One Man Epic: Mission Sahara

[Fastgirl]

Yep the little nuggets at it again....this time in the fuck off hottest place on earth.

On September 15 2011, Tom Smitheringale will set off on a 2,500km Egyptian odyssey in an attempt to kayak Africa's mightiest waterway, the Nile, and then travel overland on camels with the Bedouin into the remotest corners of the hauntingly beautiful Western Desert revealing the cultural and historical richness of this little known and seldom visited area of Egypt.
This 3 month journey begins in the middle of the Nubian Desert on the Sudanese/Egyptian border at the historic World Heritage site of Abu Simbel. From here Tom will kayak the length of the Nile to the Great Pyramids of Cairo visiting all the 'must-see' cultural and historic sites along its riverbanks. The expedition then restarts in Upper Egypt at the historic City of Luxor where Tom will rendezvous with his camels and Bedouin guides before heading into the shifting sand dunes of the Western Desert where traditional lifestyles have remained unchanged for centuries. The team will trek an ancient caravan route through the desert visiting a network of Oasis on their way finishing the 1,300km journey close to the Libyan border at the Eden of the Western Desert, Siwa Oasis.
A unique and unforgettable journey of discovery and transformation through the land of the Pharaohs braving dust storms and suffocating heat in one of the harshest environments on the planet.

One Man Epic | Follow Tom Smitheringale, Australian Adventurer

This guy is just beyond words in dedication. I admire you greatley Tom...even after reading this:

My drop-dead gorgeous looks have made me an object of desire and fascination among local gay taxi drivers who regularly proposition me for a sex. One of them with wandering hands tried to tickle my loins but in his defense I was wearing a muumuu.

Im going to love following you through your pain, laughter and tears. Be kind to the camals...they kick apparently.

[Max Power]

That is brilliant!

[monsta]

bugger me! he's a glutten for punishment!
but fuck, good onya Tom, your a man to admire!

[Desmo]

Good lad!
I'll be sitting back, relaxing and reading this one from the sidelines mate

EDIT: What happened to the One Man Epic polar expedition website?

[OptiC]

Good luck mate! I know your determination and know you will be pushing your self to the limit once again!

All the best.

[Professor Redfern]

Calling Orson to make some sort of weight loss bet.


Well done Tom you are an utter nutter and we love it.


Any chance I can get you to endorse my upcoming plan of making a Death race? 20Km through deep Siberian snow( no snow shoes), 20km through the worlds densest Rainforrest(no Machete), 20km through the Loose sand of the Sahara or some such desert( no desert thongs) and 20km through Swap bog ( no nike air bog swaps). All with only 1 day rest between them for travel.

[brendanc]

Way to go Tom, good luck with this new epic we'll be cheering for you.

[malenko]

Dude, your gonna have the most epic stories when you hit 80 , atleast you dont have to deal with frostbite in this adventure haha

[Nickerz]

If youse can shift 2,500km big guy I can def shift this 5kg that just won't budge.

Keep on being everyone's inspiration eh?

[Fastgirl]

A little update from FB....



Taking my Epic 18X out for a test drive in the crocodile infested
waters of Lake Nasser below Abu Simbel Temple. Armed military escort
in the background, reserved and wary. They spoke to me in a tone a
psychiatrist would normally use to coax a suicidal jumper off the edge
of a bridge. And in that swift unstoppable way the die is cast. I had
crossed the line.

Dont forget, apart from doing this for shits n giggles (gotta have a few good stories to tell in the mental asylum) Toms raising funds for the Childrens Starlight Foundation. So go to his website to make a small OR large donationOne Man Epic | Follow Tom Smitheringale, Australian Adventurer

[rc_sam]

Awesome stuff.

[Guzziboy]

Looking forward to reading about Tom's progress on his latest adventure.

[Shortfuse]

All,

The latest from Tom is that his "Dr Seuss" expedition tent has been stolen by some...desert bandit. This was the same tent that he took on his last polar expedition and was signed with motivational and humourous text by supporters. To say he is a little pissed is an understatement. By his own admission, "I can eat all the pain they want to give me but when someone steals my stuff this really messes with my Zen." He now sleeps in the dirt.

One Man Epic | Follow Tom Smitheringale, Australian Adventurer

[shan]

Looks to me like all the time freezing in a tent heading north gave you some insperation to warm up
So yet again , its off for a walk. (cammel assisted )
Good luck, impressive stuff

[officer down]

Hi peeps

Greetings from the safe confines of the Sheraton Hotel in Luxor where I've upgraded from a patch of dirt to the Presidential Suite. Thanks for all your comments and I hope you're enjoying following the trip. Not sure if you've seen it but check out the latest video Dave put together.

One Man Epic: Mission Sahara on Vimeo

Back into the breach tomorrow.

Tight lines ya'll.

[-stealth-]

Good luck and stay safe

[Guzziboy]

The man machine is due to reach Cairo today, after around a 1200km paddle !!!

Makes the Avon descent sound physically easy ( yes I know, white water vs flat water and all that )

Awesome effort big fella.

[shan]

A cop here isn’t loved like a firefighter. The anger the sense of isolation and disgust people come to feel toward the police here is dead on.

Wow, who would have thought

[Spiff]

Really loving the writing style!
Hope there'll be some good news about Islam's VW (I have a soft spot for VWs) and Heba's fine.
godspeed!

[Guzziboy]

For those of you who have been waiting and waiting for Tom's latest update, the big man has just got out of a Libyan militia prison after 28 days inside - no doubt once he gets out of dodge and onto safer soils more details may come out.

How about the good people of PSB visit either the One man epic website, or the facebook page and send Tom some messages of support.