Transcontinental walk

Last updated July 07, 2024

A transcontinental walk involves crossing a continent on foot. If a walk does not technically cross the entire continent, but starts and ends in a major city right near two opposing sides of a continent, it is usually considered transcontinental. People have crossed continents walking alone or in groups.

Purpose

Some people have completed a transcontinental walk due to a whim or a bet. Others have attempted transcontinental expeditions for scientific study or exploration. Transcontinental marches have been organized to serve as a demonstration to attract interest in some topic, or raise funds for a cause.

Challenges

Depending on the continent to be crossed, different challenges arise. To cross Antarctica on foot, supplying provisions would have to be well-planned. Crossing any continent on foot is also a test of endurance and physical condition. People who do a crossing without support have to transport equipment, tent, food etc., on a carriage or sled. That is an extra challenge, compared to those who have car support.

Group transcontinental walks can be tougher to organize logistically than solo or duo efforts, especially when crossing international borders, since there generally needs to be greater accommodations and more thorough approvals for a group. There is also a tougher process of decision making with even a small group than with one or two people. People walking in groups sometimes say that the walking part is easier than dealing with group politics and dynamics. One participant in the Great Peace March for Global Nuclear Disarmament, a transcontinental group march of about 500 people in 1986, said, “We can’t agree on anything except to knock at the Porta-Potty.”^[1]

North America

Charles Fletcher Lummis

In 1884, Charles Fletcher Lummis was working for a newspaper in Cincinnati when he was offered a job with the Los Angeles Times . Lummis decided to make the 3,500-mile journey from Cincinnati to Los Angeles on foot. He chronicled the 143 days of his journey, sending weekly dispatches to the newspaper. In spite of a broken arm and heavy snows in New Mexico, he finished the trip, and in 1892, his writings of the journey were published as a book, A Tramp Across the Continent.^[2]

John Hugh Gillis

In 1906, on a bet and a dare, John Hugh Gillis walked from North Sydney, Nova Scotia to Vancouver, British Columbia. He was the first person to cross Canada on foot.^[3]

Roger Guy English

In 1970, Roger Guy English, and his cousin Valerie Mays, walked from La Jolla, California to Vancouver, Canada in hopes of spreading environmental awareness about pollution and smog.^[4]^[5]^[6]

Great Peace March for Global Nuclear Disarmament

In 1986, hundreds of people walked from Los Angeles to Washington DC in what is referred to as the Great Peace March for Global Nuclear Disarmament. The march took nine months to traverse 3,700 miles (6,000 km), advancing approximately fifteen miles per day.^[7]

A Walk of the People – A Pilgrimage for Life

A Walk of the People – A Pilgrimage for Life called for an end to the Cold War with better relations between the U.S. and former Soviet Union. Walkers started at Point Conception, Calif., in 1984 and went through Texas and the Deep South to New York City. A core group of eight flew to Dublin, Ireland, in 1985 and walked to the border of the former East Germany. They obtained visas to Hungary and walked to that border before visiting several cities by train. Some walked to Geneva, Switzerland, then organized a trip to Moscow, Russia, by train.^[8]

Australia

Australia has been host to a number of people who have walked across the country, who have completed the walk as either a personal challenge or to raise funds and awareness for charity.

Antarctica

Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition

The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition was an attempt from 1914 to 1917, to march across Antarctica, and was the last major expedition of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.^[9]

Europe

Trans-Europe Foot Race

In the Trans-Europe Foot Race, participants cross Europe on foot, although they are mainly running, not walking. It is a multiday race, and in 2003 crossed about 3,200 miles in Europe from Lisbon to Moscow. There were 21 finishers, not counting a wheelchair user. In 2009, it crossed Europe from Bari, Italy, to North Cape, Norway, in 64 days. It had 45 finishers. The participants have support with food, beverages and accommodation. There was also a race in 2012, and another is planned for 2021.^[10]

Related Research Articles

A transcontinental railroad or transcontinental railway is contiguous railroad trackage, that crosses a continental land mass and has terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single railroad or over those owned or controlled by multiple railway companies along a continuous route. Although Europe is crisscrossed by railways, the railroads within Europe are usually not considered transcontinental, with the possible exception of the historic Orient Express. Transcontinental railroads helped open up interior regions of continents not previously colonized to exploration and settlement that would not otherwise have been feasible. In many cases they also formed the backbones of cross-country passenger and freight transportation networks. Many of them continue to have an important role in freight transportation and some like the Trans-Siberian Railway even have passenger trains going from one end to the other.

The Darién Gap is a geographic region that connects the American continents, stretching across southern Panama's Darién Province and the northern portion of Colombia's Chocó Department. Consisting of a large watershed, dense rainforest, and mountains, it is known for its remoteness, difficult terrain, and extreme environment, with a reputation as one of the most inhospitable regions in the world. Nevertheless, as the only land bridge between North and South America, the Darién Gap has historically served as a major route for both humans and wildlife.

A peace walk or peace march, sometimes referred to as a peace pilgrimage, is a form of nonviolent action where a person or group marches a set distance to raise awareness for particular issues important to the walkers.

The Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition (CTAE) of 1955–1958 was a Commonwealth-sponsored expedition that successfully completed the first overland crossing of Antarctica, via the South Pole. It was the first expedition to reach the South Pole overland for 46 years, preceded only by Amundsen's expedition and Scott's expedition in 1911 and 1912.

The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914–1917 is considered to be the last major expedition of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Conceived by Sir Ernest Shackleton, the expedition was an attempt to make the first land crossing of the Antarctic continent. After Roald Amundsen's South Pole expedition in 1911, this crossing remained, in Shackleton's words, the "one great main object of Antarctic journeyings". Shackleton's expedition failed to accomplish this objective but became recognized instead as an epic feat of endurance.

Multiday races are ultramarathon running events which are typically either segmented into daily events of a specified distance or time, or staged so that runners can run as far as they want, at their own discretion, over a set course or over a set number of days. Multiday races can range from continuous 48-hour track events to staged transcontinental treks.

Paul Landry M.B. is a French-Canadian polar explorer, author, and adventurer who is the only paid man to ever reach three Geographical poles in a single year.

A Walk of the People – A Pilgrimage for Life was a walking personal and political action organized by peace activists Dale James Outhouse and Pamela Blockey O'Brien to bring attention to the perils of impending nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. Former European Parliament member and French Green Party co-founder Solange Fernex was the European organizer of the project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Fletcher Lummis</span> American journalist

Charles Fletcher Lummis was a United States journalist, and an activist for Native American rights and historic preservation. A traveler in the American Southwest, he settled in Los Angeles, California, where he also became known as a historian, photographer, ethnographer, archaeologist, poet, and librarian. Lummis founded the Southwest Museum of the American Indian.

Transcontinental may refer to:

Robert Charles Swan, OBE, FRGS is the first person to walk to both poles.

Aeneas Lionel Acton Mackintosh was a British Merchant Navy officer and Antarctic explorer who commanded the Ross Sea party as part of Sir Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914–1917. The Ross Sea party's mission was to support Shackleton's proposed transcontinental march by laying supply depots along the latter stages of the march's intended route. In the face of persistent setbacks and practical difficulties, Mackintosh's party fulfilled its task, although he and two others died in the course of their duties. Mackintosh's first Antarctic experience was as second officer on Shackleton's Nimrod expedition, 1907–1909. Shortly after his arrival in the Antarctic, a shipboard accident destroyed his right eye, and he was sent back to New Zealand. He returned in 1909 to participate in the later stages of the expedition; his will and determination in adversity impressed Shackleton, and led to his Ross Sea party appointment in 1914.

During the 20th century a number of peace walks were organized involving the citizens of the United States and the USSR. These peace walks, or peace marches, represented citizen diplomacy initiatives promoting peace and Nuclear disarmament through direct person-to-person interaction among the citizens of the two Cold War opponent states.

The Great March for Climate Action was launched on March 1, 2013, by former Iowa lawmaker Ed Fallon, inspired by a meeting with Bill McKibben. "Since probably 2007, I've identified the climate crisis as the most serious challenge facing our planet, and I've been pondering ways in which I could most effectively help address it."

Geoffrey Usher Somers is a British explorer, particularly of the polar regions. He was the first Briton to cross Antarctica on foot, and has an Antarctic peak named in his honour, Somers Nunatak. In 1992 he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to outdoor education and polar exploration, and in 1996 the Polar Medal for his contributions to polar exploration.

References

↑ Kathleen Hendrix (November 9, 1986). "Unlikely Saga of Great Peace March Nears Its Climax". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
↑ Greg Luther (February 19, 2018). "A Tramp Across America". Lapham's Quarterly. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
↑ George Edward Hart. "Transcontinental Pedestrians: Canada's First Cross country Walk". FitzHenry and Whiteside. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
↑ Brandt, Angela (2021-11-18). "Poway man who relishes a challenge, no matter how crazy, inspires documentary and a beer". Pomerado News. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
↑ Guthrie, Jim (1970-08-30). "They're Walking For The Environment". Ventura County Star . p. 24. Retrieved 2024-01-13– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Walk, Don't Drive: 2,000-Mile Hike Aimed at Pollution". The Los Angeles Times . 1970-08-20. p. 9. Retrieved 2024-01-13– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Unlikely Saga of Great Peace March Nears Its Climax". November 9, 1986. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
↑ "U.S. Peace Activists Denied East German Visas - Associated Press". September 12, 1985. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
↑ "British Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
↑ Ingo Schulze. "The Trans Europe Footrace - Archives and statistics" . Retrieved March 4, 2020.