View Full Version : North tip of trail to south america
theoutsider
02-14-2007, 23:27
I finalized my travel plans today. I am starting in May at the North end of the trail, going to the south end, then taking trails all of the way down to the southern tip of south america. after that, then who knows?
Anyway, I am wondering if anyone out there is going in reverse also (North to South) and would someone to start with at least. Keep me posted!
Appalachian Tater
02-15-2007, 21:26
You will die if you attempt the Darien Gap. Take a boat around it.
Jack Tarlin
02-15-2007, 21:28
Wait ten minutes.....
Some damned fool will undoubtedly come on-line and tell him it's safe to ford it! :D
freefall
02-15-2007, 21:38
Wait ten minutes.....
Some damned fool will undoubtedly come on-line and tell him it's safe to ford it! :D
Whaddya mean? it ain't?
.....not what I heard......
:D
exactly 10 minutes!
Appalachian Tater
02-15-2007, 21:39
The guerillas will kill him if he doesn't die of disease or being eaten by animals. Most people who try it usually just disappear and no one knows how they died because their remains are never found.
Appalachian Tater
02-15-2007, 21:41
Well, apparently it IS possible:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darien_Gap#History
but I still wouldn't try it.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
02-15-2007, 21:44
It has been done on motorcycles, but I still would not try it.
What is your plan for this area, theoutsider?
freefall
02-15-2007, 21:47
The Darién Gap is well known for being full of Africanized honey bees (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africanized_bee) that sting in large numbers...
yeah, let's seem um go up against the black flies......:-?
they'd lose.
Carl Bushby went through there within the last couple of years, here is a link to his journal for Darien Gap, (http://goliath.mail2web.com/Journals/DarienGap.asp) decide for yourself
Carl Bushby went through there within the last couple of years, here is a link to his journal for Darien Gap, (http://goliath.mail2web.com/Journals/DarienGap.asp) decide for yourself
wow, what an awesome adventure. Thanks for the link
Cuppa Joe
02-16-2007, 09:01
I lived in Panama for 3 years, many years ago. Beautiful country, loved it, but you DO NOT mess with the government or step outside of your "comfort" zone. Justice, down there, is at the point of of a gun. I recall, one time, in Panama City, the civilized portion of the country a friend making a wrong turn on a one way street. The Guardia Nacional stopped him with a gun barrel pointed at the windshield and a firm "ALTO" shouted (meaning Stop).
"In country" would not be somewhere I would want to have to try to talk my way out of. Life is cheaper in those parts of the world. A lot of Americans who have not lived abroad cannot even begin to comprehend how cheap life is in other countries nor can it be explained with any degree of accuracy.
icemanat95
02-16-2007, 09:38
Good luck and be safe. Make sure you have plenty of hard currency for paying bribes. Pay attention to local intel. about guerillas, drug plantations etc.
The Solemates
02-16-2007, 09:52
Carl Bushby went through there within the last couple of years, here is a link to his journal for Darien Gap, (http://goliath.mail2web.com/Journals/DarienGap.asp) decide for yourself
why in the world would anyone want to put themselves through that is beyond me. interesting read.
why in the world would anyone want to put themselves through that is beyond me. interesting read.
I agree, didn't sound like a whole lot of fun to me, life on the edge:eek:
back to the initial proposal... ***..
What trails will your route be like through Mexico and on south?
vaporjourney
03-07-2007, 16:26
back to the initial proposal... ***..
What trails will your route be like through Mexico and on south?
I'd love to know the same thing. Also would like to see how you plan on getting across the southeast over to texas/mexico? I don't know of too many southern trails other than the Pinhoti and Ozark Trail.
vaporjourney
03-15-2007, 21:29
Carl Bushby went through there within the last couple of years, here is a link to his journal for Darien Gap, (http://goliath.mail2web.com/Journals/DarienGap.asp) decide for yourself
Thanks for posting that. I hadn't been to Bushbys site in a while, and had never read through the journals. His entry for January 21st 2001 was fantastic reading. The Columbian Police had to make him sign paperwork indicating that he knew that he was placing his life in extreme danger. Really strange reading him describe the event like walking into his own execution. I can't imagine how that must have felt. Also toward the end of the night, his description of the voracious mosquitos was an awesome read. This page should be essential reading for all members.
Great excerpt: Unlike the normal mosquito that will buzz around taking care in finding a spot to feed, and will avoid a swipe, Zancudo's just hit you like bullets and as soon as they make contact they drill and suck. Through your clothes, it doesn't matter to them. You wipe them like raindrops from your face and find yourself smeared in blood and dead insects. After a number of bites your skin, feels as though it's burning. I have so many bites now, and some are looking quite dodgy and turning septic.
WONDERWOMAN
03-15-2007, 23:33
I find it funny that people who hike the AT think his goal is "life on the edge". Most people I talk to think my upcoming NOBO hike is crazy. I recognize that the advice you are getting is right, but at the same time the goal appeals to me. I hope you speak Spanish and you live to tell your tale. I agree that this is one you can reconsider, or hike in sections after you have developed and paid for local contacts to guarantee your right of passage. I'm sure that there are Latin American angels out there. I would be one.