Gary was one of the Resident Heads (read: adult supervision) at my dorm at the University of Chicago. We have stayed in touch since. He is a retired teacher, runs marathons like a maniac, and does things like hike the Appalachian Trail. Today’s walk was 30...
Before I came to Turkey I walked 2000 kilometers (1240 miles) just to make sure my body was up to the task of walking 2000 kilometers. I learned a few simple but important lessons from that experience. Here’s one that’s helping me now… When I would...
Thin flatbread, mild white cheese similar to mozarella, and, just for additional greasy goodness, plenty of butter. Ayran and salad on the side. If I had to live the rest of my life on kaşarlı pide, ızgara köfte, and kuru fasulye ve pilav, I’d be fine with...
Sometimes people find it interesting that I call this walk “my job.” I cut conversations short by saying, “Sorry, gotta get back to work.” I turn down invitations by saying, “Sorry, tomorrow’s a work day.” Sometimes people are...
There’s a lot of temporary housing for earthquake victims in Van. Mile after mile of these things. Entire cities, with police stations and grocery stores, also housed in temporary housing. For weeks I’ve been passed by hundreds of trucks carrying empty...
Yesterday’s lunch was a plate of ızgara köfte (grilled meatballs) and homemade ayran at Kadenbas Köftecisi, between the lake and a cement factory in Edremit, about 15 kilometers south of Van. This was some of the best köfte I’ve ever had, and this region...
Someone told me months ago that I thought about the end result too much, and that there are some things in life that are just too uncontrollable and too unpredictable to make decisions based on how you think they will end up. He said sometimes you should make...
Kate is my cousin. She lives in eastern Washington State and is studying to be a nurse. The day’s walk was 37 kilometers (23 miles) around the southeast corner of Lake Van, from the town of Gevaş to the city of Van.
The Turkey/Iran border is about 360 kilometers (224 miles) long. There are multiple border crossings. I will not be walking to the one this sign points to. I will be walking to the one east of Van.
On 1 March I blew out of Urfa like a bat out of hell, telling myself that in March I’d walk 572 kilometers (355 miles) and end the month in Van. Actually, I thought it was barely possible. It was almost 2-1/2 times my monthly average for the walk. Yesterday, on...
I cross this country on plates of buttery rice and lemony carrot salad, and I rest my soul drinking tea in cozy living rooms surrounded by kind, loving people. Health to your hands Dilan and Gülden! Ben bu ülkeyi tereyağlı pilav tabakları ve limonlu havuç...
It was a little windy out today, so in the video you can hear me yelling over the wind. Today’s walk was at about 6,000 feet (1,800 meters) elevation. I didn’t see any of the lake today, since I was in the hills a couple kilometers inland. I won’t...
Andrea is my brother Mark’s wife. Andrea and Mark are expecting their first child in June. Yes, I’m going to be an uncle! Today’s walk started with a brief visit to a rural primary school, then came my normal time on the road, and then hitchhiking my...
For weeks I’ve been passed by truck after truck carrying temporary housing units. I often hear the trucks coming before I see them, because the webbing they use to strap the housing units onto the truck beds makes a distinctive flapping sound in the wind. All of...
It is Wednesday. I wake up at 6am. I brush my teeth. I get dressed. I have a bite to eat. I walk out the door at 6:32am. I walk 10 minutes to the bus stop. The next bus to the nearby town of Bitlis doesn’t leave until 7am, so I cross the street for a cup of tea....
It occurred to me today that in the same way some people love to watch videos of trains (yes, Dad, I’m talking about you), there might be some people out there who like to watch videos of people walking. So here’s a minute of what it looks like to walk...
