Nearly four years after setting out from Buenos Aires, German paddler Freya Hoffmeister became the first person to circumnavigate South America in a kayak. The trip, which she completed Friday, took her to 13 countries along 15,000 miles of the South American coast.
Hoffmeister spent 857 days on the water, with breaks along the way for recuperating and trips home to Germany, . She took a clockwise route around the continent, through the Drake Passage, up the west coast, and through the Panama Canal, . Her 18-foot kayak sustained damaged at points, and she had to contend with the wind and current.
Thank God I am still alive, Hoffmeister upon completion of the expedition. Thanks to my family, thanks to my friends.
This wasnt Hoffmeisters first jaunt around a continent. In 2009, she completed an unassisted circumnavigation of Australia, becoming the first woman and second person to do so, . Along with kayaker Greg Stamer, Hoffmeister alsoset the record for the fastest-ever sea kayak trip around Iceland in 2007, making it in at 33 days.