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Darien Gap
Per the UN refugee agency,about 133,000 people crossed the Gap last , almost all heading North and on foot. It sounds like something I will not be trying this year. Does any one have an idea how many bikers have tried and how many were successful, either direction?
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I have no idea re bikes, however the key statistic is how many people (overall) tried crossing versus how many succeeded.
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The number of riders who have made the attempt is quite small, but they're self-selected for delusional tendencies, willingness to suffer, and/or high states of preparedness--or all three. I'd wager that if an average thousand of us more rational, comfort-oriented and time-limited bikers tried, we'd all fail miserably. I know I would.
Refugees fleeing famine, war, political persecution or economic deprivation are highly motivated. I've spoken to some who made their way overland to the US from South America, and they're not like you or I. We "adventure motorcyclists" are not so rugged, and we're not so motivated. That's not a bad thing--it's just a simple fact. |
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Ed Culberson, Helge Pedersen, JD Smith are three that jump out at me. Ed and Helge have books about it.
If putting your bike in a canoe and pushing it through the neck-deep swamp while leeches and snakes etc enjoy your tender flesh, have at it. Seems to me Helge rode his bike less than 10 km total once truly in. The rest of the time, winching it up hills pushing it, while avoiding the swamp. Not bad to WALK, on a bike not so much. JD said he wouldn't do it again, and he took a 125 or something like that through a couple of years ago. Helge and Ed both took R80GS's through. A few others have done it, but not many. One team took 10 YEARS to do it with jeeps. Loads of stories out there. See books for Ed and Helge's stories. Ed Culberson: Obsessions Die Hard Helge Pedersen: 10 Years on 2 Wheels |
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