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.
The road was lonely like many farm roads in China. Concrete gets poured everywhere. Transportation is improved. But the fields seemed empty, weedy, underused. Greenhouses gaped open to the cool northern afternoon.A small building beside the road advertised a clinic. It was for traditional medicine. The doctor was a brusque middle-aged woman who softened a bit with our jokes. She hadn’t met any foreigners before. She looked into my eyes. She felt my pulse for a very long time. She said I had eye trouble, stomach trouble, liver trouble and kidney trouble. Basically, she confirmed that I would eventually die.
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
Bo Guojun
52, retired farmer
Who are you?
I’m a satisfied man. Of course, we all like our life to be better and better.
Where do you come from?
I’m from here. People in the countryside are super friendly, hospitable. Everybody knows everybody. That’s the best. Once, I had a house in town. I didn’t know my neighbors for 20 years. Everybody was too busy. Not here.
Where are you going?
I’m staying. But the place is getting empty. Gradually, there are fewer and fewer people. They move to the cities. They work in small factories, but the work is unstable. Still, they move. For the boys, it's the only way they can get married—to buy an apartment in town and attract a wife.
A video showing the landscape around this Milestone
To comment, log in using one of the options below. If you don’t have an account, write your comment, enter your name and email address, and select “I’d rather post as a guest.” Paul may respond, so keep an eye out.
