“ What stands out is the friendships I ’ ve made along the way . I frequently changed sports from kayaking to paragliding to kite surfing and mountaineering to mountain biking .”
“ What stands out is the friendships I ’ ve made along the way . I frequently changed sports from kayaking to paragliding to kite surfing and mountaineering to mountain biking .”
A LIFE OF ADVENTURE
Making movies or being a part of them , I paddled on the Indus in Pakistan for a movie for a French and American adventure channel shot back in those days on 16mm . I also snapped up another award from the BBC , The Mick Burke Award , administered by the Royal Geographical Society again in honour of another death . This BBC cameraman had died on Chris Bonnington ’ s 1975 Everest expedition .
The award opened the way for the second descent of the Zambezi – now a multi-million dollar rafting operation under Victoria Falls . Other exciting rivers included the Colca Canyon , the deepest in South America , the Blue Nile ( another river only previously conquered by Mike Jones ), the Omo River in Ethiopia and the White Nile in Uganda , not to mention many rivers the width of Nepal , Tibet and Myanmar .
With a life of adventure , my approach to risk is metered with good preparation and being a grateful part of wonderful teams . On all trips , what stands out is the friendships I ’ ve made along the way and the shared memories . I frequently changed sports from kayaking to paragliding to kite surfing and mountaineering to mountain biking .
Deferred gratification and meeting struggles are important to achieving long-lasting happiness and satisfaction . Quick-fix pleasures have not been the panacea but rather the challenge with a sense of effort . Unfortunately , as the decades have unfolded , I ’ ve witnessed the consumption and need for more material goods as the driving force behind so many people ’ s time .
TWO NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES
I have only had two near-death experiences on a river in 40 years . The first was going backwards down a syphon – lucky to have broad shoulders and the strength when needed , not to go down and to be pulled out by a friend ’ s throw rope – quick reactions by the friend while on a local river in Cumbria – error : overconfidence and too relaxed .