The Amazon from Source to Sea: The Farthest Journey Down the World’s Longest River

by West Hansen

Fifty-year-old canoe racer-turned-explorer West Hansen is planning to kayak the Amazon River when he learns that everyone - cartographers, adventurers, even his own sponsor, National Geographic Society - has misplaced the source of the world's greatest river. One of exploration's great prizes is suddenly back up for grabs, and to claim it all Hansen has to shepherd a team of irascible Texans and international whitewater stars some 4,200 miles, from the crest of the Peruvian Andes to the Atlantic Ocean. The journey brings him face-to-face with a controversy as old as Livingstone's quest for the source of the Nile, in addition to the usual obstacles. With great humor and insight, Hansen details a wild ride full of personality conflicts, extortion, Machiavellian subterfuge, pirates, drug lords, uncharted whitewater, massive thunderstorms, injuries, illness, fatigue, tropical heat, blizzards, altitude sickness, jungle drunks, bales of marijuana, substandard scotch, bureaucratic labyrinths, loneliness, colossal tides and the unstoppable force of the largest and longest river on the planet. — Jeff Moag, Freelance Writer and Editor, former editor of Canoe and Kayak Magazine

574 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 19, 2019

Reviews

[Tom Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this adventure memoir of attempting the source to sea paddle, and trying to make it the longest by picking the further source. (The obscure issues are difficult to clear up there and even in America the length of the Mississippi/Missouri is not popularly known.) Such a trial starts in the highlands which involves dodging pirates, Shining Path, and narcotraffickers. Add to that draining dishonesty in expedition funds and personality clashes, it is hard for me relate why anyone would commit to this. I am glad Hansen did because in relating his experiences he provides history lessons relevant to the areas he goes through touching on The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey, memorable crimes against others like Davey du Plessis who was critically wounded when he was shot three times with a shotgun in a remote region of the South American country. This includes key differences with the book Choosing To Live.

[Karen Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book. So inspiring and makes you want to jump in a kayak and go somewhere. The descriptions are great, and I learned so much while reading this book. I learned so many new terms, and I looked up so many maps and pictures. I like that he recounted the dynamics of his expedition team. You could feel the tension and the relief throughout the story. A great accomplishment and I look so forward to hearing about the Artic Cowboys Northwest Passage Expedition.

[John C Covollo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific saga.

It gave the account at a fast pace. The anecdotes that were interspersed were brief and did not interrupt the flow. The writer was candid about the relationships of the team members. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys true adventures.