Walking The Amazon Update: End in Sight for Ed and Cho

As we near the end of what may well be the greatest expedition of modern times, Ed Stafford and Cho Rivera have begun to get a lot of mainstream press for what they are about to accomplish. After all, they are now just four days shy of completing their walk along the entire length of the Amazon, and with the journey nearly complete, those four days may be the longest yet.

As most of you know by now, Ed began his Walking the Amazon expedition back in April of 2008, and now, 855 days later, he is very close to walking out into the Atlantic Ocean. The question is, will he keep going from there, and simply swim back to England.

In a new dispatch posted to his blog this morning, Ed says that it has been a grueling few days with barely any sleep as he nears the finish line. Demands for interviews have increased dramatically, but now that he is close enough to civilization that cell phones work all the time, he can conduct those interviews without stopping.

One of the big news sources that has taken an interest in Ed’s story is CNN, who published this piece on him a couple of days ago. In it, Ed reports in his own words from the jungle, and you can tell that there is a growing sense of relief that the expedition will end soon, but also a bit of sadness in that as well.

For the past two-and-a-half years, the jungle has been his home, and for most of that time, Cho has been his companion. It will be hard to leave that all behind, although plans are already in the works for Ed’s Peruvian companion to come visit him in England.

We’ve been following Ed’s progress for some time now, and it’s great to see his journey nearly complete. I can’t wait until he can properly tell his story, as I’m sure there is a lot to share. Stay tuned to the Walking the Amazon website for daily updates over the next few days, and expect Ed and Cho to reach the finish line, aka the Atlantic Ocean, early next week.

The video below was shot a few days back, and it captures Ed and Cho leaving the jungle behind for the last time. Now, they’re on more established roads as they head to the sea.

Escape the Jungle from Walking the Amazon Videos on Vimeo.

Kraig Becker