Mystery of the Nile - Softcover

Bangs, Richard And Pasquale Scaturro

3.67

85 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1840244844 ISBN 13: 9781840244847

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2005

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Many explorers have attempted to run the entire length of the magnificent Nile River over the last century, but until 2004, none succeeded. At least a dozen died trying. Since 1964, three explorers have been shot, two drowned, and another disappeared. This thrilling, page-turning story is an account of the greatest geographical expedition of our time - the first complete descent of the Nile. From its source in Ethiopia, through Sudan and Egypt to the Mediterranean, the renowned adventurer Pasquale Scaturro completed the epic journey in 114 days, travelling 3,250 miles by raft and kayak. He and his team faced seemingly insurmountable challenges: attacks by man-eating crocodiles, arrests by militia, gunfire from bandits, extreme temperatures, exhaustion and near-drownings as they ran perilous rapids. He details his historic quest in a breathtaking tale that includes the history of conquering the Nile and the story of the friendships and tragedies that led to the expedition.

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About the Author:

Richard Bangs is the author of The Lost River, for which he was awarded the National Outdoor Book Award. A founder of Mountain Travel Sobek, an interational adventure-travel firm, he has written more than five hundred magazine articles, fourteen books and has produced several award winning documentaries. Pasquale Scaturro is a renowned geophysicist and adventurer. In 2001 he led the National Federation for the Blind Everest Expedition that broke four Himalayan climbing records. In 2004 he became the first person to complete a successful descent of the Nile. Scaturro lives in Colorado, where he heads Exploration Specialists International, which leads expeditions around the globe.

From School Library Journal:

Adult/High School–In a beautifully integrated confluence of story lines, Bangs combines a historian's reflections on the passing terrain and its ancient civilizations with a contemporary adventurer's riveting account of transiting one of the planet's most extreme environments. From a small sacred pool in the Ethiopian highlands to where the river flows into the Mediterranean over 3200 miles away, the water-borne expedition not only had to navigate Class IV to VI rapids, but also to overcome tropical disease and encounters with armed guerrillas, man-eating crocodiles, sandstorms, and political barriers. The expedition's initial stage involved an ambitious IMAX filming project, which was followed by a core team's effort to complete the record-setting descent of the Blue Nile, traveling past Khartoum, through Sudan, and ultimately to Egypt in 114 days. Scaturro, geophysicist and experienced mountaineer/river explorer who led the venture, kept a journal that forms the basis for the book, and Brown, world-class kayaker, served also as cameraman. With telling detail, this book captures many levels of drama, conveying with insight and a sense of immediacy leadership challenges, logistical crises, and split-second decision-making, as well as reflections on large-scale issues such as environmental consequences of redirecting the flow of the Nile for power-generation schemes. The volume contains two black-and-white maps and a 16-page insert of color photographs, which are key to illuminating the sheer enormity of the undertaking.–Lynn Nutwell, Fairfax City Regional Library, VA
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