The rainforests have been called the lungs of the world, and they are
home to the greatest diversity of species of any biome. The massive
and accelerating destruction of the rainforests for purposes of raising
cattle and exploiting mineral resources is an obscene tragedy on a scale
beyond description. And so when individuals with the necessary drive,
curiosity and courage undertake radical adventures into the rainforest
and return to tell about it, it is cause for celebration. And so it is
with two extraordinary recent books:
Walking the Amazon, by Ed Stafford, and
Naked in Eden, by Robin Easton.
In 2007, Ed Stafford was searching with a friend for an excursion
into the wilderness that would represent a blend of nature study, an
outstanding feat of physical fitness, and an accomplishment never before
attained. Without knowing much about what it would entail, he settled
upon the idea of walking the entire length of the Amazon River, some
four thousand miles, from its origins in the heights of the Andes
mountains in Peru, all the way to the Atlantic ocean in Brazil. The
river had been traversed its whole length previously by canoe, but never
by anyone navigating exclusively on foot.
Planning for the excursion required 15 months of meticulous
preparation. Stafford had a background as a captain in the British army
and several years experience as a wilderness nature guide, so he was
not entirely unfamiliar with the nature of the challenge he had set for
himself. Nevertheless, he was trying to accomplish something no one
else had even attempted, much less achieved, and which most
knowledgeable observers considered impossible.
The Amazon is not a nice, tidy flow of water, secure within banks
lined with established paths and trails. On the contrary, the river is
an unruly mass, swelling with the seasons, restless in its boundaries,
often overflowing and flooding the surrounding countryside. Add to this
the perils posed by native populations, sometimes suspicious of and
hostile to outsiders; the palpable danger of stumbling across narcotics
operations near the portion of the river that runs through Colombia; the
threat of arrest by legal authorities ever vigilant about passports,
visas and local rights of passage; and these are just the hurdles not
presented by the jungle itself.
For Stafford, the rainforest was not a source of wonder and beauty
but a formidable obstacle to overcome. To be sure, he was conscious of
ecological considerations, careful about recording illegal logging
operations, and committed not to consume endangered species for food.
But his driven, goal-oriented attitude forced him to regard the jungle
as a stubborn foe of sorts, a multiheaded monster that could end his
journey with a single poisonous snakebite or a thousand cuts by razor
grass.
Somehow, in spite of all odds, Stafford actually completed his
impossible expedition. It required 860 days -- well over two years --
most of them accomplished with a single companion and some 80 pounds of
gear on his back. At the end of it all, he had acquired "over 200,000
mosquito and ant bites each; about 600 wasp stings; a dozen scorpion
stings...; and one Guinness World Record." Within days of his
achievement, over 900 articles had been written about it world wide, and
soon he was named European Adventurer of the Year.
For a study in contrast, it would be hard to find a greater gulf in experience than that represented by Robin Easton's book,
Naked in Eden.
The two stories have in common a close encounter with the rainforest,
sustained over a period of many months. Both authors endured extreme
hardships and exposed themselves to exceptional dangers. Both came away
radically changed by their experience. But there the similarity ends.
Stafford's psychological journey consisted of finding within himself
the deep determination to persist in the face of severe and prolonged
adversity. Easton's journey was of another kind altogether. She was
raised in the countryside of Maine, where both her parents were attuned
to the rhythms of nature. Her father often took her on day trips into
the wild and taught her survival skills and the ability to appreciate
the beauty of the rivers, the wildlife and the forest.
Later, as a young woman trying to find her way in society, Easton felt
increasingly alienated, uprooted and ill. The rainforest proved to be
her salvation. She had married a man from Australia who was sensitive
to her moods and needs, and courageous enough to accompany her into the
wild. By virtue of his youthful pluck and initiative, they made their
way into the Daintree rainforest on the northeast coast of Australia and
set up camp in a place completely removed from human beings. At 1,200
square kilometres, the Daintree
represents 0.2 percent of the landmass of Australia, yet it is home to
20 percent of the continent's species of birds, 30 percent of its frog,
marsupial and reptile species and 65 percent of its bat and butterfly
species.
Over the course of more than a year, Easton underwent a profound
psychological transformation. Her husband had a phobia of snakes and
spent his days in camp and on the beach, but Easton hiked every day deep
into the forest. There she communed with the plants, trees, rocks,
streams and wildlife and learned to understand herself as well as her
connection with the natural world. She felt the trees speak to her and
explain the laws of nature and the tragedy of mankind's disassociation
from the earth and its inhabitants.
"Naked in Eden" is not just a metaphor. Easton shed her clothes and
her shoes and hiked stark naked, mile after mile, day after day, into
the heart of the rainforest. She had countless adventures with birds,
snakes, marsupials, trees, and all the other inhabitants of the wild.
Perhaps the foremost lesson she learned was the all-encompassing lesson
of love. She felt the rainforest pulsating with beauty and life,
embracing her completely, with no judgment, but radiating love.
Stafford and Easton are both pioneers in a world where everything
seems already to be known. Both found their way into the inner recesses
of nature, and both came away radically changed by the experience.
They are poles apart in the essence of what drove them and what they
discovered, but they are alike in bringing back to civilization the
clarion call of the wild. We owe them both our gratitude, and we owe it
to ourselves to heed the lessons they have learned.
Source : http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-edmund-moody/radical-adventures-into-t_b_2553185.html
