Thursday, January 8, 2009

Hakim walks 3300 miles in 5+ months

Great video interview on Slate between Alex Chadwick and a dude named Hakim, who started on the east coast of the United States and walked all the way to Venice Beach, California-- quietly, with no fanfare... and almost no cash. How did he manage this feat? He did his own version of couchsurfing, and when homes were sparse, he increased the distances he was walking.

Hakim says he started off walking 7-8 miles per day (which is a smart way to begin, I now realize). Later, and for much of the walk, he followed a particular rule: he had to walk a minimum of 13 miles. Were he to encounter a home before hitting that minimum, he would be unable to accept the offer of shelter for the night.

By the time Hakim had reached the desert of the American Southwest, he was walking with at least three gallons of water and averaging 30-35 miles per day; his pack weighed around 70 to 80 pounds as a result.

Hakim says he did this walk in order to inspire the younger generation by showing that nothing is impossible when you put your mind to it. Pretty amazing. Go watch the video.

Many thanks to reader RWellor for appending this link in a recent comment.

UPDATE: Type "Hakim walks across America" into Google, and you'll get plenty of information about him, especially here.


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