Sebastian Snow
Encyclopedia
Sebastian Edward Farquharson Snow, (January 21, 1929 – April 20, 2001), born in Midhurst
, Sussex
, was an eccentric English
adventurer who became the first person to travel the length of the Amazon River
.
Educated at Eton
, Snow was exempted from the National Service
on account of a sports injury and began his travels at age 22.
This was in 1951, when Snow went on his first expedition to South America
, after having answered an advertisement in The Times
to join a hydrological
survey of the sourcewaters of the Amazon. With John Brown, he was eventually able to prove that the Ninococha ("Child Lake"), a glacier lake, flowed into the Marañón
, the Amazon's most voluminous tributary
. This was not groundbreaking news, however, since the Ninococha's being the ultimate source of the Amazon
was something that previous French explorers to the region had posited on good evidence. Thus, Snow and Brown merely confirmed empirically what was already widely believed by geographers. Nevertheless, this expedition remained Snow's chief claim to fame during his lifetime.
Beginning in 1973 in the Argentinian
city of Ushuaia
, Snow set out to walk the length of the Americas
, from Patagonia
to Alaska
along the Pan-American Highway
, a distance of approximately 15,000 miles. His travel companion during the grueling and dangerous traversal of the Darien Gap
was a young Canadian, Wade Davis
, later to become famous in his own right as an ethnobotanist and author. Severe health problems forced him to take a hiatus shortly after crossing the Darien Gap, but a few months later Snow resumed his journey from the precise point at which it had been interrupted, in Costa Rica
. However, Snow never completed this second half of his journey, giving up only a few weeks after having started.
Snow's other adventures included motorcycling
through Lapland, traveling on foot through much of the Middle East
, and climbing Chimborazo
, Cotopaxi
, and Sangay
.
Midhurst
Midhurst is a market town and civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England, with a population of 4,889 in 2001. The town is situated on the River Rother and is home to the ruin of the Tudor Cowdray House and the stately Victorian Cowdray Park...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, was an eccentric English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
adventurer who became the first person to travel the length of the Amazon River
Amazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
.
Educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, Snow was exempted from the National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
on account of a sports injury and began his travels at age 22.
This was in 1951, when Snow went on his first expedition to South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, after having answered an advertisement in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
to join a hydrological
Hydrology
Hydrology is the study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water on Earth and other planets, including the hydrologic cycle, water resources and environmental watershed sustainability...
survey of the sourcewaters of the Amazon. With John Brown, he was eventually able to prove that the Ninococha ("Child Lake"), a glacier lake, flowed into the Marañón
Marañón River
The Marañón River rises about 160 km to the northeast of Lima, Peru, flows through a deeply-eroded Andean valley in a northwesterly direction, along the eastern base of the Cordillera of the Andes, as far as 5 degrees 36' southern latitude; then it makes a great bend to the northeast, and...
, the Amazon's most voluminous tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
. This was not groundbreaking news, however, since the Ninococha's being the ultimate source of the Amazon
Amazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
was something that previous French explorers to the region had posited on good evidence. Thus, Snow and Brown merely confirmed empirically what was already widely believed by geographers. Nevertheless, this expedition remained Snow's chief claim to fame during his lifetime.
Beginning in 1973 in the Argentinian
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
city of Ushuaia
Ushuaia
Ushuaia may refer to the following:*Ushuaia, a city in Argentina.**Ushuaia Department, an administrative division**Ushuaia River**Ushuaia International Airport**Colegio Nacional de Ushuaia, National School of Ushuaia....
, Snow set out to walk the length of the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, from Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
to Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
along the Pan-American Highway
Pan-American Highway
The Pan-American Highway is a network of roads measuring about in total length. Except for an rainforest break, called the Darién Gap, the road links the mainland nations of the Americas in a connected highway system. According to Guinness World Records, the Pan-American Highway is the world's...
, a distance of approximately 15,000 miles. His travel companion during the grueling and dangerous traversal of the Darien Gap
Darién Gap
The Darién Gap is a large swath of undeveloped swampland and forest separating Panama's Darién Province in Central America from Colombia in South America. It measures just over long and about wide. Roadbuilding through this area is expensive, and the environmental toll is steep. Political...
was a young Canadian, Wade Davis
Wade Davis
Edmund Wade Davis is a Canadian anthropologist, ethnobotanist, author and photographer whose work has focused on worldwide indigenous cultures, especially in North and South America and particularly involving the traditional uses and beliefs associated with psychoactive plants...
, later to become famous in his own right as an ethnobotanist and author. Severe health problems forced him to take a hiatus shortly after crossing the Darien Gap, but a few months later Snow resumed his journey from the precise point at which it had been interrupted, in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
. However, Snow never completed this second half of his journey, giving up only a few weeks after having started.
Snow's other adventures included motorcycling
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
through Lapland, traveling on foot through much of the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, and climbing Chimborazo
Chimborazo (volcano)
Chimborazo is a currently inactive stratovolcano located in the Cordillera Occidental range of the Andes. Its last known eruption is believed to have occurred around 550 AD....
, Cotopaxi
Cotopaxi
Cotopaxi is a stratovolcano in the Andes Mountains, located about south of Quito, Ecuador, South America. It is the second highest summit in the country, reaching a height of...
, and Sangay
Sangay
Sangay is a constantly active stratovolcano in central Ecuador. It is the southernmost and most active volcano in the country, and is known for its explosive venting of thick ash clouds, which has built a dome since 1976.-See also:...
.
Travel Books
- My Amazon Adventure, describes his 1952-3 exploration of the Amazon BasinAmazon BasinThe Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
. - The Rucksack Man, describes his walk from PatagoniaPatagoniaPatagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
to Costa RicaCosta RicaCosta Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
. - Half a Dozen of the Other, describes six of his other South American expeditions.