Paul Salopek, having already won two Pulitzer Prizes, the admiration of millions, and almost every other major journalism award on the planet, has decided there is nothing left to do but set out on foot on a to retrace the steps of mankind.
The seven-year journey begins in Ethiopia, believed by many to be the cradle of humanity, and progresses across Asia, across the Bering Straights, and down the Americas, ending, finally, in Tierra del Fuego. Salopek says he will be “retracing the pathways of the first human diaspora out of Africa, which occurred about 50 to 70,000 years ago, as authentically as possible, on foot.”
The journey, sponsored by National Geographic, will be covered in a series of articles, videos, and, tweets. Salopek will have a support crew for large portions of the journey, for both guidance and safety, and will be joined occasionally by his wife, artist Linda Lynch.