The biggest challenge
Looking at this journey, the over 2000km that I have now covered by land and sea. The constant changing climate, terrain , temperature, the relentless onslaught of the insects found here, all of these put massive strain on one and slowly and quietly eat away at one physically and mentally. All the time slowly chipping away at you’re resolve, your inner strength, keep pushing you closer and closer to breaking point. This is what surviving a journey like this does to one.
I still think that there is a portion of a journey that no one sees, no one understands. The part that is the cause of over 90% of projects like this fail, or never get off the ground. The portion that no one can help you with, only your self belief and drive to accomplish what you have set out to do literally pulls you through.
I find that I am mentally exhausted from it before I even take my first step of a journey, the Planning, preparation setting up support, funding and managing the project on the move, keeping every thing on target with regards to media, funding and most of all everyone involved has to be kept motivated.
The planning stage takes up to 2 years of never ending meetings that normally end in rejection and most of the time you are ridiculed for even thinking that you can achieve this crazy dream. I fine that this really spurs me on to prove that I CAN.
The most difficult part for me is day in and day out, in some of the most remote places on this planet with limited resources , some times not even enough to keep myself going, still I have to make a plan to keep the media flow going , make a plan to keep the footage ,blogs, pics getting out. When there is no electricity for weeks, cellular signal can only found by climbing a tree or mountain with a laptop and cell phone for a blue tooth connection to your phone. This is often after I have spent 10 hours on the road, after 40 km of hell scrambling trough jungles not even having time to eat, because suddenly someone needs a picture urgently .I have to maintain lines of communication and keep them flowing. Keep the project growing if it stagnates it will fail as the ultimate objective is to create enough awareness that the fundraising target is met.
I often lie awake in my tent at night too tied to actually sleep I think of how a simple problem like a one hour power failure can spin people out at home.
“If you’re having a bad day at the office, come and share my desk for a week”.
