In 2012, an international group of explorers, led by Texan, West Hansen, launched an expedition from the newly discovered most distant source of the Amazon River high in the Andes Mountains. Hundreds of miles from what was previously believed to be the most distant source, this location was fairly uncharted, with only a single kayaker having successfully paddling the new head water river, the Mantaro prior to this expedition. To cover the first unknown and treacherous 500 miles safely, the expedition pulled together a team of renowned white water experts from Mexico, Peru, Chile and the USA to assure a safe descent. Once out of the dangerous canyons, the team switched gears for the formidable 3800 mile kayak from the Peruvian cloud forests, rife with defensive tribes and offensive narcotraffickers, to the massive Amazon River delta in Brazil, with its famous tidal surges and mangrove swamps that offered no refuge. All told, the expedition members paddled almost 4200 miles in 111 days to become the first expedition to paddle the entire Amazon River from its most distant source to the sea. It wasn't easy.