Lost: A Photo Expedition's Desperate Battle for Survival in the Amazon Jungle

Desperate, divorced, with collection agencies breathing down his neck, freelance photographer Kirkpatrick, in a last ditch effort to salvage his career and, perhaps, himself, in 1995 makes a trip to the Peruvian Amazon. Things quickly go awry—faulty maps, appalling conditions, recalcitrant porters and plain bad luck combine to put Kirkpatrick and his party near death. Lost in the dense jungle with a ragtag band of gringo adventurers and native guides, Kirkpatrick manages to capture the prey he had come to find: photographs. Then, exposed to the environment's unrelenting moisture, his cameras go bad and subsequently his film is tragically lost in the river. Twelve days later, Kirkpatrick emerges from the jungle battered, bloodied and starving, but alive. The author, a devout Christian, pulls no punches as to who's responsible for his safe return. At each crisis, Kirkpatrick turns to prayer for guidance. Alone in the forest, in a blinding rainstorm, exhausted, filthy, injured, he scribbles in his notebook, "I have to be realistic. Christians die just like everyone else." His tone isn't preachy; it merely reflects one man's deep faith. The narrative has a crude, immediate feel, which for this small story is just enough. Photos. (July 14)