Back in February I posted a story about two British explorers, Levison Wood and Simon Clarke, who had announced plans to walk the length of the Nile River, something that has never been done before. Since then, the expedition has received a great deal more attention and while no official start date has been announced yet, the two mean are gearing up to begin their journey later this year.Earlier today, Explorers Web posted an interview with Wood which shares a few more details about the team's plans. He talks about how he and Clarke met (both soldiers stationed in Iraq), their experience as guides and what precautions they're taking for their upcoming adventure. He also discusses some logistics and inspirations for the journey, which will be quite the challenge.
The expedition will commence at the source of the Nile River, located along one of the tributaries in the dense forests of Rwanda. From there, Wood and Clarke will proceed more than 4250 miles (6839 km) to the sea, crossing through Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, The Sudan, and Egypt in the process. They are estimating that it will take approximately 12 months to finish the source-to-sea trek.
At the moment, the two men are reportedly in Sudan and South Sudan exploring part of the route ahead of their start sometime this summer. When they finish up that work, they'll likely head home to London for the final gear prep before setting out. But one of the biggest hurdles they still face is fund raising to help them get the expedition off the ground. With that challenge still ahead of them, they continue to ask for support through their Kickstarter page.
Good luck to Levison and Simon on this epic adventure. It certainly will be one to keep an eye on in the months ahead.
