Setting out with two fellow kayakers, Darcy Gaechter celebrated her 35th birthday on a 148-day kayaking journey paddling the Amazon River. Her book, Amazon Woman: Facing Fears, Chasing Dreams, and a Quest to Kayak the Largest River from Source to Sea, recounts her heart-pounding adventure. Gaechter now leads expeditions in the continental U.S., Alaska, Ecuador, Bhutan, Nepal, and Kenya. She is also a speaker with the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies. Gaechter says her kayaking career started following high school.