Running the Amazon

After reaching (via a goat trail) a glacial trickle above 17,000 feet--debatably the farthest source of the Amazon--the team descends to a point where kayaks can be deployed. From there the trip entails kayaking through one of the nastiest white-water canyons on the planet, a stretch of water that has previously claimed the lives or quickly halted the plans of all who attempted to conquer it; navigating an unmapped gorge known affectionately as the Abyss; sneaking through the "Red Zone," an area closed to foreigners and occupied by the notorious Shining Path rebels; and, finally, paddling to the Atlantic by sea kayak through 3,000 miles of hot jungle.

Hired initially to chronicle the project from dry land, Kane quickly assumes a more integral role as a much-needed paddler, and as such he is able to provide vivid, first-hand descriptions of the treacherous water encountered. But in many ways the water is the least imposing obstacle to success. Along the way the team is beset by financial difficulties, a crisis of leadership, attacks from armed rebels, and the defection of team members. Kane's account of this six-month ordeal is much more than a travelogue of athletic endeavor--it's a fascinating portrait of the planning, politics, and personal struggles involved in mounting a modern-day expedition through a vast expanse of largely uncharted territory.

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All Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Modern day adventure, 2008-05-28
I enjoyed this book & felt I learned a lot about the heart of South America - mainly Peru, Columbia & Brazil. If you are into white-water sports then there is no doubt this is a 5 star book. I enjoyed it but to me it was a good 4 star book. I found the first half of the book dragged a little more, it was more about getting the expedition started, some bickering amongst team members & making slow progress in the incredibly dangerous terrain of Peru.

In the second half of the book the core team remains & the story does a better job of explaining the countryside (riverside) & the interesting people they meet along the way. Joe & his partner's earned their fame on this adventure - 6 months of abusing yourself physically & mentally. One thing Joe Kane does a little better than most is takes a couple pages at the end & tells you where most of the people from the story end up in later years - I wish most authors would do that. If you like Canoe / Kayaking stories don't miss this one.




0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

AWESOME BOOK! I'D RATE IT MORE THAN A 5 IF I COULD!, 2008-01-14
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. This is not the type of book I generally read but I found it after I searched for a book on the Amazon and an authentic book on what it's like to be there.

I'm almost done with the book, and it's one I don't want to put down, and certainly don't want to end. It's been very real, has made me feel what it was like to be on a real Amazon adventure.


0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

The real story, 2007-12-08
Kane's book is the masterpiece with only truly authentic record of that glorious first trip.It is very compelling reading especially for those who have rafted or have a sense of adventure.Real pioneering adventure.Ben Kozel's rates a close second but they did not raft the Abyss.Who can blame them.


0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Good good good, 2007-04-21
One of the top adventure books I have read. Great descriptions of whitewater hell as well as political manueverings in the group. Best kayaking book yet.


1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

A Classic in adventure writing, 2007-02-18
Even though this adventure happened over 20 years ago, it's still worth a read.

Like other reviewers have already stated, this was a very ill-matched expedition. The wrong people were leaders. There was poor and no planning and I suspect, mismanagement of the money each participant had paid. (Kane paid $7000). The potpouri of participants just goes to show that you can't conduct a river expedition for exploration, adventure, excitement, recording, documenting and science. It's just too much to focus on at once when the river provides for all the dangers one could imagine. The Lewis and Clark expedition realized the same thing 180 years earlier: it's impossible to both chart a new river and conduct science projects AND record the journey AND ward off "savages" all at the same time. The Roosevelt expedition wasn't any luckier.

Kane does an excellent job describing the journey, from the hike up to the Amazon source to the day-to-day river adventures. Scenes of black outs after near-drowning experiences are heart-pounding. Visuals of the river as just as descriptive. Arguments between the Alpha members allow for personal opinion of each participant. This story is not just about the six months of paddling and rafting, but also about the human-to-human conflicts of very different people and how they interact in and after crisis after crisis after crisis.

The writing is rock solid. Each chapter is a prelude to the next. This is my second read of the Amazon (the previous one was "The River of Doubt" about Theodore Roosevelt's trip down the Amazon in 1913) and I am convinced that the Amazon and its tributaries are not worth the agony and defeat that whitewater thrill seekers want. I have no desire to visit the Amazon, no desire to experience the water in any way.

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