West was born and raised in Texas and found his love of water at an early age. He was heavily involved in the water sports scene in Austin for years, organizing cleanups, races, etc. However, it wasn’t until his first trip out of the county, at the age of 46, that West decided to pursue an enormous expedition, paddle the entire length of the Amazon River.  This led West to organize The 2012 National Geographic Amazon Express Expedition, which was his first expedition. It started at the newly discovered/confirmed source of the Amazon, which added almost 100 miles to the river and after 111 days, they made it to the Atlantic Ocean, 75 miles east of Belem, Brazil. West is also the first to kayak Europe's longest river 2200 mile Volga River in Russia. In 2020 he and his group will be the first to kayak the entire Northwest Passage - 1,900 miles across the Canadian Arctic Archipelago with the “Arctic Cowboys”. Check out his new book in the link below! westhansen.com FB: @westhansenexpeditions  Insta: @westhansenexpeditions Documentary: "Peeled Faces on the Amazon: The Story of the Amazon Express."  New Book!: The Amazon From Source to Sea Try CS Instant Coffee for 50% off your first order for the months of September and October only! Go to csinstant.coffee and use the code "ADVENTURE" at checkout. Get 20% off your Roam wallets and silicone rings at wheredoyouroam.com using code “Podcast” (case sensitive) at checkout. @roamproducts Ombraz fix what frustrates you about sunglasses. Completely armless, Ombraz attach directly to a built-in cord that keeps the sunnies securely and comfortably in place.  For every pair sold, they plant 20 trees. Find out more at ombraz.com/products/classics Support the Adventure Sports Podcast by giving as low as $1/month to our efforts to produce this show at patreon.com/AdventureSportsPodcast Call and leave us a voicemail at 812-MAIL-POD or 812-624-5763 or send an email to info@adventuresportspodcast.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/adventure-sports-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy