A Very Long Walk

 From Vineyard Views

By Al DeVito

Thursday, December 11, 2014

A very long walk

Paul Salopek is walking from the Great Rift Valley of Africa, across the Middle East, through Central Asia to the tundra of Siberia, eventually hopping a boat across the Bering Strait to North America, and trudging from there down the entire length of the New World. It’s 22,000 miles and it will take him, he estimates, seven years. He is recreating the early days and travels of man from what is considered our birthplace – Ethiopia – to the southern tip of South America, Tierra del Fuego.

He is documenting his trip. Every 100 miles (160 km) he pauses to record a narrative consisting of photographs of the ground and sky, ambient sound at that location, and a brief, standardized interview with the nearest person.l

He does have a lot of help from a number of sponsors including National Geographic and KickStarter. They supply more than funds for Paul alone. He is not traveling alone. Guides and translators are to be hired every so often. Transportation includes pack mules and camels. Then, there is, shelter, food, water and the wear and tear on solar-powered equipment used to transmit print stories, photos and videos. His trip is being documented on-line; here is the primary site.

About the Author

Al DeVito author’s Vineyard Views, which his “take on a variety of topics that are shaping the U.S. in the 21st century.” In the blog’s introduction, DeVito writes “I spent my career in the computer software business and experienced the joy of working in an area that has changed the way we live. I retired to the Vineyard in 2002 and devoted a fair amount of time to civic affairs and the local Habitat affiliate. Eventually, in 2006 I went back to work as the Finance Director of a non-profit focused on providing affordable, rental housing to the low income elderly and the low income disabled of the Vineyard. Now, I’ve retired for a second time and moved to Duncaster, a continuing care retirement community in Connecticut.

You can read Vineyard Views at www.devitoblog.blogspot.com. Visit Site

 

 

Author: Les Conklin

Les Conklin is a resident of north Scottsdale He founded Friends of the Scenic Drive, the Monte de Paz HOA and is the president of the Greater Pinnacle Peak Association. He was named to Scottsdale's History Maker Hall of Fame in 2014. Les is a past editor of A Peek at the Peak and the author of Images of America: Pinnacle Peak. He served on the Scottsdale's Pride Commission, McDowell Sonoran Preserve Commission, the boards of several local nonprofits and was a founding organizer of the city's Adopt-A-Road Program.. Les is a volunteer guide at the Musical Instrument Museum.

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