When the stresses of a corporate environment got too much, Mike Boon decided to tackle the 3000 kilometres of the uncompromising Zambezi River, single-handedly, in a kayak. He was in for 100 days of paddling through war-torn countryside, boiling rapids and crocodile-infested waters, with the constant reminder that, when times got tough, he was in it alone. A man of contrasts - driven by lingering demons of his past and terrifying flashbacks - Mike embarked upon a process of reconciliation with himself, his continent and his world. Physically he was not unprepared for his adventure. An ex-air-borne soldier and elite 'Pathfinder', he was vastly experienced in surviving in the harsh African bush. He had also done his homework - civil war in Angola, aggressive crocodiles, landmines in Mozambique, illnesses like malaria, hepatitis and dysentery, political instability in Zimbabwe, possible attacks from carnivores, and some of the biggest, most treacherous rapids in the world. Going it alone was perhaps the greatest danger, and Mike knew that any mishap could lead to extreme difficulty or even death.