This website illuminates my life and adventures. My longing for freedom has led me to over 2600 of the world’s 3978 provinces, to every country on earth and to the summit of the highest peak on each continent (thank heaven for good weather!). In my travels, I learned to respect the intelligence and ingenuity of people of all races and callings both past and present. Come see the world as I see it: as a peaceful place, full of nature and beauty. With the right spirit and intent, we can make our world a virtual Garden of Eden.
DISTINCTIONS: BBC 2017 Travel Pioneer • Journal Articles • Explorer’s Club Flag Expeditions
World Parks Project • Walk Across South America • Jeff Shea Travel Map
Sri Lanka, Matale Prov, Sirigaya Rock Fortress
Vietnam, Quang Ngai Prov, Purple Hat
Azerbaijan, Baki Prov, Early Morning Train
Slovenia, Slovenska Bistrica Prov, Quarry
Cambodia, Stueng Traeng Prov, Basket Vendor
Seram, Poisonous Snake Whose Head I Unwittingly Stepped On, 2006 - On my last day in the forest of Seram on my Search For The Little People 2006 expedition, me and my three guides from Mosso were walking from Kanikeh to Jalan Lintas, or, the Asphalt Road, via Roho. It was a long day. We started walking at about 10 a.m. and arrived at about 930 p.m. on the side of the road. Midday, I was in the lead when I heard a sound. I turned around. Memet, the lead guide, was slashing about with his parang (i.e., machete). He cut this snake in three pieces. Memet, Edi and Saiful all agreed that this snake was so poisonous that if I had been bitten, I would have been dead within an hour unless I'd been given the anetedote: little likelihood out here in the middle of nowhere. They said I was lucky to step on its head - it couldn't bite. Had I stepped on its tail, it would have been a different story, and I would be history.
Thailand, Sa Kaeo Prov, Temple Reconstruction
Myanmar, Unknown Prov, Water Scene
USA, Alaska, Jeff Shea On Denali Summit, 1993 - I climbed Denali, that is, Mount McKinley, with Fred Zalokar and Sean Crom of Reno, Nevada. Denali is the highest peak in North America. It was the third of the Seven Summits that I climbed. We were up and down off the mountain in nine days. Fred and Sean were ultra-marathon runners. Sean was rated as one of the top twenty in the world, maintaining a pace of about 6 minutes per mile for 100 kilometers. Fred had qualified for the Olympic marathon when he was younger. Sean and Fred summited a day earlier than I did. Sean came back to climb it a second time with me, but he was descending while I was still trudging up the final summit slope. I reached the summit alone. While Denali is difficult because of the potential for horrendous storms, when I arrived on top, the air was so still, I could have lit a match.
Venezuela, Mesa Area, 1993 - In the area around Angle Falls in the south of Venezuela, there are enormous mesas (tables in Spanish) and an expansive geography.