It’s all about bike rides these days. In much the same flavour as the Tour d’Afrique and quite coincidently Flightless: Incredible Journeys Without Leaving the Ground has just been published by Lonely Planet. This anthology is all about journeys that didn’t happen to include a trip in an airplane. It’s a great collection of stories from such luminaries as Lonely Planet founder Tony Wheeler, adventure writing legend Jon Krakauer (Into the Wild, Into Thin Air, Under the Banner of Heaven) and Rory Stewart (The Places in between) who walked solo across Afghanistan in 2002. The title also happens to include a story written by yours truly.
It’s a real honour to be included in the same binding as these authors, and 22 others, who have written inspirational, insightful and epically readable tales of adventure. Riding across the USA on a Harley, walking around the world, Baghdad to Basra by train after the fall of Sadam, Bangkok to Brighton on a Tuk-Tuk… They are all in there.
As for my contribution, I’ll give you a taste…
Excerpt from So Close, Yet So far by Scott Kennedy
It’s a real honour to be included in the same binding as these authors, and 22 others, who have written inspirational, insightful and epically readable tales of adventure. Riding across the USA on a Harley, walking around the world, Baghdad to Basra by train after the fall of Sadam, Bangkok to Brighton on a Tuk-Tuk… They are all in there.
As for my contribution, I’ll give you a taste…
Excerpt from So Close, Yet So far by Scott Kennedy
As the situation moved more into focus my mind wandered between the rational thoughts of doing what I needed to do and the overwhelming urge to cry out in panic. I was near hypothermic, 90km from home, completely under equipped for the conditions and utterly alone. Through the overwhelming cold one emotion raced through my mind like a runaway train. Fear began to fill the crevices of my conscious thought. I was absolutely scared shitless I was going to die right there.
My story is about a perhaps an ill conceived idea of riding my bike from my house to the mountains, going on a mountaineering adventure and then returning home the way I came. Oh yeah and it was all self contained, ie. Big pack, mountaineering boots, crampons, ice axe - all transported by bike and I was alone, solo from door to door. It was a great adventure to say the least – full of interesting twists and turns along the way – I won’t give away too much, but suffice to say, I live in the end…
To order copies of the book, follow this link: http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/Primary/Product/Hot_Off_the_Press/PRD_PRD_2683/Flightless+Incredible+Journeys+Without+Leaving+the+Ground.jsp;ODLPSID=LrY1Pd3qv1KpQL3kpd18nvLgnHZV5TlZZQ3hLnBG5H82NffnynkZ!989657827!-428416610?ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395181057&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302029881&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441765941&bmUID=1219188927971
It’s a great book and well worth checking out,
Cheers,
SK
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