By the time he had reached Burns Lake, Holly Harrison was walking on crutches. But the intrepid hiker — who set out more than a year ago from the southern tip of South America — was still covering more than 32 km every day.
The trek started in Ushuaia, a city in southern Argentina, and the final destination is Prudhoe Bay, a northern outpost in Alaska — a journey of about 25,000 km altogether. Google Maps indicates that driving from Burns Lake to Prudhoe Bay — a distance of more than 3,000 km — would take 43 hours. Harrison hopes to cover this distance by June 15.
Since late December, he has travelled with Ian Smith, his brother-in-law, who drives ahead in a camper where Harrison sleeps at night.
“He doesn’t really stop,” said Smith, with the only exception resulting from a pulled hamstring in 100 Mile House. Harrison finally bought crutches in Vanderhoof.
Harrison is documenting his adventure on a Facebook page, which recently featured a photo of a moose that he encountered on the road. He later enjoyed a dinner of moose stew that was given to him as a “thank you” by a local resident after he found their iPhone by the side of the road.
Canada is the 14th country on Harrison’s journey, the last before he returns to US territory for the final leg of his trip. Smith said that Harrison has travelled entirely on foot — no trains, boats or buses — except for a ferry across a river.
“He’s had an adventure, that’s for sure,” said Smith. The 58-year old man, who calls North Carolina home, is planning to break the world record for the fastest hike covering the length of the Western Hemisphere.