Kayaks down the Nile Author:John M. Goddard Goddard considers his exploration of the Nile his greatest accomplishment. With two French explorer friends and in kayaks--conveyances associated with the Arctic rather than the equator--he traversed 4,145 miles of river: the world's longest. — Nearly drowned in a cataract, attacked by bull hippos and vicious wild dogs, almost buried alive in a s... more »andstorm, scorched by the sun, shot at by Egyptian river pirates, stoned by a mob of hostile Arabs, ravaged by malaria and Dysentery and by a most dreaded disease--schistosomiasis--Goddard survived them all, and, after completing his Nile journey, propelled himself toward new experiences and new opportunities for learning.
He does not believe in adventure for adventure's sake. An anthropologist, Goddard is tuned in to humanity. Wherever he travels, he reports people as basically the same the world over and supports his claim with the facts. "Digging out the facts is the real challenge," he says. "The adventure, though, is exciting and enjoyable."
Recipient of the 1978 Encyclopedia Britannica's Gold Medal of the Year Award for Exploration, Goddard has also been acclaimed by critics throughout the country and by the Adventurers Club of America as one of the "outstanding American explorers."
Here, in journal entries made at the time of his epic Nile expedition, is his story of Kayaks Down the Nile« less