The World's Longest Walk

George Megan, a former British sailor, was the first person to complete the Argentina-Alaska hike mostly on the Pan-American Highway. Beginning in 1977 at the southern tip of South America, it took Megan 2,425 days to complete the 19,019 mile walk to the northernmost part of Alaska at Prudhoe Bay. During those 6 and a half years he took approximately 41 million steps, he wore out 12 pairs of Italian hiking boots, And he traversed the historically impassable 66-mile Darien Gap, where he was shot at and survived a knifing attack on skate.

During his epic journey, he secured 8 Guinness World Records. That’s taking your life and just saying, I’m going to see how far I can walk. And you know, you and I were talking before the program, not only did he walk, you know, from the Southern hemispheres, Southern most point, I mean, other than Antarctica to the Northern most part of Alaska.

When he got to Texas, cause he started in the south and he went north, he decided to see the east coast of the U.S. So he walked off the Pan American Highway all the way over to the east coast. President Jimmy Carter met him. Then he walked all the way back again and resumed his journey up to Alaska.

So he was a glutton for punishment. And along the way, I should mention that his Japanese girlfriend joined him. He had met while he was in the Navy and she would join him for a little stints of it. They got married and he had 2 children during the whole time he was walking.

Well, you know, the Bible says that living your life, the kind of life you live is compared to a walk.