Author(s): Will Chaffey

Travel Writing

Will Chaffey was 18 when he boarded a plane in New York bound for Australia. Though he had recently graduated from one of Boston's most prestigious private schools, a disastrous senior year meant that he hadn't been accepted into college. Instead, he took what the college counsellors grimly called "time off". Despite having no idea what he wanted to do with the rest of his life, Will had a plan for the next six months: to get as far away as possible from the dark New England winter and the stifling expectations of college and career. In Australia, Will met an enigmatic herpetologist and wanderer called Geoff. Together they formulated a plan to walk from the headwaters of the Prince Regent River to the falls of the King Cascade on the north-west coast of Western Australia â a hazardous journey never before attempted by white men. Trekking through a harsh and seductive landscape, their expedition turned into a life-and-death struggle when the boat they expected to collect them at King Cascade never arrived. Stranded in the wildest of places and running out of supplies, Will was transformed in ways he could never have anticipated.