcome another nasty challenge.
So now the sun is blazing hot and our backs are tired but we have got the end of expedition vibes and expect to reach Georgetown in the next ten days or so.
More prose to come, particularly when we find a tourist resort with an internet connection!”
March 22nd, 2009
Due to deep valleys and excessive canopy cover, Charles is currently experiencing technical difficulties with satellite coverage making blog updates impossible. But he does have the following to say:
“Charles, there’s a snake on your foot,” Danny calmly informs me. Looking down I see a jet black snake, coiled around my ankle. “Argh!” I start hopping around like a mad man and launch the surprised creature off into the surrounding jungle. It was only a harmless little bush snake, but I know how I deal with surprise snakes… very badly!
I’m now in Amatuk, with the sound of the powerful falls here in the background. My last blog entry didn’t get through, but here’s a quick update:
For Rupert, Danny and I it’s been a fast paced 3 days to get to Chenapau from Ayanganna, where I stayed at the teachers, Bruce and Matt’s, again. Portaging out kit around the falls was easier this time for we were no longer carrying the 25 gallons of gasoline we needed for the journey upstream.
However, the wooden boat we borrowed belonged to a Brazilian miner who asked for it back, and we found ourselves in the now familiar situation of being boatless. But the miner took us to his camp where we were fed, taken on a tour of the dredging platforms and kindly given a lift down river to the point where we could finally meet out expedition boat by foot. We had to take the offer even though it involved motorised transport. We decided to use the motorised transport until Kaieteur Falls where we sent the outboard back to Georgetown, so paddling could then properly start for the remainder three quarters of our journey.
The approach to Kaieteur Falls was brilliant fun. We paddled right up to the edge, clinging onto trees to slow us down, before reaching the landing at the falls. But the excitement was short lived as we undertook 2.5 days of a man haul portage of our boat to the river below. It was extremely testing for the team and we had out first boat puncture, where luckily it’s high up on the bow, so not a major concern.
It’s been almost a month since we departed and we have at least a month of paddling before we reach Georgetown. Heavy rain, high waters and many more rapids imply we have many more challenges to come.
P.S. Sorry for the lack of photos - this entry has been dictated over the satellite phone.
P.P.S. Happy Mother’s Day Mum!
March 13th, 2009
I’m lying in my hammock, pocket pc in hand, enjoying a much needed rest day, essential for cleaning kit and charging up my camera etc. We got back from our testing and successful 7 day ascent of Mt Ayanganna yesterday, all of us feeling very tired and fairly beaten up. My hands and calfs (shorts were a bad idea!) are covered in cuts and grazes, I look like I’ve been attacked by a wild dog!
The Eastern route we undertook was last attempted by an expedition 5 years ago and no one knows of any attempts before then. So very few people have ever climbed this route, the reason being that the jungle you have to pass through is very challenging.
The first day we trekked through pleasant primary rainforest (tall trees, little vegetation), but walking started to get tougher on day 2, where we entered marshy primary rainforest at the base of the mountain. Day 3, and with a change in elevation, the land changed into marshy secondary rainforest (low trees, thick vegetation and knee deep mud), making progress very slow and at times we got fairly lost. It took 7 hours to progress 1/2 a mile!
My smile in the picture above faded on day 4 when I got my first taste of razor grass and knife sharp leaves, which made life particularly painful for our guide and Rupert, who were responsible for hacking a path through this punishing jungle. The upside was that it was astoundingly beautiful, like the Garden of Eden, although Adam and Eve would have a hard time living in it! Permanently rainy and very hostile, as everything is competing for survival. Grab the wrong tree for balance and you might get spiked by a row of poisonous spines, a mistake I made twice when tripping over roots and vines! We saw a couple of massive bird-eating spiders, one black one seemed to whistle at us, is that possible?
My role as expedition leader got its first real test at the end of day 5. After an exhausting 7 hours of trekking, we arrived in the pouring rain at a spot from which we would attempt our summit bid the following day. Now at roughly 1400 metres above sea level, with a strong wind and soaked to the skin, we were freezing cold and our usual efficiency at setting up camp and getting a fire going crumbled. The situation was dire, as it was getting late and we were all hopelessly standing around, shaking and incapacitated by the cold. Shelter, fire and dry clothes were the priority, so I delegated tasks and forced everyone to get going fast. 2 hours later we were all huddled around the fire, the tarpaulin roof above us keeping out the driving rain, with hot bowls of rice and tuna. Critical moments like these, though, have only made the team’s spirit stronger, which is very good.
Our summit bid started slowly, but accelerated as we reached steep sections, where roots and small trees provided perfect handholds for climbing. 6 hours later we were on top, but heavy mist meant no views, a great shame but it was brilliant to finally reach the starting line after just under 2 weeks of tough journeying.
The following day we followed our carved out route back to the bottom, covering the 5 days of ascent in 1 knackering day of fast descent. We spent the night with a fun family living by the mountain, who, to our delight, had just shot 2 tapirs (bush cow), so it was an all you can eat meat fest, awesome!
We’re currently back in the mining community, with a real nice mix of Brazilians and locals working out here. Tomorrow we trek back to the wooden boat and after a few days paddling and various rapids, we’ll rejoin the expedition boat, spend another day at Chenapau and continue downstream towards Kaieteur Falls, the next big challenge. Looking forward to getting back into our routine on the river and, hopefully, to being dry and clean again!
March 5th, 2009
“Hey boy, this rapid has taken many outboards…and lives!” Rupert yells to me over the roaring sound of the water rushing by us. “Thanks, that’s nice to know!” I shout back, gripping the boat harder. We grin at each other. Danny’s fighting his way upstream, looking for a safe spot to position himself and pull the boat from, using the rope attached to the bow. Finally, we’re all set and we throw everything we have into hauling the boat through the last section of the falls. We reach the make or break point, with the boat suspended over the crest of the swollen water. Pulling all kinds of ‘faces of pain’, we just get it over the cascading edge and into calmer water above. Tired and hungry, we dig into some left over porridge from breaky and relax on the bank. It took us an exhilarating and, at times, scary three hours to get up Base Camp Falls!
I finally set off for the interior last Wednesday, flying in the army Skyvan, with the guides, boat and all the kit. Things got very physical from the start, with an afternoon of carrying everything from the airstrip to the Potaro River landing. The next day we headed off upstream to Chenapau, a friendly, little jungle village and home for the guides. I spent the night with two gap year students, teachers in the village for a year.
With six extra helpers recruited from the village, including one of the gap year teachers, we set off to tackle a very tough portage around two large sets of falls. Dragging the boat through steep jungle was exhausting work, but we all had a laugh. We didn’t finish the job though, as we ran out of time, so the next day a few of the helpers came back to help us pull the boat over the second and much larger hill. 4 hours later, nackered but keen to make some progress, we said goodbye to the helpers and set off upstream and hauled our way through three sets of falls before calling it a day.
Over the last five days, we hauled a further ten falls and we eventually had to abandon the boat at Maikaduk Falls, we’ll collect it on the way back, as it had a portage that took us over a mountain and required three there and backs to get our gear over, each taking 2 hours, nasty stuff. So with no boat, we spent a couple of days looking for one and found an old wooden miner’s boat to get us further upstream.
A difficult trek got us to Ayanganna foot today. We’ve found a local to guide our ascent, which’ll take around nine days, a toughy! My feet are fairly nailed, so ductape for the blisters. But morale very high and
we all get on great, so expedition progress slow but good fun! More to come after the ascent.
February 24th, 2009
So it’s Tuesday night, my flight to the interior is set for 9.30am tomorrow, the canoe is at the airstrip waiting for me, all my bags are packed, but I still can’t be sure that I’ll actually be off tomorrow. Nothing is certain until it happens, just gotta be relaxed!
You’ll be reading this on Monday when my blog is fixed, so hopefully I’m now in the middle of the jungle and my next blog update is from my sat phone.
We had the press conference this afternoon. It was really nice to be able to share the adventure with the press and I showed them how the sat phone and PDA work together to upload the blog, and what the other various bits of kit do. It was good fun and we’ll hopefully be meeting again on Georgetown beach, at the end of a tough six weeks on the river.
February 23rd, 2009
The energy in Georgetown, today, was awesome! ‘Mash’ is a celebration of Guyana’s birth as a Republic in 1970. Float parades, bands and dancing families dominated the avenues all over the city.
The expedition guides were flown into Georgetown yesterday, so they could be at tomorrow’s press conference. The three of us went out today to soak up the atmosphere. For the younger guide, Daniel (17), it’s his first visit to Georgetown and his first view of the ocean. The second guide, Rupert, is older and brings a great deal of experiance to our team. We had a great time at Mash and it was a perfect way for us to get to know each other before the expedition.
