At the Mercy of the River: An Exploration of the Last African Wilderness

by Peter Stark

Even in this age of extreme sports and made-for-TV survival games, there still exist places on earth where the most intrepid among us can plunge into truly unknown territory. The acclaimed adventure writer Peter Stark had waited all his life for just such an opportunity. But when he was invited to Africa to join a small expedition kayaking down Mozambique’s Lugenda River, he balked. The 750-kilometer rivercourse was largely uncharted–dotted with rapids, waterfalls, and home to deadly crocodiles and hippos; two of his four travel companions were not skilled kayakers; and he had a family to think of, (not to mention that at forty-eight, he himself was feeling a bit old for the life untamed). Suppressing inner doubts and driven by that most human of urges–to see what lies beyond the next bend–Stark signed on for the adventure of a lifetime.

At the Mercy of the River is Stark’s harrowing, insightful account of this venture into the unknown. “Why,” he muses between capsizes in the Lugenda’s croc-infested waters, “are humans compelled to explore?” The expedition’s five distinct–and sometimes clashing–personalities provide individual answers to that question.

Equipped with only the most rudimentary comforts and lacking the customary explorer’s gun, the party encounters breathtaking natural splendor, rich wildlife, and villages little affected by modern life. Ever aware that they are following in the metaphorical footsteps of great explorers of the past–Vasco da Gama, Mungo Park, Ibn Battuta, David Livingstone, and other men of adventure who bridged Africa and the West–Stark shares these explorers’ stories with us, finding a common thread linking his experience with theirs. Using their accounts, his travails on the Lugenda River, and the insights of wilderness philosophers such as Henry David Thoreau, Stark attempts to understand the very nature of “exploration” while pondering the question, Where will we go when our wilderness vanishes?

At the Mercy of the River is at turns inspiring, heart-thumping, and even amusing. But most of all, it is a riveting adventure story for a time when adventure is in danger of losing its meaning.

Genres: Travel, Africa, Adventure, Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Mozambique

352 pages, Hardcover

First published June 28, 2005

Reviews

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's all here: the theater of expedition personnel, showcase of animals and the unknown, and physical hardship. Wow. Read the whole thing in driving snow for two days—a true armchair adventure best enjoyed by a warm fire.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another great mix of travel and history as Stark and his companions cultivate their ego's in their pseudo-first exploration of a wild river. Boldly honest in his revelations of his fears, anxiety, and demeanor throughout the 15 days of travel over, around, and in the river and its cataracts. Good pics of the participants throughout including some nice color shots of the river. We again meet Rousseau, Walden, and Leopold as well as numerous Portuguese and British explorers from the ages in their quest to "discover" what all the local people called home. Five people( three Americans and two South Africans) take the trip and their group cohesion is interesting reading. Stark doesn't like the way the white South Africans condescend to blacks. The woman who organized the expedition starts out being too bossy and has to defer to the experienced guide from South Africa. This guy is an interesting leader and they were lucky to have him. Stark was the oldest person at 48 in the group and sometimes he whines a little too much but he writes a great tale and he deserves to whine, he earned the right.

[Philip Monroe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good quick read with its details on their kayak trip down the Lugenda River (first known full descent) in N. Mozambique. Interspersed with trip details (Crocs, hippos, cataracts and crashes) Stark gives parallel histories of other explorers who also pursued (and often died for) crazy ideas of exploring the continent.

Unlike some reviewers, I found Stark's honest telling of his fears, neuroses, petty thoughts, existential angst to be fairly accurate. Instead of whiny (okay there was certainly some of that), I think his internal dialogue is actually pretty realistic for most. I know my own travel to faraway places has led me to feel the absoluteness of a place, my smallness, my mulling over why I am even there. I often find myself torn between being with family and having the experience I am having. Probably most explorers do the same even though few record those thoughts.

[D.R. Oestreicher · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lugenda River travels northeast through northern Mozambique from near the southern end of Lake Malawi (near the Malawi border) to the Tanzania border in the north. You might be thinking, "I've never heard of any of these places." You'd be right and in good company.

At the Mercy of the River by Peter Stark is a adventure memoir of the first Europeans to travel the length of this river. Well the first ones in recent history. Or the first ones who published a book, or at least the first ones to publish a book in English.

This book is a wonderful introduction to Mozambique, though it jumps from historic times to daily adventures, and the mixes internal dialogue with river-running excitement. This can be distracting at times.

For more see: http://1book42day.blogspot.com/2015/0...

[Michael Weston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Experience living and travelling in Africa, while it will make this book come even more alive, is not necessary. The adventure that Peter Stark outlines, though, just might want to make you an adventurer in Africa or closer to home. A home grown tale of a trip travelling down a river, there is ample surprise and comfort in the pace of the journey. I read this book during a dull fall, and it felt like I was on vacation while reading it. Parts of the adventure were also quite comical and light hearted, all while following in the footsteps of the legendary explorers of western explorers. If you like it, paddle it.

[Duane Meeter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author describes his struggles with fear of danger, tension with expedition leaders and hair-raising encounters with rapids, while making connections with explorers and philosophers of nature in the past.

[Mark Malaby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfectly good book. I found myself skipping the historical stuff at the end so I could see how the expedition turned out. Did they ever discover what Paul Connelly was up to behind them????

[Courtney McDaniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not the most exciting outdoor adventure story, I really liked the combination of history, adventure, and discussion of “unexplored” places.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Peter Stark was invited to join a kayaking expedition down the Lugenda River in Mozambique, organized by Cherri Briggs, an American woman who owned an adventure-travel company in Botswana. The trip was supposed to be the first descent of the river, 750 kilometers, which they hoped to travel in five weeks. Three other men were planning to go and it was to be Peter’s job as a magazine journalist to document the trip. The group had no idea what they would find. They had been told there were no rapids, which turned out to be very untrue. They knew they would encounter hippos and crocodiles and who knew what else along the way. His better judgment told him not to go; he was 48 years old and had a wife and two children and not a lot of experience in the wilderness, but his urge to explore got the best of him and he signed on for the trip. The journey was strenuous and the five personalities involved clashed many times. Peter would have preferred a more leisurely pace, but the crew had heard that someone else was following behind them, and the desire to be the first ones to travel the whole river kept pushing them on. By the time they reached the end of the river, Stark was pretty tired of the whole thing, and as a reader, I was beginning to feel the same way. One thing that makes this more than the story of a kayak trip down a river is that Stark attempts to understand the mind of the explorer. He includes some fascinating stories about others who have explored Africa, from the Phoenicians and Egyptians to David Livingstone. In the end, Stark was glad that he had made the trip, and I am glad that I read the book.

[Elderberrywine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first "recorded" decent of the Lugenda River into Mozambique - with organizer Cherri and her brother Steve (from Phoenix AZ!), South American blokes Clinton and Rod, and our illustrious author. As usual, Stark's seamless mixture of travel/adventure/historical/philosophical writing is impeccable and enthralling.

I think Clinton's pep talk as they start off sums it up nicely.

"Okay," Clinton called out to the four of us gathered around the kayaks. "Before we go, here's the safety talk. The front person paddles, the rear person steers. If your boat hits an object such as a log, don't lean away from it, lean into it. If a hippo bumps your boat just once, keep paddling. If a hippo knocks over your boat, swim away from it. Forget about the paddle, forget about the boat, just get away from it. It wants the boat, not you. If a hippo knocks you over and a croc bites you, you're having a bad day. If a croc swims at you and you're in your boat, wait for it and hit it away with your paddle. If a croc bites your boat, hit seven colors of shit out of it. If you're knocked into the water and there's a croc about, try to get on top of your boat. If you can't get on top of it, wrap your arms and legs around the boat from underneath. You don't want them dangling down."

We all good?

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author is tapped to be the chronicler of what is billed as the first trip down the Lugenda river from source to where it joins the Rovuma River. The Lugenda river is in northern Mozambique running north to the Tanzanian border. The book is part travel log of their journey and part discussion of the early explorers and what drove them. In this case, the group is 4 men and 1 woman (who is the one who organized the trip) and their mode of transport is the kayak.
I enjoyed this on a number of fronts. First, having done some river canoeing, albeit in VERY different circumstances, it was enjoyable to read their experiences on the river describing rapids and drops. Secondly, from having spent time in northern Mozambique with my church group, I enjoyed the accounts of their few contacts with the Makua and Makonde people not to mention the references to Pemba, a city on the seacoast where I spent most of my time. The accounts of the early explorers were interesting to read as well. But by the end of the book, the lengthy accounts of what drives people to wilderness situations along with the tensions between the 5 travelers was getting a bit tedious and I wanted the trip to be over. All in all, the enjoyment outweighed the frustrations and I'm glad I read it.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book! The author tagged along with some experienced river kayakers to write about their adventures as they descended the length of the Lugenda River in Mozambique. They believe they are the first people to do so. He jumped back and forth between their current expedition and other discovery expeditions of Africa over the years, exploring the mindsets of various explorers and the true reasons behind their journeys. (The most common reasons were colonization, evangelism and the hope of finding great riches!) He & his group certainly had enough dangerous and exciting encounters to have devoted the entire book just to their trip but he did a great job of seamlessly weaving together the past with the present. I held my breath along with them to see what was around each bend of the river!

[Colin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok... to be fair I didn't finish this book, it was better that I didn't spend any more time on it though, because it was not that great of a read to begin with. Why?... well, the descriptions of what the author encounters on his adventure becomes a stale monotonous task. A set of rapids... and then a calm stretch... rapids, calmp, hippo, fisherman,rapids,calm....bllaaaaaa. Then to compound that, the author lets you in on his internal struggle to find a reason why the hell he is taking this trip to begin with, which immediately makes me wonder why the hell I am reading his book.
It is partially saved by the interjection of historical voyages of early explorers facing the African unknown.

[Kami · Rating 3 out of 5]

A writer who kayaks and a group of four other adventurers paddle down an unexplored river, challenged by rapids, rocks, and wild animals. The action scenes are well-described. The group dynamic commentary might be a little thick. Peter Stark does a good job of exploring the question of why we explore, and the ups and downs that come with the process. Lots of historical explorers cited, giving this one story of adventure some context and weight. Easily skimmed- there's some plot, but it's nothing you'd miss if you missed a few pages.

[Shawna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had the potential to be great, but the author complains so much throughout the book about his companions, that he made it unpleasant. Stark describes his descent via kayak down an African river, previously unexplored (by whites) African river with three other men and one woman. The description of the wilderness was good.

[Alek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just not all too adventurous for an adventure book. Perhaps I've already read most of the best, but this one just seemed as though the author was trying too hard and really forcing something that just wasn't there.
Loaded with much great and historical fact though, however I found this to be only distacting from something that was already suffering.

[Wayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Next time you kayak down an African river, watch out for hippos. That's all I have to say.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting adventure read with history of explorers in Africa throughout.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glad to experience Africa vicariously thru this book. I wouldn't like to do this for real.