Hiking the Glenn Highway through Alaska. Published in Asphalt Pilgrims.
Paul Salopek
Every hundred miles Salopek pauses to record the landscape and a person he meets, assembling a global snapshot of humankind. Milestones reflect straight-line distances, but his walked distances are generally much longer. More on these waypoints here.
Every hundred miles Salopek pauses to record the landscape and a person he meets, assembling a global snapshot of humankind. Milestones reflect straight-line distances, but his walked distances are generally much longer. More on these waypoints here.
“I can do it myself!” cried Ms. Fu. “I can do it myself! I can do it myself!”
There were four of us walking together: Luo Xin, Luo Yin, Liu Lifeng, and Liu Kankan. Ms. Fu was embarrassed that we helped load her scooter-cart with firewood. She was collecting the fuel in a dry valley frizzy with brown trees and grass that fed the middle reach of the Yellow River. Tillers were out in their limpet hats preparing the fields for corn. They turned their backs, hoeing furiously, if we came too close. But after we’d walked by, they leaned on their hoes and stared. A new highway was built, but Shaanxi’s hinterland still didn’t see too many outsiders—least of all on foot. The last famous one was Mao. He marched through in ’36 on the way to take Lüliang. But all Ms. Fu wanted was to finish her chore; to go home for a hot glass of tea.
A wraparound soundscape at this Milestone
This Milestone’s location on a map
Photos of the ground under Paul’s feet and the sky above at this Milestone
A brief question and answer with the first person Paul meets at this Milestone
Ms. Fu
Age 30s, a dryland farmer.
Who are you?
I’m a farmer. We planted all these cypresses, but the officials made us clear them out. So now we burn them for firewood. It burns hot. Good for cooking. It smells like incense.
Where do you come from?
I’m from Wangya. (Points to a nearby hamlet.)
Where are you going?
I’m going back there. (Points again to a nearby hamlet.)
A video showing the landscape around this Milestone
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