Karl Bushby

Karl Bushby (born 30 March 1969) 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.

Early life

Bushby was born 30 March 1969 in Hull, England. He attended a local comprehensive school and joined the British Army at the age of 16. Bushby served with the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment for 11 years.

Goliath Expedition

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 on 1 November 1998 and originally expected to finish the over- trek in eight years; however, due to numerous delays, it is still in progress.

Bushby set off from Punta Arenas, Chile, on 1 November 1998, and had completed over as of 2006, walking through South, Central, and North America. With over to walk, and maintaining his current speed, he then estimated he would return home to Hull by 2012.

In March 2006, Bushby and French adventurer Dimitri Kieffer crossed the Bering Strait on foot, having to take a roundabout 14-day route across a frozen section to cross the wide strait from Alaska to Siberia. 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 with being 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 then Governor of Chukotka.

On 16 March 2007, it was announced that Bushby had obtained the required permission from the Russian authorities, and had begun to prepare for the second half of his Goliath Expedition. Bushby would walk the first leg of this stage to Yakutsk, along with Kieffer. He had a struggle with the Russian authorities to get a visa and permit (the entire area is a military area, and a special visit permit is needed). During 2007, he managed to walk more than from Uelen to Dvoynoye (not far from Bilibino), returning to Alaska when his visa ran out in November.

In 2008, Bushby 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 was only allowed to be in Russia for 90 days out of every 180 days per visa, and had to leave the country before each visa expires.

From late 2008 to 2010, Bushby 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; Bushby lost several of his sponsors due to the 2008 financial crisis. After Bushby 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, Bushby was hampered by the tundra conditions. Because his route took him through an area that can only be travelled on foot via frozen rivers and ice roads, he could only walk during the late winter and early spring. On 25 April 2011, after walking approximately , Bushby reached the town of Srednekolymsk, completing his leg for 2011. Beginning his 2012 leg, he only needed to travel an additional before reaching improved roads, meaning his travel would only be limited by the Russian visa rules. On 12 April 2012, Bushby reported on his site that the Russian authorities had denied him a visa for 2012.

In March 2013, Russia banned Bushby from re-entering Russia for five years.

Bushby walked over from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. His destination was the Russian Embassy. On 23 October 2014, Bushby's visa ban was overturned and he was granted a letter of invitation from the Russian government.

Bushby crossed the Russia-Mongolia border in 2017, and on 8 August 2017 he was in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Bushby crossed into Uzbekistan early in June 2019, reaching the border between Turkmenistan and Iran a few months later where the voyage was on pause due to visa issues, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

In August 2024, Bushby started the swim across the Caspian Sea from Kazakhstan, planning to finish in Azerbaijan to avoid going through Iran or Russia, as both countries are currently too dangerous to enter with a British passport. Bushby was accompanied by co-swimmer Angela Maxwell and two Azerbaijani national swimmers. Each day, Bushby and company swam in two 3-hour sessions—one in the morning, one in the afternoon—while resting and sleeping on support boats each night. The swim covering was achieved in 31 days with 132 swimming hours. From Azerbaijan, Bushby then went to Turkey to cross the Bosphorus Strait into Europe.

''Giant Steps''

Bushby wrote a book about his walk titled ''Giant Steps'', first published in 2005. The latest edition (2007) includes events up to 31 March 2006, and his Bering Strait crossing. The book and the Bering Strait crossing also inspired a board game called ''Ice Flow''.

See also

* List of pedestrian circumnavigators

References

Notes

Bibliography
*Bushby, Karl. ''Giant Steps''. Sphere. (2nd ed.; 2007)

External links

Goliath Expedition home pageGoliath Expedition blog, 2009–2010Interview with Karl Bushby 2011Alone Around the World
A long distance radio interview with Karl Bushby at Podstantsiya.ru
WideWorld Article
Odyssey XXI, one man’s 15 year trek across the globe

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bushby, Karl
1969 births
Living people
British Parachute Regiment soldiers
Pedestrian circumnavigators of the globe
Walkers of the United Kingdom
Military personnel from Kingston upon Hull