Seven years, two continents, 13 countries, 31,704 kilometres SA国际影视传媒� and two very determined women.
A Tolkienesque odyssey came to a close Aug. 24 when Bethany Hughes and Lauren Reed reached the Arctic Ocean, completing an epic quest from one tip of the Americas to the other.
SA国际影视传媒淲e were walking across the side of a volcano and it starts erupting,SA国际影视传媒� said Hughes. SA国际影视传媒淪o weSA国际影视传媒檙e wondering what does one do when walking across the side of a volcano when itSA国际影视传媒檚 erupting? Walk faster?
SA国际影视传媒淭here was one time we were walking through this snowstorm in Bolivia and Lauren shows me her hands and three of her fingers are white and numb, and everything we had was soaked so we couldnSA国际影视传媒檛 dry off. We made it to a tiny community that had a little clinic. The nurse was there, he let us come in and he fills LaurenSA国际影视传媒檚 hat with animal crackers. So a small little clinic and some animal crackers saved our butts.SA国际影视传媒�
ItSA国际影视传媒檚 been a long road SA国际影视传媒� the pair of wonder women first set out to travel the entire length of the coastal mountains from the southern coast of Argentina in Ushuaia on Nov. 23, 2015, determined to reach the tip of the Arctic coast in Tuktoyaktuk solely by human power.
Since then theySA国际影视传媒檝e hiked, cycled, paddled and toughed it out through forests, across mountain ranges and over deserts SA国际影视传媒� making friends all along the way.
Hughes said part of her motivation in undertaking the journey was to decolonize travel.
A daughter of missionaries, she said she was eager to reinvent how cultures interact.
SA国际影视传媒淚 wanted to help change the narrative from people going around to other parts of the world and telling people how to live, but instead to show up in a humble way and listen and learn and connect with people, instead of the way my parents and the Church did it,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淚 love moving slowly through nature. It heals and helps me think.
SA国际影视传媒淥ne of the things ISA国际影视传媒檝e learned is your attitude and your behaviour in a situation can be just as impactful to the experience as the environment around. I think ISA国际影视传媒檝e also learned that having a sense of humour can save your life.SA国际影视传媒�
An open mind and an open heart
Crossing both hemispheres didnSA国际影视传媒檛 just take courage and grit, it also required detailed planning and logistics. Using notes from earlier trailblazers SA国际影视传媒� someone has in fact crossed both Americas on foot before SA国际影视传媒� the pair put together a route and broke their journey down into smaller blocks to make completion feasible.
Even so, they had their work cut out for them. Crossing South America took the pair SA国际影视传媒�730 days of travel, 8,024 miles, across 6 countries, and 20 pairs of shoes.SA国际影视传媒�
SA国际影视传媒淭he journey broke itself into chunks because of the seasons,SA国际影视传媒� said Hughes. SA国际影视传媒淪tarting at the bottom of South America, the seasons are the opposite of up here. So we started in November and then we walked through the Andes until April. We got wintered there, so we stayed in the community and I taught for a little bit and spent some time translating an anthology of Machista womenSA国际影视传媒檚 poetry into English. Then we came back to the United States for a couple months to see family and get more gear because everything had broken down by then.
SA国际影视传媒淭he next summer we came back and walked 14 months from Argentina to Peru, then the rainy season happened.SA国际影视传媒�
Once the pair reached Columbia, they were forced to return to the United States again, to re-stock. They needed to get kayaks to make their way up the coast into Central America. And then the pandemic hit.
SA国际影视传媒淲e were in Central America when Covid-19 happened, so we stopped our journey,SA国际影视传媒� said Hughes. SA国际影视传媒淗ospitality down there is very much like it is up here. You canSA国际影视传媒檛 stop the grandmas from taking care of you and feeding you and kissing you.
SA国际影视传媒淲e were not willing to risk their lives for our ambition, so we stopped for the pandemic. Once Covid-19 passed we resumed our journey and road bikes across Central America.SA国际影视传媒�
After completing the 4,000 mile journey from Nicaragua to the U.S. border, the pair split up in 2019.
Hughes hiked the Continental Divide Trail and Reed biked the Western Wildlands Route.
SA国际影视传媒淪howing up with an open mind and open heart can really get you far in most travel situations,SA国际影视传媒� said Reed. SA国际影视传媒淭he capacity that we as travellers and the people we run into have for interacting is amazing. ISA国际影视传媒檓 not very good at speaking Spanish, but the patience people in South and Central America had with me was so impressive.SA国际影视传媒�
They reconnected in 2020 to tackle the Great Divide Trail in Canada. They finished their seven-year adventure this summer by canoeing from Hinton through all of the Athabasca and Mackenzie River systems to reach Tuktoyaktuk.
SA国际影视传媒淲e took the Athabasca from Hinton to Fort Chipewyan, then the Slave River, then from Hay River weSA国际影视传媒檝e been on the big river,SA国际影视传媒� said Hughes. SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 got a personality.SA国际影视传媒�
SA国际影视传媒榃hat the hell are we doing here?SA国际影视传媒�
While they met incredible people and stayed in some fantastic places along their journey, it wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 easy.
The pair second guessed themselves many times, especially when challenged by the elements.
SA国际影视传媒淲e would regularly ask each other SA国际影视传媒榃hat the hell are we doing here?SA国际影视传媒�,SA国际影视传媒� said Hughes. SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檝e just learned that if your body has to rest, then it has to rest. Your body does not lie to you.
SA国际影视传媒淲e are the ones that make ourselves in a hurry. Nature is not in a hurry. Learning doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 happen in a hurry. Growth doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 happen in a hurry. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 all learning to be patient.SA国际影视传媒�
Reed said being able to share the experience with the people along the way really touched her.
SA国际影视传媒淚n Patagonia, we met this artist named Marcella,SA国际影视传媒� said Reed. SA国际影视传媒淭he next day she comes up to us with a little drawing on a napkin. She said SA国际影视传媒業t is you. Can I paint you?SA国际影视传媒� ItSA国际影视传媒檚 that realization of even across distant lands, thereSA国际影视传媒檚 similarities.SA国际影视传媒�
Many cultures they met shared similar concerns. The pair heard tales from the Gauchos of Patagonia, who worry they have no one to share their stories and way of life with, and who saw connections to the determination to preserve culture in the north.
SA国际影视传媒淧eople are very generous in sharing their stories, their time and their tea,SA国际影视传媒� said Hughes. SA国际影视传媒淭hereSA国际影视传媒檚 more effort up here to preserve the culture and stories, but thereSA国际影视传媒檚 a lot of common ground.SA国际影视传媒�
Having finally accomplished something very few people have ever dared, Reed has returned to her hometown of Moab, Utah and Hughes is back home in Briscoe, Colorado.
Both described their time on the trail as an enlightening and educational experience. TheySA国际影视传媒檙e still getting used to the idea that itSA国际影视传媒檚 finally over.
SA国际影视传媒淲e keep having to remind ourselves of that,SA国际影视传媒� said Hughes. SA国际影视传媒淯sually weSA国际影视传媒檙e out there for between five months and 14 months at a stretch and then we have to rest because our bodies start breaking down or our minds start struggling.
SA国际影视传媒淏ut this time our bodies can rest. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 okay.SA国际影视传媒�
