Amazing adventurers (A2)

Amazing adventurers

Do you ever dream about climbing Mount Everest or visiting Antarctica? If so, you’re not alone. Every year, thousands of people try to climb the world’s highest mountains or walk across continents. Let’s take a look at some of the 21st century’s greatest adventurers.

Amazon adventurer

Ed Stafford from the UK is the first person to walk along the Amazon River from the mountains of Peru to the mouth of the river in Brazil. His amazing journey took two years and four months. There are many dangerous animals in the rainforest, like snakes and crocodiles, but Ed was lucky; he was only bitten by ants and mosquitoes. On his trip, Ed had to find fruit and nuts or catch fish each morning. Sometimes food was hard to find and Ed was often tired and hungry.

Technology was very important for Ed. He used a radio to ask the people of the rainforest for food and help. Many people came to meet him and guide him through the rainforest. While he walked, Ed wrote a blog to tell the world about climate change and destruction of the rainforest.

A mountain climber

Did you know that more than 4,000 people have climbed Everest? Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner from Austria is one of them. She is one of the world’s greatest climbers and has climbed all the world’s mountains over 8,000 metres. It’s very difficult to climb in cold weather and storms, but Gerlinde loves it. She started climbing as a teenager in the mountains near her home. When she left school she became a nurse but always went climbing in her free time. Now she spends her time climbing and helping a charity for poor children in Nepal.

More than one adventure

Some adventurers are always looking for a new challenge. Meagan McGrath from Canada has climbed mountains, ridden a bike across Canada and run races in the desert. But her most incredible journey was a skiing trip to the South Pole. As she skied, Meagan pulled a sledge with a tent and all her food. She skied through terrible storms and freezing temperatures for forty days till she arrived at the South Pole.

Erik Weihenmayer from the United States has climbed mountains and ridden a bike through deserts. Amazingly, Erik is blind and he wants other blind people to have active lives too. He has taken groups of young blind people climbing in Nepal.

Where next?

Technology is a big help for adventurers but the world is still a dangerous place and it’s very important to prepare well. If you dream of being an adventurer, there will always be continents to walk across and mountains to climb!