Karl Bushby, ex-paratrooper hails from Hull. For over ten years he has been on the road in a world record-breaking attempt to walk all the way back to the UK from the southern tip of South America: a breathtaking journey of approximately 36,000 miles, over four continents, through twenty-five countries, and through six deserts and over seven mountain ranges.
Determined to leave an unbroken trail of footprints all the way from Patagonia, Karl’s remarkable progress has so far got him into Russia. Unfortunately, due to a mixture of bureaucracy and climatic factors, at the moment he is only able to walk for three months per year when the rivers freeze over at the height of the Russian winter.
Refusing to head back to the UK in the down-time when he’s not walking (he insists that the only way he’ll return to the UK is on foot), Karl has been spending time in Mexico between expedition sessions, seeking fresh sponsorship whilst generating enough income to tide him over by doing motivational talks and educational presentations.
Having so far fought his way through some of the most challenging environments on earth, primarily in the form of The Darien Gap and The Bering Strait, Karl is certainly no stranger to finding himself ensconced in extraordinary situations. The video (part 1 of 4) details his trip accross the Bering Straits and gives a reallyy personal insight into why he’s on this journey. View the other parts.
Having kept detailed diaries of his many and varied experiences through South, Central and North America, he released a book entitled ‘Giant Steps’ in 2005 which served to raise the profile of his expedition to an even greater extent.
You can read more about this inspirational adventurer by visiting his website: www.odysseyxxi.com
The following exerts from an interview by Steve Rudd give you a flavour of the man.
Having spent many an hour lost in introspection, I can find numerous reasons why I believe I am driven to complete this task. However, if one steps back for a moment, away from being the centre of the Universe, you realise there is a larger game afoot. The question is not so much why I do what I do, but why we all do what we do. Ultimately our personal reasons seem to be lacking. They don’t justify the scale and magnitude of the motivation and drive expressed. In fact, most the time they make no sense at all.
The most commonly found or popular analogies to questions like, why a mountain was climbed, is ‘because it was there’ or ‘because we can’. Or William Herbert’s; “If you need to ask the question, perhaps you will not understand the answer”. True, most do not think for long before asking the question, it’s just a matter of fact they have not thought in any depth on this subject before asking. Ultimately, with a little contemplation we all know the reasons why. Or at least, if not truly grasping the literal meaning, we feel it. The answer has emotional connotations because it’s rooted deeply with in us. These examples are but a small part of a much larger facet of man. What I refer to as the odyssey of man.
Outside the humdrum daily activity of simply staying alive and raising offspring, there is a distinct collective pursuit, expressed by individuals in many different ways. From the cradle to the grave man is tormented by his beckoning horizons, never to rest. Be it the ‘M’ theory or a theory of economics, a rover touching down on the Martian surface, running the fastest mile, or the top of the highest mountain, it is the relentless conquest of our frontiers. It is, I believe, one of our most noble facets, that has dragged us kicking and screaming from the primitive savannah to the surface of other worlds. The greatest achievements we have made have been in pursuit of frontiers that lie tantalizingly just beyond our reach. We will always stay ahead of the curve, as long as we remain wide eyed, filled with wonder and restlessness. As we chase the next horizon a cascade of knowledge inadvertently ushers forth. At some point we all partake in the human odyssey, be it the story telling that harbours dreams and inspire the next generation, or the personal conquest of a frontier.
The earliest component was perhaps the most important. A believe in ones self and ones ability to overcome just about anything placed in ones path. With such a confident starting point the terrible void of resources can be overcome. Also, one is left with a beautifully simple plan by default.
In military circles there is a popular saying “the most stringent plan, will collapse on contact with the enemy”. Meaning, for our purposes, life will throw all kinds of unpredictable curve balls at you from all directions, and just when you think you have all your angles covered, very quickly things will unravel. Be ready for it. Also, the longer the time frame the greater the probability and range of the unexpected.
The solution is ‘flexibility’ or ‘fluidity’. These can be found in a simple plan. Any plan that is to survive the real world must be flexible. Able to adapt with changing circumstances. If you have developed a plan with a facet that is reliant on a single solution, and if that solution is not met, it endangers the overall scheme, then the plan is balanced on a knife edge. Keep hardened rules to a minimum. Seek the maximum number of options to solutions possible. Always thinking eggs and baskets.
My plan was largely based on my confidence in my ability to keep moving forward. It had to be, by the time I was to leave the UK and execute the plan I had less resources than I had when I began planning. I had no support of any kind and only about US$800 to my name. the expedition had no internal structure it was just me and the verbal well wishes of family and friends.
In deliberation, and regarding funding and support, father and me where confident that if I could make it as far as the US border my fortune would change. As we believed I would need to provide the blood sweat and tears to gain the confidence of others and show that the objective was achievable. I had a simple route plan we dubbed the route corridor. This was little more than a wide swath of possible routes within a region. I chose the path of least resistance, avoided the lore of seemingly more adventuress options for the case of simplicity. There would be sufficient adventure regardless. But when all told, this was about been able to get up and move each day and having the confidence to deal with all the details as they arise by adapting on the ground. Been so flexible, and been able to deal with the unexpected, means carrying more equipment. Anticipating a heavier load I designed a wheeled trolley, nick named the Beast, to help carry that weight. This would help prevent excessive ware and tare on knees and hips over long time frames.
Ebbs and flows. Living in past moments and experiences is how we plan for the future. We draw on the past to find the clues to help deal with the next party trick, whether consciously or sub-unconsciously. More so here, I think. Being back in a Latin culture, of course, takes me back to years past. I’ve been here in Melaque before. Six years ago I strolled into town on the way north and made friends. That has something to do with why I weighed anchor here again. Then there is the highway. It’s odd, but I have such a close, strange relationship with this dusty, bustling stretch of road: the Pan-American. It’s like meeting an old friend from long ago. Each stretch over the entire length of this continent has its own character and personality, and – for me – a unique set of memories and characteristics. There is an odd, comforting feeling standing on the ‘Pan-Am’, similar to the one you may expect to experience when arriving home after a long time away. I cannot travel along this road without one wary eye looking for a suitable tenting site, as in the good old days. So that’s why I think I’m drawn back to familiar territory.
Day One was about surviving the next ‘x’ number of years. Faced with great uncertainties for years to come, with no support, it was hard to envision anything much beyond not messing up big style. Most days revolved around finding something to eat and somewhere to sleep. Usually I was dusty, dirty and hungry, and it seems to me that I didn’t paint a particularly inspiring picture. As the years have gone by, I have received wonderful messages of support on the website from all over the world, lots from those who say the expedition has been an inspiration to their own lives. I find this humbling and yet very rewarding.
Getting out there and doing something can really change your life. The realisation of just how much you don’t know. The benefits that come from being willing to take that calculated risk. Believing in your own capabilities when others doubt you, and the importance of broadening your horizons. I cannot say I have learnt that much new about myself. After twelve years in the Army I knew just where my limits lay, what I could and could not do, and I had a fair idea about how I would perform under certain conditions. What I have really learnt about are other people. It may be fair to say that as a soldier we didn’t always see the best side of some people. In so many ways I have rediscovered my faith in humanity. It seems to me that I have met the best the world has to offer. From the poorest of the poor to the richest, and from individuals to governments, by far the vast majority helped me along the road at some point. It has been a real eye-opener. Beneath the thin veil of cultural differences, on a one-to-one basis, we are all exactly the same. The same wants, needs and hopes in life. It’s amazing, if not downright disastrous, how we lose that humanity and how it all goes horribly wrong when it comes to group-thinking. I have distanced myself from religions, or rather the horror and ignorance they seem to engender. I have also become increasingly concerned about our ability to achieve the collective goal of sustainability, with that aim being sabotaged by misdirection.
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- The Adventure of a Lifetime – Cycling, Walking and Mountaineering
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- Running 3200 miles barefoot – The ultimate marathon runner
- Daily Bike News Roundup covering ultra, touring and endurance cycling
- trekking – What is the difference between Nordic walking and Trekking [Hill Walking] and do the poles differ?
Writing Karl’s story was truly inspiring. This man has pushed and pushed and pushed again to overcome the obstacles that have been put in his way. I truly hope that he will be succesful in his quest. That he will overcome the beaurocracy that is in his way and that he finishes his epic journey. Good luck to you!