Step by Step For me, the more I walk, the more I see. I set my sights on adventure, on endurance, on freedom. I love walking, and I love nature. T ese two interests have taken me around the world. Literally. Over the past 23 years, I have walked all over this planet. I have traveled by foot from the Canadian
border down through the United States to the Mexican border. I have walked 14,000 kilometers around Australia. I have walked across the Andes Mountains in South America. Now I begin a new adventure.
Gearing up For this journey, I will hike through extreme heat and cold. Step-by-step, I will make my way through snow and sand, through jungles, deserts, and mountains. But before I can start walking, I need to prepare. I’ll study detailed maps to plan the best
route. I‘ll organize food and gear refills along the way. I’ll study the languages and cultures of the people I will meet. Before I go, I have to get in shape. I train
hard, knowing I will need extra strength. I will face hunger, exhaustion, and challenges I can’t even imagine. I gather my gear: clothing, a backpack, a
cart, walking shoes, camping equipment, a tent, maps, food, and water. My cart weighs almost 50 kilograms, and my backpack weighs about 27 kilograms. I am ready. I am prepared.
I keep my backpack fi lled with
essentials for the long walk.
Siberia to Mongolia I walk for days without seeing a single person. I am dressed like a man. I have to be careful as a single woman traveling alone. T ere are dangers, especially aſt er dark. When twilight falls, I make camp. T ere are
no villages. T e land is bare. T ere are no trees. T e wind is harsh. T e temperature drops. Even still, I am careful not to make large fires that may call attention to myself.
Night Visitors Yet, no matter where I make camp in this area, the night horsemen find me. It’s always quiet before they arrive. T en, hooves thunder past. I hear men laugh. T ey try to knock down my tent. T ey think it’s a joke. I don’t react. I stay inside my tent, unseen. I try never to show fear, even when my heart is pounding. T en as quickly as they came, they are gone. Night aſt er night, this happens. One day, I
change it. Two men taunt me. I show myself. I stare at them and raise up my hands. It spooks their horses. T e men have to fight not to fall. I stand my ground. Angry and ashamed, they turn their horses and gallop off . I do not see them again. Aſt er 12 days, I reach a temple in a village. It
is my first chance to refresh my supplies since I started. I do not know what will happen here. Some Mongolians do not trust strangers. T eir faces do not easily show emotion. I cannot talk to them. I do not speak their language. Yet I get lucky. Some from this village are kind and share tea with me. T e tea is soothing.
I couldn’t travel
without this cart. It holds my tent and
other important gear.
12
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER
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