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This is the story of one of Britain's greatest living explorers, who has undertaken more than 100 expeditions over the past 50 years to far-flung corners of the world for the purposes of scientific research and community aid... and that story starts in Jersey.
John Blashford-Snell CBE's achievements include undertaking the first descent of the Blue Nile in 1968 at the behest the Emperor of Ethiopia, driving a pair of land rovers from Alaska to Cape Horn, through the infamous Darien Gap in 1971/72, and navigating almost all the 2,700 miles of the great Zaire (now Congo) River between 1975 an 1974.
The Colonel, who attended Victoria College, has also encouraged thousands of young people to get involved in exploration as the founder of Operation Raleigh, now Raleigh International, a charity which sends people between 17-24 to every part of the globe to undertake community aid.
Sir Ranulph Fiennes, the great Antarctic explorer said of him: "Very few explorers have inspired so many. Join Blashers and you will age slowly…Col John Blashford-Snell: one of the last of his kind. Give the man a knighthood."
Colonel John Blashford-Snell will be giving a talk at the Royal Jersey Showground on the 24 February to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Darien Gap Expedition. To purchase tickets, you can click HERE.
Ahead of that talk, Express got a flavour of some of the stories he'll be sharing in the latest episode of the Bailiwick Podcast...
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