Polish Explorer Planning Trans-South American Expedition via The Amazon

Polish explorer Marcin Gienieczko has announced a bold new expedition that will get underway on May 1 of this year. The adventurous photographer and journalist intends to cross South America by bike, canoe, and on foot, with his route that will take him to the very heart of the Amazon Rainforest and along the mightiest river on the planet.

Marcin is calling his expedition the Solo Amazon (site in Polish and Spanish), and he will begin the journey with a 750 km (466 mile) bike ride from Lima, Peru to the small town of San Francisco. From there, he'll begin an epic canoe journey that will eventually cover more than 6130 km (3809 miles) beginning at the Apurimac River and the very headwaters of the Amazon itself. He'll then proceed downstream to the Enge, Tambo, and Ucayali before paddling out onto the Amazon. He'll follow the river until he reaches Belem in Brazil, at which time he'll complete his journey to the Atlantic Ocean on foot, running all the way while carrying the Polish flag.

Passionate about photography and exploration, Marcin is no stranger to long distance adventures. His previous expeditions have taken him down the Yukon River in Alaska and the Lena River in Siberian Russia, as well as several other long distance floats in those locations, as well as Canada. In 2009 he even crossed Siberia on foot in temperatures that routinely plummeted to -50ºC/-58ºF. Crossing South America will be an entirely different challenge however, as the unique environments of the Amazon will create obstacles that he hasn't seen on his previous journeys.

While the expedition is called "Solo Amazon," Marcin will have a guide for part of the excursion. In the most dangerous section of the trip – when he'll be passing through a region mainly under the control of drug lords – he'll be joined by Gadiel "Cho" Sanchez Rivera, who accompanied Ed Stafford on his historic expedition to cross the Amazon on foot a few years back. Cho has become the "go-to" guide in the Amazon since those days, and he'll help lead Marcin through some perilous parts of the route.

Marcin says that he is looking forward to the start of the expedition, although he knows that it will be a physical and mental challenge. The journey will be a long and difficult one, but his past experience will help him survive in the wilds of South America. We'll see how he fares when he gets underway in a few months time.

Good luck Marcin!

Aconcagua Speed Record Update: Kilian Turns Back in High Winds

On Friday, I posted the news that Kilian Jornet had launched his attempt to set a speed record on Aconcagua, the tallest peak in South America at 6962 meters (22,841 ft) in height. At the time, I mentioned that it might be awhile before we heard anything about his progress, and the success of failure of this attempt. It turns out it wasn't as long as we had hoped, as news was posted later in the day that the mountain runner had turned back due to high winds.

According to updates from Kilian's Facebook page, the Spanish endurance runner got as high as 6500 meters (21,235 ft) before turning around. He was reportedly making good time on his summit bid, but began experiencing high winds that exceeded 90 km/h (56 mph), which made it extremely difficult for him to continue upwards. When you're on a mountain like Aconcagua, those kinds of winds speeds can be very dangerous, particularly when you're traveling as light and fast as Kilian was.

The high winds didn't come completely by surprise. When Kilian announced that he was making his speed attempt, he mentioned that the weather wasn't as good as he'd like, specifically mentioning that the winds could be a problem. Of course, discretion is the better part of valor, and it was a wise move for him to turn back. According to the post on his Facebook page, he will try again soon, possibly as early as today or tomorrow depending on conditions.

Aconcagua is the latest in Kilian's Summits of My Life project, during which he has set speed records on other peaks, including Kilimanjaro, Mont Blanc, and Denali. On Aconcagua, he is hoping to break the old record, set by Jorge Egocheaga in 2011, of 15 hours and 5 minutes. If all goes according to schedule, he'll also be traveling to Nepal in the spring to attempt a speed record on Everest as well.

I'll be watching Kilian's social media outlets over the next few days to see when he starts his second attempt at this record. After having a couple of days back in Base Camp to rest, he is probably watching the weather forecasts at the moment, and waiting for his next opportunity. I'll post updates as I hear anything.

Video: All You Need is Ecuador

While we're on the subject of Ecuador, some tourism officials shared this video from the "All You Need is Ecuador" travel campaign that the country has been running. It'll give you a nice glimpse of what the place is all about, and what I'll be up to over the next few days. I hope you enjoy.

Video: A 4K Timelapse Adventure Through Argentina

If you haven't had your daily escape to foreign lands just yet, than this video will be a welcome respite from the grind. It is a wonderful timelapse journey through Argentina, with some amazing shots of that country's breathtaking landscapes. It is just under three-minutes in length, but still manages to pack in plenty of lovely imagery to keep you inspired to travel to Argentina yourself, and go seeking your own adventures there.

Argentina - A 4K Timelapse Adventure from Justin Majeczky on Vimeo.

Video: The Beautiful Ride - A Motorcycle Journey Through South America

When filmmaker Jason Spafford decided to ride his motorcycle across South America, passing through Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia in the process, he brought his GoPro camera and a DJI Phantom drone along to capture some of the fun. The result is this beautiful short film that provides us with an amazing glimpse of the wild landscapes that he encountered along the way. Simply beautiful.

SOUTH AMERICA - THE BEAUTIFUL RIDE from jason Spafford on Vimeo.