Into the Amazon..... on PBS recently...Am American Experience Presentation. The journey on the River of Doubt by Teddy Roosevelt after his presidency. The trip nearly killed him. My wife said she would never complain about a portage again ( I should make her sign a statement)

It is quite a story.

dr bob

The book is a great read, one of my favorites.

I read one of the books o his amazon trip and it was unreal and how tough they were. Worth reading.

They don't make them like Teddy anymore. One heck of President for the Outdoors,public land etc.

I had a friend of mine who was a Two Star Army General mainly in the field and one of the best we had in Vietnam etc.. He went on a cruise trip up the Amazon after retiring and the wildness etc was too much for him ,the Amazon is truly wild and spooky in my standards.
Yes Quetico and the BWCA is a piece of cake.

boondock: "The book is a great read, one of my favorites."

i just finished it, epic, unreal journey!

DrBobDerrig: "Into the Amazon..... on PBS recently...Am American Experience Presentation. The journey on the River of Doubt by Teddy Roosevelt after his presidency. The trip nearly killed him. My wife said she would never complain about a portage again ( I should make her sign a statement)

It is quite a story.

dr bob"

It is available for streaming on the PBS website if anyone is looking for it.

I've watched this a couple of times in the last few weeks. His son Kermit went with him and probably saved his life. This got me interested in finding out more about Teddy's sons. Every single son saw combat in the following years.

Kermit fought in WWI and again in WWII. He had a drinking problem and committed suicide in Alaska during the war.

Quentin was a fighter pilot in WWI and was killed in a mission over German lines.

Archie fought in WWI and was wounded in the left knee. He was medically discharged and disabled from his wound. He joined the military again in WWII and was wounded and disabled again in the same knee. The only soldier in the US Army to be disabled twice in two world wars from wounds to the same spot.

Teddy Junior fought in WWI and was a general in WWII. He landed with the first wave on D Day on Utah beach. He had command of the beach and led his men to victory that day. He died of a heart attach a month later in France and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously. He had a son Quentin who was a captain and also landed with the first wave on Utah beach.

After the war, a reported asked Gen. Omar Bradley what the most courageous action that he ever saw during the war and without hesitation he stated, "Ted Roosevelt leading the troops on D Day."

Theodore Roosevelt was an amazing man and raised some amazing sons.

The story of Theodor Roosevelt is an amazing one. A brilliant mind, and (eventually) a tough body. This country owes a lot to him for his foresight on public lands and open spaces. I'm glad he's on Mt Rushmore.

Saw the PBS special and last year read River of Doubt. I think Rondon was a rockstar.

I have "River of Doubt" on audio book. Interesting man who was rather sickly and puny as a youth but after some words from his father he aggressively embraced physical fitness and became quite a specimen.

Very patriotic with a clear and unwavering sense of what was right (freedom / liberty) and the strength and courage of conviction to take action which put himself in harms way. We have a very different breed, for the most part, coming out of our centers of higher education these days. I wonder if they even talk about Teddy Roosevelt in these institutions anymore? And if they do how do they frame him (white American imperialist perhaps? )

boondock: "The book is a great read, one of my favorites."

+1

Excellent PBS program. The audiobook would ease the long hours of solo driving.

Jaywalker: "Saw the PBS special and last year read River of Doubt. I think Rondon was a rockstar. "

Yes he was... lived to a ripe old age. Looked to be about as tall as Cliff Jacobson.

dr bob

Just read the book. Makes trips to WCCP, Wabakimi and Quetico look like going to the Holiday Inn. Men were men. What would they think of where society is today?

Please don't overlook that the misery all endured was the direct result of T.R.'s ego and hubris in changing the route at the last minute and a complete lack of competent planning. Two axioms apply here, "prior planning prevents poor performance" and "own d**n fault".

just the portage to the stupid river with all that stuff...
I was wondering how this thread came back to the top.

dr bob