FAN FAVORITE: Teddy Roosevelt's Amazon Expedition | River of Doubt | 2

Against The Odds

Wondery

Cassie De Pecol, History, Society & Culture, Dolby, Mike Corey, Dolby Atmos, Atmos

4.7 • 7.2K Ratings

🗓️ 12 August 2025

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As Theodore Roosevelt’s expedition sets off down the River of Doubt, it doesn’t take long for the going to get rough. Their canoes are no match for the boiling rapids, forcing them to trek through an unforgiving jungle rife with insects, predators and disease. As their movement slows, their food supplies dwindle. Roosevelt’s son Kermit takes a bold risk to speed their progress . . . but the turbulent waters deliver more peril than he bargained for.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to Against the Odds early and ad-free right now.
0:05.6	Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.
0:14.3	Kermit Roosevelt paddles hard against the raging rapids.
0:22.6	He feels his muscles strain as he thrusts his oar into the river.
0:27.6	Water splashes over the sides of the canoe, soaking his clothing.
0:32.6	It's March 15th, 1914.
0:35.6	He's on an uncharted river in the Amazon Basin, known as the River of Doubt,
0:42.0	and his canoe is rapidly being swept toward a waterfall. In front of the canoe are two
0:48.6	Brazilian porters named Simplicio and Juo. Kermit and the men paddle furiously,
0:55.1	straining to keep the canoe from advancing any further in the water.
0:59.4	But he sees the edge of the falls moving closer and closer.
1:03.5	Turn into the current, then make for the shore. Quickly!
1:07.4	Kermit is 24 years old, and son of former president, Theodore Roosevelt.
1:13.3	Almost two months ago, Kermit and his father, along with a group of naturalists, explorers and porters,
1:20.2	set out from the remote telegraph station of Teperipone.
1:23.9	The goal of the expedition was to map this uncharted river through the Amazonian jungles of Brazil.
1:30.7	Kermit agreed to join, partly because he promised his mother he'd look after his father.
1:36.2	On top of that, he's a thrill seeker, never afraid to jump in head first when an opportunity for adventure presents itself.
1:44.3	But this time, he may have jumped too quickly.
1:48.1	Simplicio, paddle faster.
1:50.0	To the right, faster.
1:51.8	The expedition has been brutal.
	...

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