Nicholas Laughlin's blog etc.

A 43-year-old Guyanese adventurer, mountaineer and nature lover will travel to the North Ridge of Mount Roraima to photograph its beauty for the publication of a book.

Rafel Downes will leave Georgetown for Region Eight (Potaro/Siparuni) on October 21 to take the photographs which he hopes will capture and highlight the beauty of the North Ridge, displaying its unexplored wilderness.

After stopping at Waipa, Ireng River in Region Eight, Downes will move on foot into Region Seven en route to the mountain. Navigating using GPS charted routes, he expects to be at the mountain face on November 1 at the Brazil/Guyana border....

His ground-breaking solo climb to the top is expected to be arduous, but achievable using the route that he has scouted and practised. He will be moving with high tech lightweight equipment that will not encumber him.

Downes' food will be predominantly pumpkin seeds and water. He has been practising the diet for the past three months and has developed his physical strength to suit his needs.

-- From a story in today's Stabroek News. Hasn't Roraima been climbed from the Guyanese side just twice before?