10 people who have made amazing hiking trips

Half of the inhabitants of our planet hardly come off the couch, especially if there is high-speed Wi-Fi at home. But there are still wonderful people in the world who have devoted their lives to traveling. Some of them traveled to many countries by car, some got to remote corners by plane. But there are also people who have covered huge distances on foot. Some of them went forward, pursuing certain goals, others simply sought to get to know the world around them in all its splendor as best as possible. Someone was sponsored, and someone traveled without money and even without normal equipment. Your attention is drawn to the stories of ten people who have proved that a person can be very hardy and have incredible willpower.

1. "Walking on the planet"

John Francis received the nickname Planetwalker (translated as "walking on the planet") for his services. Back in 1971, he accidentally witnessed an oil leak in the port of San Francisco. Such a negligent attitude to nature shocked Francis, and he decided to start his own personal protest.

For the next 22 years, John never drove a car. Instead, he started walking all over America. But that wasn't enough for Francis. In 1973, he plunged into complete silence and did not speak to anyone for almost 17 years. To communicate with others, he used gestures and wrote notes.

Many people thought that Francis was not right in the head, but he did not care at all. While John led such an unusual lifestyle, he was even able to get a doctorate.

In 22 years, John Francis traveled all 48 American states (he did not get only to Hawaii and Alaska, which is quite logical) and even walked to South America. It wasn't until 1993 that he finally started using vehicles. Today this weirdo is engaged in politics. By the way, a few years ago he published a book about his life.

2. Sarah Marquis with her cart travels through a deserted area

American Sarah Marquis crossed Turkey on horseback at the age of 17. Since that time, she has devoted her life to long hiking expeditions. In 2000, Sarah walked from the US-Canadian to the US-Mexican border in 126 days. The total length of the traveled path exceeded 4260 kilometers.

In the next few years, the Marquess did not commit any extraordinary acts. But in 2006, the passion for travel took over again. For eight months in a row, the woman conquered the peaks of the Chilean Andes. And after that she went on a well-deserved four-year rest again.

The thirst for adventure woke up in 2010. Then the Marquess decided to commit a crazy act. This time this amazing woman walked through the Siberian wastelands, the Mongolian plains, crossed China and got to Laos and Thailand. Then she sailed to Australia and traveled thousands of kilometers through sparsely populated areas. Surprisingly, all this crazy journey was done by Sarah alone. In three years, she has traveled more than 16 thousand kilometers!

The amazing expedition helped Marquis to become the winner of the award from the National Geographic channel "Traveler of the Year".

3. Another American, Mildred Norman, nicknamed the Peace-loving Wanderer, became one of the most famous hikers in history. In 1952, Mildred became the first woman to walk the Appalachian Trail along a 3,500-kilometer route in just one season. Shortly after this achievement, Norman decided to devote her life to traveling around the United States. She claimed that for the next 28 years she carried the same things all the time, and in her backpack she had only a pencil, a map, a comb and a toothbrush.

Mildred often starved, because she ate only what people treated her to. But that didn't stop her from continuing on her way. It was most difficult for her in winter, when she could not find a suitable shelter for the night.

The peace-loving Wanderer visited a huge number of cities. The total length of the route she traveled by 1964 had already reached 40 thousand kilometers (and this, for a second, is the length of the Earth's equator). After that, Norman stopped counting kilometers altogether. She had an incredible confidence that, no matter what might happen on the way, she would remain safe. Unfortunately, she was wrong.

For several decades in a row, Norman avoided cars and used only her legs as transport. But in 1981 Mildred unexpectedly died. She still got in the car to get to Knox (Indiana), where she had to give a speech. Unfortunately, there was an accident, and the Peace-loving Wanderer died before an ambulance arrived at the scene.

People still remember this amazing woman today, an organization was even created in her honor, called "Friends of the Peace-Loving Wanderer".

4. Polly Letofsky traveled for 5 years for charity

Collecting donations for breast cancer treatment, Polly Letofsky in 1999 went from her home in Colorado to the west. As a result, her journey lasted exactly 5 years. During this time, Polly walked 22 thousand kilometers, visited 22 countries on four continents. All the way, Letofsky wheeled a special stroller in front of her, which contained everything she could need during the trip. Surprisingly, this wheelchair also successfully endured the entire expedition, despite the fact that, according to Polly, she fell many times.

First Letofsky reached California, then boarded a plane and flew to New Zealand. She walked on Australian, Singapore and Malaysian roads, and then decided to cross the whole of Eurasia. When she got to Ireland, Polly flew to New York, from where she returned home to Colorado. During the trip, she collected almost 200 thousand dollars of charitable donations for the prevention of breast cancer.

When Polly Letofsky learned about the September 11 attacks and the further outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East, she was not afraid and did not change her plans. This amazing woman continued on her way and passed through Pakistan, Iran and Iraq without a single incident.

5. Jean Beliveau is a person from whom it is worth learning the ability to realize dreams

On the day of his 45th birthday, Jean Beliveau wanted to radically change his life. Former neon sign salesman from Montreal went on a walking trip. He was very tired of his work and the gray routine and decided that walking around all corners of the world would be much more interesting.

Belivo has not stopped for 11 years, having traveled 75,554 kilometers and visited 64 countries during this time. At first, people thought that his idea was a manifestation of a midlife crisis, but, you must agree, the scale of Jean's journey speaks for itself.

He met many interesting people and even had the good fortune to talk with four Nobel Prize laureates. One of them was Nelson Mandela. The famous fighter for human rights told Belivo the words that inspired him to further achievements: "The world needs people like you."

On the way, Jean was repeatedly in danger: they tried to rob him, Chilean cougars attacked him, and his health made itself felt. But he bravely went through all the obstacles.

According to Belivo, he experienced the most difficult moment associated with his journey a month before it began. It was very difficult for him to tell his wife, Lucy, about his plan. Fortunately, his wife approved of his idea, although she was surprised when she heard about it. She became a loyal admirer of her beloved husband and supported him financially throughout his journey.

Jean says that he has never regretted his decision, and encourages numerous fans to follow his example and not be afraid to realize their most cherished dreams: "Just go, take the first steps. Your path will clear up on the road."

6. Dave Kunst lost his brother on the way

Dave is a unique person who has the right to say that he has passed through the whole planet. In 1970, together with his brother John, he began a journey that lasted four years. When the brothers left the house, they had only a thousand dollars for the two of them. And next to these cranks was a mule carrying their belongings.

The brothers had a lot of incredible adventures: they visited Princess Grace in Monaco, got to Venice with their faithful mule, and also became the first people not from Asia, which passed along the entire route of the Khyber Passage of Alexander the Great.

Unfortunately, when they were walking through an isolated area of Afghanistan, local bandits started shooting at the brothers. John was killed, and Dave was severely injured. He survived only by pretending to be dead. It took Kunst almost three months to recover from his injuries. Surprisingly, even after the death of his brother, Dave did not break down and continued the expedition alone. He passed through India and Australia, then flew to California and walked to Minnesota. After walking more than 23 thousand kilometers, Kunst returned home to the small town of Vaseka.

During the whole trip, Dave wore 21 pairs of shoes. One of the most valuable things for him is a scroll with the signatures of the mayors of all the cities in which he stayed overnight. Today Dave Kunst lives a quiet life with his beloved wife. By the way, he met her in Australia during an expedition.

7. Stephen was arrested four times, he was attacked by bandits twice

Steve grew up in a small town in Ohio. Since early childhood, he dreamed of traveling to exotic corners of our planet. And the nickname Worldwalker (translated as "Who went around the whole world") demonstrates that when Newman grew up, he successfully realized this dream.

Stephen's epic campaign lasted four years. During this time, he walked 24 thousand kilometers and took 41 million steps. While traveling, he regularly shared details of his adventures with the audience of The Columbus Dispatch newspaper. Thus, his campaign became the first in history to be fully recorded in the media.

Newman said he wanted to see with his own eyes whether the world is really as scary as everyone claims. The worst expectations were not fulfilled: for the most part his experience was positive, but sometimes there were really dangerous situations. For example, two times Newman was attacked by armed bandits, four times he was arrested, once Stephen was beaten, and once he was stoned by Indian students. Newman also suffered from pneumonia and picked up an unpleasant skin rash that gradually spread throughout his body. But despite such difficulties, Stephen claims that the world is a much kinder and more interesting place than most people think. Agree: he, like no one else, has the right to make such statements.

8. Arthur Blessit travels because of his faith in God

As you have already understood, most often people travel on foot to get a new experience or to see interesting places. A little less often — for charitable purposes. But Arthur Blessit is an exception. He walks around the world showing his devotion to God. A real Christian preacher has been traveling to all corners of the world, carrying a large wooden cross on his back, since 1969, that is, for more than 45 years.

Blessit began his amazing journey when he learned about the growing popularity of hippie culture in California. This news prompted him to immediately go there to try to save sinful souls. Arthur claimed that God himself had commissioned him to carry the cross around the world.

Even when doctors diagnosed Blessita with an aneurysm and forbade him to engage in such strenuous activities, the man decided that "circumstances will not be able to change his vocation." That is, he continued to travel. In 2008, Arthur became the first person to officially circumnavigate every mainland country and all the largest islands on the planet.

Faith in God and in his vocation helped Blessit to visit even countries where there is a war, for example in Iraq. In total, he was arrested 24 times. In 2009, a documentary about this amazing man was released, and all his achievements were included in The Guinness Book of Records.

9. Robert Garside — the man who ran through the whole world

Someone flew around the whole world, someone traveled around it by car, many people walked around dozens of countries on foot. But Robert Garside, nicknamed the Running Man, became the first to run around the world.

Prior to the start of the race, Robert was an ordinary clinical psychologist who had never been involved in any kind of sport. Garside says that he has always been a loner, so he endured the months spent jogging quite normally. Robert quickly got used to running for about eight hours a day, covering about 80 kilometers during this time. In total, Garside's adventures lasted five years. During this time, he ran more than 56 thousand kilometers.

Our hero spent five days in a Chinese prison, and escaped without food for three days. Interestingly, at first Garside's feat was disputed by many media outlets, whose representatives stated that Robert's story was inconsistent, and therefore exaggerated. But the record holder managed to explain all the inconsistencies, after which most critics changed their minds to the exact opposite. And American journalist Dan Koppel expressed great regret that his publicly expressed disbelief damaged the reputation of the greatest race in the history of mankind. In 2007, even representatives of the Guinness Book of Records officially recognized Robert Garside's record.

10. Karl Bushby — a man who was almost stopped by the Russian government

Former British paratrooper Carl Bushby is now trying to become the first person to get from Chile to England on a unique path.

At first, Karl Bushby planned to get from Chile to Alaska, then to walk through the ice of the Bering Strait between this peninsula and Siberia (on foot!). It is much more difficult to do this than it may seem. The fact is that the water in the Bering Strait never freezes completely, that is, Karl would have to move along small ice floes. Then Karl planned to pass through the entire territory of Russia from east to west, after which he would go to Europe and finally reach the English Channel.

The way from Chile to Alaska was overcome successfully. It is unclear how, but in 2006, Bushby even managed to successfully cross the partially frozen Bering Strait and reach Siberia.

Unfortunately, he faced a much more serious problem than moving ice floes or uninhabited terrain. The Russian government has repeatedly refused Karl a visa, kicked him out of the country or in some other way ruined all the plans of the former paratrooper.

Thus, after 27 thousand kilometers traveled, Karl found himself at a dead end. For six years in a row, Russia issued him only temporary visas. Bushby was actually faced with the need to make short trips once a year. When all his attempts to get a full visa failed, Karl staged a dramatic protest. In 2012, he walked from Los Angeles to the Russian Embassy in Washington. The journey took almost a year. Fortunately, the wide publicity of his feat and the constant pressure from the media forced the Russian side to issue Karl the necessary visa. Currently, Bushby has already left Russia behind and is completing his journey in Europe.

The stories of these people are a vivid confirmation that human possibilities are truly limitless. Unfortunately, in the modern world, there are constantly reverse examples — egregious cases of people's absolute disbelief in their own strength. It is worth understanding that we limit ourselves by putting mental barriers. And then we live all our lives without even dreaming of any great achievements. Take an example from our heroes: they proved that the impossible is possible! The main thing is to believe in yourself and have goals for the sake of conquering which you will be ready to do anything!