I came across the story on this adventure in my Facebook newsfeed from the BBC.
Everything about this walk fascinates me. This man, Paul Salopek, a journalist is going to walk from Ethiopia to the southern tip of Chili. He is tracing human migration that took tens of thousands of years in what is estimated to take 7 years. Although there will be some twitter activity, one of his goals is to slow things down - from the digitally enhanced gotta-have-it-now race to report things. It should be a fascinating persepective.
He left on January 10th.
The history of this adventure engages me but the walking is what really sparked my interest. My bucket list (which I should post here someday) includes a multi day walking adventure. I love running and - as you know - I'm currently training for some running and biking events but walking and I go way back.
I've always enjoyed walking. The fitness aspect was only part of it though. I've always liked the idea of slowing things down and being able to see more. You can walk the same routes that you might run, bike or travel in a car and you'll notice way more when you walk. A 7 year journey wasn't quite what I had in mind for myself but I'd love to work up to something that lasts for days or weeks. A year would be awesome. But I don't have National Geographic and others sponsoring me so I'll have to settle for something that will fit into a vacation time slot from work.
At present, it's just an idea in my head (a recurring one). Some day I'll put some purpose to it and make it happen. For now, I'll follow Mr. Salopek's journey. I'll probably post here periodically about it. Stay tuned.
Have you ever seen 'The Way' - an independent film by Emilio Estevez starring Martin Sheen? It chronicles his walk of the El camino de Santiago. It made me want to do the same thing...someday. IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1441912/
ReplyDeleteSomeday I'd like to do a trip walking along Hadrian's Wall in England. It's an 84 mile trail with lots of beautiful country views and history.
ReplyDeleteKT - it looks like the "The Way" was also a book. I'm going to see if I can find it.
ReplyDeleteCaroline - I'm goign to look up Haridan's Wall. And / or you can tell me about it next time we run together :)