Karl Bushby, who reportedly aims to be the first person to complete a continuous round-the-world walk, opened up about some of his scariest experiences, including being in the “middle of a war zone”
(Image: Karl Bushby / SWNS)
An explorer who has spent a staggering 27 years walking across the planet has named two of the scariest places he visited on his travels. Karl Bushby, an ex-paratrooper who reportedly aims to be the first person to complete a continuous round-the-world walk, started his mammoth journey in Chile in 1998 and will soon return to the UK after nearly three decades on the road.
The 56-year-old, from Kingston upon Hull, has seen his fair share of danger over the years. As part of his aptly named 36,000-mile Goliath Expedition, Karl has swum across the Caspian Sea and walked the American and Asian continents.
Two particular adventures stood out when it came to describing some of his scariest experiences. His first occurred when traversing the infamous Darién Gap, bridging Central and South America, and he found himself in the “middle of a war zone”, reports Unilad.
Karl told CBS News: “And then there’s a whole layer above that of cartels and drug plantations, and then really, really tough jungle.”
Spanning Panama and Colombia, and known as one of the most treacherous migration routes on the planet, the Darién Gap is a notorious 60-mile passage characterised by difficult terrain, including mountains and rainforests.
Its dangers include hot temperatures, heavy rainfall, rivers that people have to cross, mosquitoes, crocodiles, venomous snakes, and criminals, with human trafficking, extortion, robbery, rape and sexual assault reportedly commonplace.
Karl also highlighted a journey he took across the Bering Strait, which lies between the Pacific and Arctic oceans, where he had an encounter with a polar bear. He added: “You’re in a very serious world that will kill you in 20 minutes if you mess up.”
Located between Alaska and Russia, the strait is a wildlife haven home to such species as beluga, bowhead and gray whales and, of course, polar bears. Despite the peril, Karl succeeded in crossing alongside US companion Dimitri Kieffer.
The intrepid duo reportedly crossed from Alaska to Siberia, traversing ice flows and swimming areas of open water, only to be arrested by Russian authorities upon arrival for illegal entry and deported.
As of November 6, Karl was near Budapest as he bore down on his home city of Hull, which he previously admitted would be a “very strange place to be” after such a long time travelling, reports the BBC.
He also confessed that finally ending his journey was a “positively scary” prospect and was “going to be hard”. Karl said: “I’ve spoken with a number of long-distance walkers, some walking five years or more, and they have told me it’s very difficult returning to normal society.
“The key will be throwing myself into another mission, to have another goal.”
Karl also shared his assessment of humanity, revealing that “99.99% of the world is good” and the world isn’t as scary “as you might think”, even in parts that we “might not expect”.