British explorer Lucy Shepherd, pictured, has said she’s ‘exhausted but elated’ after completing a 253-mile Amazon expedition on foot through one of the last remaining unexplored wildernesses on earth
British explorer Lucy Shepherd has said she’s ‘exhausted but elated’ after completing a 253-mile Amazon expedition on foot through one of the last remaining unexplored wildernesses on earth, during which she foraged for food and fished with a bow and arrow.
The extraordinary jungle journey, east to west through the Kanuku Mountains in Guyana, took 50 days, with Lucy explaining that for 17 days they faced forest and swamp so ‘ridiculously dense’ they would only move a few metres every hour – and didn’t see sunlight.
What are some scary moments? ‘We had so many scary moments,’ the 29-year-old Royal Geographical Society member told MailOnline Travel. ‘The first one that springs to mind is our encounters with deadly snakes. They were our constant companions every single day. It is possible that we must have seen thousands.
‘My snake gaiters protected me from a deadly bite from a labaria [a pit viper] and one of our team almost fell on to the infamous bushmaster snake… twice. We were so far from rescue and moments like this were chilling and I’m so thankful we got through.’
Lucy embarked on the trek with four Amerindian brothers to overcome snakes.
They were stalked by jaguars and forced to climb trees to escape 500-strong herds of aggressive ‘peccary’ (wild boar).
Lucy traveled 50 days through Guyana’s Kanuku Mountains to reach her extraordinary jungle trek. This is Lucy at the conclusion of her extraordinary jungle journey.
Lucy, who was fending for her own food on the trip with a bow & arrow, said that it made her realize how adaptable she can be.
Lucy said: ‘I faced a pretty unattractive wasp sting – we were always having to run away from swarms of wasps’
During the extraordinary jungle journey Lucy explained that for 17 days her team faced forest and swamp so ‘ridiculously dense’ they would only move a few metres every hour
There were also wasps. These wereps are nasty.
Lucy said: ‘I faced a pretty unattractive wasp sting. We were always having to run away from swarms of wasps – there are some very nasty ones around – but these in particular stung me in the face and my face blew up like a balloon.’
Also, skin infections can be a problem.
Lucy said: ‘It was so wet, damp and dirty that myself and the whole team got some bad skin infections. I got it on my legs, while the men did so on their feet.
Lucy claimed that the team once had to pole vault across a stream. It was quite hilarious.
The two fish-catching team members show off the huge fish that they caught. They are facing increasing pressures due to unsustainable wildlife hunting and trapping as well as logging and mining.
‘It was so wet, damp and dirty that myself and the whole team got some bad skin infections,’ Lucy revealed. Since more than a decade, the explorer is involved in leading expeditions all over the world.
‘Red and raw, we would lay in our hammocks unsure if we could go on as every step would be agony. This feeling of vulnerability was because we knew that we had to keep going despite the pain. But, it was better than not moving because, if we did, there would be no food.
‘Thankfully, with strict personal admin and meds, our bodies toughened up and strengthened to the harsh environment.’
They tried to be defeated also by the unforgiving Essequibo River.
Their raft crashed on rapids. The team almost lost everything.
Over a decade of experience in leading expeditions across the globe, the explorer said that the team relied on laughter for a lot the tough moments.
She explained: ‘One funny moment was when we had to get across a wide creek and we used pole vaulting as the method of crossing. The sight of everyone doing pole-vaults across the stream and me then trying it was truly hilarious. So elegant – not!’
Their raft capsized during strong rapids. The team almost lost everything. They clung to their rucksacks.
This expedition was organized to highlight and celebrate the importance of Protected Areas for wild areas.
The expedition, endorsed by the Scientific Exploration Society, was undertaken to celebrate and highlight the need for Protected Areas in wild places.
The Kanukus can be as dangerous and diverse as the wild animals. They are also known as The Mountains of Life. This is due to the diversity of fauna and flora they contain. Since 2011, they have been protected as a wilderness.
The area faces increasing pressures due to unsustainable wildlife trapping and hunting, mining and logging, and land encroachment for agricultural expansion. All of these factors threaten the unique ecosystem.
Lucy said: ‘More wild places need to be protected and I hope that this expedition will make people more aware of this. [I hope it will] inspire and encourage more people to get outside because it has so much to offer.’
The Kanukus, as diverse and dangerous as they are, have been designated a protected wilderness since 2011. Since 2011, they have been protected as a wilderness.
What did she discover about herself from the trip and how can it help her?
Lucy added: ‘I discovered just how adaptable I can be. I’ve done these extreme expeditions before, but this was different. The realization dawned on me that I was also a great optimist. When I made the decision to go for it, it was an enormous undertaking. No one thought it was possible or that we would even come back, but then on top of that I didn’t just have one role, I was the expedition leader, the navigator and the filmmaker. Throughout it all, I’m proud that I kept my cool and smile – even when it got super-brutal.’
Visit Lucy’s website at www.lucy-shepherd.com.