EXPEDITION: THE LAST DESCENT

​Dates: November – December 2017

​Duration: 35 days

​Distance: ~800 km (500 miles)

​Route: Lake Tana to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

​Craft: Whitewater paddleboards and support rafts

​Team: Charlie Head, Ben Peters, Jake Miczulski, Sanne Hilbrich, Cole Wells, Galen Barker, Walker Royston, Ross Cooper, Matt Robinson, Chloe Edwards

Two men on a body of water with hills in the background, one is in the foreground holding a paddle and the other is standing on a paddleboard with a paddle raised.

The journey was filmed for The Last Descent documentary and formed the core of a school education program developed by Ben Peters. The curriculum connected directly with classrooms across Bristol and North Somerset to follow the expedition in real time, exploring river ecology, local communities, and the environmental impacts of major dam infrastructure.

Two men standing and speaking at an indoor event, one holding a microphone, with a colorful school-themed bulletin board in the background.
A school assembly with students seated on the floor watching a stage where two men are seated, one with a microphone speaking. The backdrop displays a colorful poster for a September themed event, and there are teachers and students seated around in a gymnasium decorated with banners and posters.

​A 35-day river expedition descending the Blue Nile through Ethiopia, completed just prior to the reservoir flooding of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Undertaken on paddleboards alongside support rafts and a dedicated river guide crew, the descent documented the original river corridor before the landscape was altered.

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Two men taking a selfie with a large group of smiling children outdoors, with trees and a green building in the background.