Lost in the Amazon
by Stephen Kirkpatrick & Marlo Carter Kirkpatrick
Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005, 230 pp.

I have no desire to visit the Amazon in person, especially after reading Steve Kirkpatrick's harrowing true story of surviving a 1995 nightmare trip through the Amazonian jungle.

Two Americans (Steve and Darcy) along with three Peruvians (Esteban, Mario and Ashuco) set out to explore the jungle and get Steve some rare jungle photos. The poorly-planned excursion into an area that averages more than an inch of rain a day quickly turned into a mere struggle for survival, especially after their dugout was hit by a boat and they lost most of their supplies and equipment.

Kirkpatrick's Peruvian guide Ashuco comes across as the hero of the story, a guide devoted to bringing Steve to safety regardless of any risks to himself. Some of the other expedition members don't fare quite as well in comparison, but they were all united by staring their mortality in the face as the unforgiving jungle threatened to engulf them forever.

Lost in the Amazon is inspiring and well-worth the read.

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