I have read a couple of
books on adventures, notably, Edmund Hillary’s ‘View from the Summit’, Reinhold
Messner’s ‘The crystal Horizon, Lewis Pugh’s ‘Achieving the Impossible etc. but
the only book which forced me to write a review is Theodore Roosevelt’s journey
to chart an unmapped river at Amazon Basin ‘The River of Doubt’.
The book was authored by
Candice Millard and first published in 2005.
Theodore Roosevelt or Teddy
(even though he hates it) Roosevelt is well known for being one of the greatest
orator, the youngest president of USA and was the first president to receive
secret service protection but the other side of him was known very little to
the outside world. He was a naturalist, explorer and a great lover of outdoors.
As a child he was supposedly a loner, someone who falls sick very often. To
overcome his sickness he would often take up difficult physical challenges. He
was also taking up myriad physical challenges whenever he experiences severe
setbacks.
After bitter defeat in the
presidential elections, Roosevelt instead of retiring at his estate at Sagamore
Hill preferred to take up a physical challenge once again. Having met his
travel companions and other like-minded souls including Roosevelt’s son Kermit
they set off to explore the virgin forests of South America.
After an arousing welcome
by the Brazilian government Roosevelt embarked on a speaking tour all over
Brazil. On completion of the speaking tour Roosevelt was offered to be
accompanied by Brazilian naturalist Candido Rondon who later went on to become
one of the greatest explorer and military man in Brazil’s history.
Roosevelt having heard about
the river of doubt insisted on the expedition down the river with Candido Rondon
much to the shock of the other members of the expedition.
Candido Rondon was
commissioned as an Army engineer with the Telegraphic commission. He was in
charge of laying the telegraphic lines from Brazil to Bolivia and Peru through
the rain forests. He named the river as ‘River of doubt’ as the source of its
river could not be located. During this time he was in contact with several
hostile Indian tribes and vociferously fought for their rights. He was the
first director of Brazil’s Indian
Protection Bureau.
After a series of planning
and discussion the expedition commenced with a huge team of comrades (who are
responsible for carrying the supplies). It was supposed to be a two month long
expedition along an uncharted river which had grave dangers at every inch.
During the expedition many baggage
were left behind to cut the heavy load and members who were unfit were sent
back so that they don’t mess up with the other members of the expedition.
A beautiful friendship
developed between the members of the expedition. During the expedition
Roosevelt was neither arrogant nor demanded any perks of being a past
president. He & Rondon led the expedition from the front and ensured that
every member maintained strict discipline and worked as per the expedition’s
rules & regulations.
Throughout the expedition
the members were facing grave dangers in the form of Poisonous snakes,
infectious insects, deadly piranha’s, incessant rains, violent river rapids and
threat by the Indian Tribes.
Indian tribes were known to
be brutal and killed everyone who by-pass their territory.
The way the expedition
members were getting over river rapids, losing the dugouts in the rapids and building
them again & again deserves to be mentioned here. In the forests,
especially on expeditions in charting rivers losing dugouts and canoes can
prove to be very expensive.
On every rapid crossing the
dugouts were either washed away or the members themselves were immersed in the
danger of being swept away. The members would often lose the dugouts and every
time the arduous task of building dugouts would take place amongst incessant
rains and high fevers.
Just merely reading through
the lines made me imagine how difficult the expedition would have been.
Roosevelt admired Candido
Rondon & the comrades of their skills in building dugouts and carrying
rations & supplies under the most testing circumstances.
Roosevelt strictly abided
by the rules of the expedition. At one point of time he becomes very sick that
he was carried by the other members and his health was continuously monitored.
He literally gave up and suggested that he be left behind to die in the forest
so that the other members could carry on with the expedition.
How Roosevelt endured the
journey forms the crux of the story.
While every members of the
expedition would often succumb to sickness Candido Rondon had an iron man’s
gut. He ensured that the spirit of the expedition is not defeated and single
handedly ensured that the expedition successfully fulfills its purpose.
Roosevelt carried with him
the attitude of mind over body and the rigidness which every military man has.
He was a no nonsense guy. Embarking on relaxed & comfortable tours like his
peers was not his cup of tea. While the
members of the power corridors were busy grooming their children to take over
their legacies Roosevelt taught his children to swim in the oceans, shoot
elephants, skin hare’s and embrace nature.
Had he been aware of the
existence of Mount Everest Roosevelt would have attempted it way before the
British Reconnaissance expeditions in the early 1920’s. His sheer will power
would have driven him to bag the summit. Even though Mount Everest was closed
to outsiders from the South side through Nepal Roosevelt would have used his
diplomatic skills to ensure that he was allowed to climb the mountain.
The book is a must read for
those who travel & adventure. The toughness involved in the expedition
forced me to write a review. I may not have deciphered about the book properly
in this blog but I can guarantee that you will never keep the book down once
you start reading.
Cheers,
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| The Expedition pic that went viral throughout the world |
