I braved jaguars and snakes to be first to conquer jungle
EXPLORER Lucy Shepherd has become the first person to complete a 253-mile trek through an uncharted part of the Amazon – without TV crews being a few feet away should anything go wrong.
In circumstances far more frightening than anything on I’m A Celebrity, Lucy, 29, dodged jaguars, swarms of wasps and venomous snakes as she tackled the neverbefore-attempted route through Guyana’s Kanuku mountains.
She reached the Brazilian border in just 50 days in the perilous eastto-west South American trek in what is thought to be one of the last unexplored wildernesses on Earth.
Lucy, from Henham, Suffolk, was accompanied by four indigenous brothers from an Amerindian tribe on the jungle-covered route, which started in Suriname.
The pioneering group crossed mountains up to 4,265ft high and tropical thicket with tree canopies so dense they went 17 days without seeing the sun.
Spiders
Hazards included caiman-infested rivers and at one stage they had to scramble up trees to escape a 500-strong herd of aggressive wild boars.
This was in addition to encounters with the largest venomous snake in South America, the bushmaster, and spiders bigger than a human head.
After completing her journey Lucy said: “I am exhausted – but elated.
“It was a dangerous but unimaginably rewarding journey and to see what we’ve achieved together as a team is just incredible.
“The spirit of everyone involved, from my team to the local villagers and farmers who shared their produce, has kept me buoyant throughout the challenge.
“To know I have witnessed the beauty of one of last remaining unexplored wildernesses on Earth is the reward that will stay with
me for ever.” The expedition was endorsed by the Scientific Exploration Society, which boasts Lucy as the youngest ever member of its council. She set out on September 24 from the Essequibo river, where her raft capsized in the rapids.
She says she clung to her rucksack to stay afloat.
She ate by foraging and fishing with a bow and arrow, and snacked on sardines and local maniok (a yuca-type tuber).
The Kanuku mountains are known locally as The Mountains Of Life because of the vast biodiversity in flora and fauna.
They have been protected since 2011 but remain under threat due to unsustainable hunting, logging, mining and forest clearing for agriculture.
Lucy’s expedition was completed to highlight the need for Protected Areas for wildlife in light of the extensive deforestation of the Amazon rainforest. She has been taking part in expeditions around the world for over a decade.
They have included scaling the Bolivian Andes and spending 10 weeks in glacial Svalbard, between Norway and the North Pole.
Lucy’s next plan is to face -40C temperatures during a trek through the Arctic next year.