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Rest of the World
Dates: March
16,1992 -
Europe
Ireland -
Scotland - England
Belgium -
Luxembourg - Netherlands
[Note]
November of 1992, winter set in, retreated
down into France and Spain.
France
Spain
[Note]
Returned to France in the spring of 1993.
Then up into
Germany and the Scandinavian Countries
Germany -
Denmark - Norway
Sweden -
Finland - Estonia
Russia
[St. Petersburg, Novgorod, Moscow, Ryazen,
Tomtov, Saratov and Volgograd. Then back to
Moscow Over to Brest
Into Poland, After
Warsaw, I took a bus all the way down
into France and then back into Spain
Gibraltar -
Morocco
Algeria-Tunisia
Italy -
Vatican City- Switzerland - Liechtenstein
Austria -
Czech Republic - Slovakia - Slovenia ( a side
walking trip into Krakow,Poland)
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Hungry -
Romania - Bulgaria - Albania
Turkey -
Greece - Mt Athos - Mt.Olympus - Jordan -
Israel
Northeast Africa
Egypt - Sudan
- Chad - Ethiopia
Kenya -
Mt. Kenya - Tanzania -
Mt.Kilimanjaro - Zanzibar
Malawi -
Zambia - Zimbabwe
Botswana
- Namibia - South Africa
[Note] Returned to Zimbabwe ( took a plane to
India.}
India - Nepal
- China
Vietnam -
Thailand - Cameroon - Cambodia
Malaysia -
Singapore - Indonesia
New Zealand
South
America
Argentina
Uruguay Bolivia
Chile
Peru Ecuador Colombia
Panama
Costa Rica Nicaragua,
(Emergency
arose; a quick trip to the VA. Hospital,
Houston,Tx.)
Returned back
into Mexico ( Dream finished)
Crossed
the Border into Texas Jan.12, 2012
Boarded a bus
to Houston
Any Future Travels ?
Yes! and
No!
This Traveler
Knows; that down deep in the crevices of my
imagination there are five destinations still
to be walked.
Venezuela, Brazil, Antarctica, Australia
and Tibet
Just maybe!
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The Hawk Has Landed
No
pen, brush or note; no depth of heart, mind or soul
can ever come near the mark of defining or
expressing the greatness, the grandeur of this
Odyssey. This "Walk-About" and its'
completion.
After Twenty;
consecutive years {backpacking} trek is
finished. The Hawk has landed. The last
border was crossed between Mexico and
Texas, (January 2012).
Seventy
Borders
walked across. Seventy Countries
and Six Continents backpacked
(80,000 miles plus/plus) A continuous
self-supported backpacking trek.
No employment along the way. No
returning home for 20 years.
Documentation;
Two Passports filled with Supplement
pages, plus Newspaper Articles - Emails-
Guestbook signings.
The second
passport was issued in Chengdu, China in the
year 2002.
Finances:
Two
Government checks; World War ll Disability
check and a Social Security check. Total
$916.00 per. month.
The World
Trek was well covered by the media (newspaper,
television and radio).. I spoke by
invitation too; Schools, Universities, Social
Organizations and
Professional groups.
Where
possible; 'English Conversational
Corners' were established on campus and
off. Student translators were used when
necessary.
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The Question
Why The Journey?
Answer:
"I was
following my dream."
But it became
much more than that. There is a deeper answer,
a deeper
meaning, a truth to be had.
A journey is not about
the destination. In light of this truth;
the
destination is a lesser gift,
It is about reaching beyond
ones' grasp, about experiencing,
about doing
the dream. And even more important, it is
about
becoming and
being that which you seek after.
The pages
of History are filled with the names of the
"can do" people.
Those who had
a dream; a vision which they became.
Because this was so.
We became the
recipients of their "greatness".
Every four years: the best
of the best gather together from the various
countries
of the World.
Those who have reached and proven their
excellence in the events,
each will
perform.
Unless one has walked in the
shoes of those of excellence. It is very
difficult to
understand
their passion, commitment and their
determination as they strive to wear
the gold.
The World will watch these
Olympians as they "raise the bar" of
excellence
If only the World could
"somehow" educate the 'Youth of the World' as
to the true meaning
of the word
"excellence" in thought, word and deed.
Surely, each
would be the benefactor. As would be the
World.
And since the "impossible",
is possible and the "unreachable' is reachable
Let us all join in and take
up the challenge to help each child wherever
they might
be. The meaning of "excellence".
As is said:
"dreams do come true."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++reachable+++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Joys Of Backpacking The
World
Fishing in
every state in America including; British
Columbia, Alaska, the Yukon and Hawaii. For my
breakfast and dinner at times.
Reliving
those roaring, "hell bent" days of those early
miners that came from all over the World in
the late 18th. Century. Looking for "Yukon
gold." As they stood at the beginning of the
"Chilkoot Trail". To make the climb for "fame
and fortune"
As I looked
down as I topped the rim of the mountain, I
could almost see the long line, of those
thousands of men that challenged "The
Chilkcoot" and its' elements. As they had
looked, to the top and beyond to their dreams
and hopes for the future.
Panning for
platinum gold. Moving tons of dirt through a
sluice box in the Dawson area of the Yukon, up
beyond Alaska. For only a few precious ounces
of "yellow". Then they would make their way
down to the City and "Dirty Gertys'" Gambling
Emporium. Where the "can, can" girls did their
thing. As the wheels would spin, cards were
dealt and fortunes lost.
Ah! yes; the
era of the "good old boys" and the "good
old days" of years past.
Walking through time; while
descending down through the walls of the Grand
Canyon, above the rushing waters of the
Colorado River.
Capturing the sunrise in the
lens of my camera, as it played hid and seek
amid the monolithic rock giants that
rise from the floor of Monument Valley
National Park, in Arizona.
Competing in a tomahawk and
knife throwing contest with some Native
Americans on a Reservation, in Arizona
All the sights and sounds
and the smells of the many marketplaces, fairs
and Casaba's around the world
Pitching my tent in the middle of
the Serengeti Plain or the Riff Valley. Or
along the banks of the Zambezi River where
Dr.Livingston might have camped. I have
walked, camped and cooked all over the World.
There is nothing that compares {well, maybe
something} with the sense of freedom that one
feels upon awakening amid the sounds of the
natural world. I am sure that Thoreau must
have felt the same thing at "Walden Pond" as
he awakened each morning to the freshness and
innocence of the day.
The game trails and paths; two
days with the Masai people shortly after
crossing over into Kenya from Ethiopia. In and
out of the back door of many of the Game
Reserves. Feeling the thrill of the challenge,
as I approached Mt. Kenya's and Hemingway's'
beloved Kilimanjaro' peaks. For as a boy; I
had read of his experiences and adventurers
during his time of climbing this jewel of
Africa.
What a thrill to finally be
standing at the foot of each of these
mountains. And accept the challenge of the
climb. Words fail to portray the beauty and
grandeur of these two timeless gifts.
When one becomes a part of and
feels the presence, the energy of the climb,
the alive-ness of the moment. One becomes
aware that each and everything" above and
below" are but one. We are connected, we are
"family". I am convinced that this aware-ness
can happen anywhere, anytime. The time is not
predictable. "Silence and attention" are vital
for this to happen. "Be still and know, " This
is the call."
All the "oohs, ah ha's, and
wows"! Of this big Wide Wonderful World, we
have inherited is beyond words. Our shame is;
that we seldom give any thanks for the
abundance.
The architectural and natural
monuments of "man" and nature. The Great
Pyramids rising out of the sands of Egypt. The
"Leaning Tower" of Pisa. The Acropolis,
Stonehenge, Notre Dame, along with St. Peters
in Rome. Monument Valley and Grand Canyon and
the list goes on..
The scattered reminders of the
pomp, power and ceremony of our past, as
represented in the thousands of Castles,
Museums and Art Galleries spread throughout
the Countries of the World
I have been privy to see and
experience the various ethnicities, cultures,
customs and traditions of the peoples' of the
world. And felt the wide spread generosity,the
willingness of peoples, all sizes and shapes,
creeds and colors, giving to a total stranger
{Food and shelter}. But even more important, a
feeling and seeing their concern and
friendship, their smiles and laughter. Even in
the midst of the most adverse, heart rendering
conditions of scarcity and hardship. One could
ever imagine.
All the
visual sights of Nature. With her hues and
colors that would cause an artists' palette to
blush. And tongue-tie the most gifted of
poets
.
The
rolling hills, the thundering waters that
cascade over rocks, rushing headlong down the
mountainside. To become part of "all and
everything". The beauty and peace of the
Worlds' forests with her thousands, upon
thousands of tree lined sentinels, standing in
silence, watching over Natures' Kingdom.
Those breathless sunrises over
the rise of a distant mountain or on the crest
of a shimmering wave. All the sunsets that
take, ones' breath away. Those of the postcard
variety.
The bursts of spring that sing of
life and love. The thaws of the Worlds'
winterlands.
That has that fairy book
look.
The fusion's of flowers that
carpet the interiors of the World, with their
dazzling fashion of colors. That swing and
sway at the slightest hint of a breeze. Wither
along the boulevards of Milan, Paris or
London. Or in the flower boxes and fields of
Holland, Russia or Spain
The deadly silence of both sea
and ocean or the constant babble of a running
brook. That plays among the rocks. And then,
you have the running rivers. Some quick, fast,
and dangerous. With their hidden rocks and the
killer jaws of submerged Crocks and Hippos.
All the animals in their native
habitat, where "survival of the fittest" is
the name of the game. Where beauty, grace and
speed is on a grand scale. And the animals do
those things; they are best at, be they big or
small. Of land, air or water.
And the deserts of the World,
that have a surreal beauty, all their own. As
one watches the light and shadows, dancing in
and out of the shifting sands. As the mind
begins to fill with images of the endless
lines of man and beasts, who at one time
traveled the famous ""Silk Trade"" routes of
yesteryear. With their fine silks and spices
for a price.
As the light begins to slowly
fade. The surrealistic beauty of the day is
replaced by the resplendent beauty of the
night. A night that has a thousand eyes, that
holds you in their gaze. Until "Amorphous" the
prince of the night arrives, and you ask;
"please hold back the dawn, let the night with
her beauty, stay with me. A little while
longer. "Just a little while longer."
On the "I-Max." screen of the
World, there is so much to see, to become part
of and it of us. That one needs at least a
hundred lives or so. But since this is not
possible at the present. We should not miss,
even the tinniest of moments to see all we
possibly can. What is that saying, 'we past by
this world but once'" so we need to soak in
all we can, before our bodies dry up and blow
away. I am so often ask; do I ever get lonely
walking the World. How could this be possible,
when just around the corner or over the next
horizon. Or down a lane or a city street there
could be "the sight", the wonder. The
experience of a lifetime. Just waiting for me
to come along. When you think about it, how
lucky can a fellow be?
Well, here comes my signature.
Do you happen
to have a dream tucked away somewhere, a
dream, to be or do? If you have, don't ever
lose it. Hold on to it! Take it out and dust
it off, now and then! Maybe that very ""now"":
may be the right "now". To just do it. For,
the final reality of any dream is, just do it
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The
epic 20 yr. journey
is finished.
The Hawk has
landed.
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