Karl Bushby
Encyclopedia
Karl Bushby is a British
ex-paratrooper
, walking adventurer and author, currently attempting to be the first person to completely walk an unbroken path around the world. Bushby's trek is known as the Goliath Expedition.
, England
. He attended a local comprehensive school and joined the British Army
at the age of 16. Karl served with the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment for 11 years.
The Goliath Expedition is Bushby's attempt to walk around the world "with unbroken footsteps", from Punta Arenas, Chile
, to his home in Hull
, England
. He began his journey in 1 November 1998 and expects to finish it by 2014, then having walked over 36,000 miles.
Bushby set off from Punta Arenas, Chile
, on 1 November 1998, and had completed over 17,000 miles as of 2006, walking through South, Central, and North America. With over 19,000 more miles to walk, and maintaining his current speed, he then estimated he would return home to Hull, England, by 2012.
In March 2006, Bushby and French adventurer Dimitri Kieffer crossed the Bering Strait
on foot, walking across a frozen 56 mile section in 15 days. They were detained by Russian border troop officers while they were crossing the Russian border near the Chukotkan
village of Uelen
, for not entering Russia at a correct port-of-entry. They were threatened to be banned from Russia, which would stop the journey. It was announced on 5 May 2006, that the Russian appeal court had upheld Bushby's application and his walk would continue. This was reported to be the result of consultation between John Prescott
, the then British Deputy Prime Minister
(and MP
in Bushby's home town of Hull), and Roman Abramovich
, the Governor of Chukotka.
On 16 March 2007, it was announced that Karl has successfully obtained the required permission from the Russian authorities, and began to prepare for the second half of his Goliath Expedition. Karl would walk the first leg of this stage to Yakutsk
, along with Kieffer. He had difficulties struggle with the Russian authorities to get a visa and a visit permit (the entire area is a military area, and a special visit permit is needed). During 2007, he managed to walk more than 1000 km from Uelen
to Dvoynoye (not far from Bilibino
), returning to Alaska when his visa ran out in November.
In 2008 he only walked for three weeks, reaching Bilibino
. He started very late, since the visa approval was delayed, and when the snow disappeared in May he could not continue because the area is filled with swamps and rivers, impossible to penetrate on foot when not frozen. He is only allowed to be in Russia for 90 days out of every 180 days per visa, and he must leave the country before each visa expires.
From late 2008 to 2010, he spent his time in Mexico for cost reasons and was unable to travel to Russia. This was both because of trouble getting a visa and permits, and because of financial trouble; Karl lost several of his sponsors as a result of the Late-2000s financial crisis
. After Karl secured new sponsors in 2010, the Russian government issued him another visa, and he resumed walking across Russia in the spring of 2011.
In addition to the 90-day time restraint imposed by Russian visas, Karl has been hampered by the tundra
conditions. Because his route takes him through an area that can only be traveled on foot via frozen rivers and ice roads, he can only walk during the late winter and early spring. On 25 April 2011, after walking approximately 1,100 km, Karl reached the town of Srednekolymsk
, completing his leg for 2011. When he begins his 2012 leg, he will only need to travel an additional 900 km before he reaches improved roads, meaning then his travel will only be limited by the Russian visa rules.
crossing.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
ex-paratrooper
Paratrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
, walking adventurer and author, currently attempting to be the first person to completely walk an unbroken path around the world. Bushby's trek is known as the Goliath Expedition.
Early life
Bushby was born 30 March 1969 in HullKingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He attended a local comprehensive school and joined the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
at the age of 16. Karl served with the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment for 11 years.
Goliath Expedition
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, to his home in Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He began his journey in 1 November 1998 and expects to finish it by 2014, then having walked over 36,000 miles.
Bushby set off from Punta Arenas, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, on 1 November 1998, and had completed over 17,000 miles as of 2006, walking through South, Central, and North America. With over 19,000 more miles to walk, and maintaining his current speed, he then estimated he would return home to Hull, England, by 2012.
In March 2006, Bushby and French adventurer Dimitri Kieffer crossed the Bering Strait
Bering Strait
The Bering Strait , known to natives as Imakpik, is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, the easternmost point of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, USA, the westernmost point of the North American continent, with latitude of about 65°40'N,...
on foot, walking across a frozen 56 mile section in 15 days. They were detained by Russian border troop officers while they were crossing the Russian border near the Chukotkan
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug , or Chukotka , is a federal subject of Russia located in the Russian Far East.Chukotka has a population of 53,824 according to the 2002 Census, and a surface area of . The principal town and the administrative center is Anadyr...
village of Uelen
Uelen
Uelen is a rural locality in the Chukotsky District, just south of the Arctic Circle in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug in the Russian Far East. Population: 776 in 2003, with 595 Chukchi and 72 Yupik. Located near Cape Dezhnev where the Bering Sea meets the Chukchi Sea, it is the easternmost settlement...
, for not entering Russia at a correct port-of-entry. They were threatened to be banned from Russia, which would stop the journey. It was announced on 5 May 2006, that the Russian appeal court had upheld Bushby's application and his walk would continue. This was reported to be the result of consultation between John Prescott
John Prescott
John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott is a British politician who was Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007. Born in Prestatyn, Wales, he represented Hull East as the Labour Member of Parliament from 1970 to 2010...
, the then British Deputy Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some counties, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, but is significantly different, though both...
(and MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
in Bushby's home town of Hull), and Roman Abramovich
Roman Abramovich
Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich is a Russian businessman and the main owner of the private investment company Millhouse LLC.In 2003, Abramovich was named Person of the Year by Expert, a Russian business magazine. He shared this title with Mikhail Khodorkovsky...
, the Governor of Chukotka.
On 16 March 2007, it was announced that Karl has successfully obtained the required permission from the Russian authorities, and began to prepare for the second half of his Goliath Expedition. Karl would walk the first leg of this stage to Yakutsk
Yakutsk
With a subarctic climate , Yakutsk is the coldest city, though not the coldest inhabited place, on Earth. Average monthly temperatures range from in July to in January. The coldest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside Antarctica occurred in the basin of the Yana River to the northeast...
, along with Kieffer. He had difficulties struggle with the Russian authorities to get a visa and a visit permit (the entire area is a military area, and a special visit permit is needed). During 2007, he managed to walk more than 1000 km from Uelen
Uelen
Uelen is a rural locality in the Chukotsky District, just south of the Arctic Circle in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug in the Russian Far East. Population: 776 in 2003, with 595 Chukchi and 72 Yupik. Located near Cape Dezhnev where the Bering Sea meets the Chukchi Sea, it is the easternmost settlement...
to Dvoynoye (not far from Bilibino
Bilibino
Bilibino is a town and gold-mining center in Bilibinsky District of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, located at the confluence of the Karalve'em and the Bolshoy Keperve'em Rivers north-west of Anadyr. It is the second largest town in Chukotka...
), returning to Alaska when his visa ran out in November.
In 2008 he only walked for three weeks, reaching Bilibino
Bilibino
Bilibino is a town and gold-mining center in Bilibinsky District of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, located at the confluence of the Karalve'em and the Bolshoy Keperve'em Rivers north-west of Anadyr. It is the second largest town in Chukotka...
. He started very late, since the visa approval was delayed, and when the snow disappeared in May he could not continue because the area is filled with swamps and rivers, impossible to penetrate on foot when not frozen. He is only allowed to be in Russia for 90 days out of every 180 days per visa, and he must leave the country before each visa expires.
From late 2008 to 2010, he spent his time in Mexico for cost reasons and was unable to travel to Russia. This was both because of trouble getting a visa and permits, and because of financial trouble; Karl lost several of his sponsors as a result of the Late-2000s financial crisis
Late-2000s financial crisis
The late-2000s financial crisis is considered by many economists to be the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s...
. After Karl secured new sponsors in 2010, the Russian government issued him another visa, and he resumed walking across Russia in the spring of 2011.
In addition to the 90-day time restraint imposed by Russian visas, Karl has been hampered by the tundra
Tundra
In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...
conditions. Because his route takes him through an area that can only be traveled on foot via frozen rivers and ice roads, he can only walk during the late winter and early spring. On 25 April 2011, after walking approximately 1,100 km, Karl reached the town of Srednekolymsk
Srednekolymsk
Srednekolymsk is a town and the administrative center of Srednekolymsky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located northeast of Yakutsk on the left bank of the Kolyma River. Population: -History:...
, completing his leg for 2011. When he begins his 2012 leg, he will only need to travel an additional 900 km before he reaches improved roads, meaning then his travel will only be limited by the Russian visa rules.
Giant Steps
Bushby wrote a book about his walk entitled Giant Steps, first published in 2005. The latest edition (2007) includes events up to 31 March 2006, and his Bering StraitBering Strait
The Bering Strait , known to natives as Imakpik, is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, the easternmost point of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, USA, the westernmost point of the North American continent, with latitude of about 65°40'N,...
crossing.
External links
- Goliath Expedition home page
- Goliath Expedition blog, 2009-2010
- Alone Around the World A long distance radio interview with Karl Bushby at Podstantsiya.ru