Episode 216: Charlie Reynolds, Pirate Stuff (Part Two)

Episode 216 of The Adventure Podcast is Part Two of the conversation with Charlie Reynolds. If you've not listened to the first half, go back to episode 215. We start this episode where we left off, on a canoe in the waves after a brutal storm. Matt and Charlie continue unpacking his extraordinary journey, and several near misses, through South America. They dig into what those moments taught Charlie about instinct, trust, risk, and why some of his most meaningful insights came from silence rather than adrenaline. Charlie speaks openly about the emotional crash that followed his expedition. The hollow feeling of coming home, how identity becomes intertwined with extreme experiences, and why the aftermath can sometimes be the hardest to navigate. It's an episode packed full of adventure - from crossing an abandoned railway bridge with a no-fall zone, to accidentally befriending illegal gold miners, being robbed at knifepoint while camped in the mountains, and spending hours stuck in volcanic mud between two enormous Ecuadorian volcanoes - its a ride and a half. If Part 1 was about the catalyst that launched him, Part 2 is the proof that once Charlie started chasing uncertainty, the world kept handing him more.

Chapter Breakdown

00:00:00-00:05:00: Charlie arrives exhausted in Bogotá, sleeps for days, and rebuilds his bike setup before launching into the second half of the journey.

00:12:50-00:15:25: He describes arriving in Colombia soaked, gear ruined.

00:22:07-00:24:50: Charlie tells Matt about riding across a terrifying abandoned railway viaduct - narrow, unsupported, rattling, and suspended high above a Colombian river.

00:31:04-00:33:51: He recounts being approached by armed miners who ended up asking for drone shots, following him on Instagram, and turning what could have been a dangerous situation into a strangely wholesome encounter.

00:34:14-00:36:35: Riding south, he meets Diego, who gives him a list of spicy routes, including one that would become one of his biggest “struggle-fests” of the whole expedition.

00:36:35-00:38:35: Charlie explains the notorious volcanic mud route.

00:40:15-00:42:33: He describes camping in freezing marshland beneath Chimborazo, eating frozen tuna-rice for breakfast, and spending hours trying to haul his 200kg bike up a slope.

00:46:04-00:48:28: With an injured leg and almost no energy, Charlie sends a single InReach message home.

00:49:52-00:52:14: He recounts being robbed by men who spent hours at his tent demanding money.

00:59:38-01:01:32: A detour with a friend ends in them burying a rental car deep in a canyon

01:07:16-01:08:24: As he reaches southern South America, the adventure becomes less intense, but not less meaningful.

01:08:42-01:11:47: Worried about losing momentum and returning to rent-paying normality, Charlie impulsively buys an old expedition truck in Quebec and limps it across North America with almost no money.

01:11:47-End; Charlie reflects on how the journey has rewired him.

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