Q. What route are you taking?
A. We’re not entirely sure. We know for sure we’re starting on the east coast and finishing on the west, and it’s probably going to be quite a southern route, but beyond that – it’s difficult to say. We don’t want to be too prescriptive, so we don’t miss out on some potentially really interesting diversions. Once we’ve started, to see how far we’ve got, you can check out our map page.
Q. Why walk across America?
A. Lucy originally suggested Russia. That was a silly idea, so we picked somewhere a bit easier.
Q. Won’t it cost a lot?
A. Yeah, it will. But then it currently costs £2.50 for a tube journey, £30 for a ticket to a football match and £4.50 for a posh sandwich at M&S, so at least we’ll be escaping that. We’ll be trying to save money wherever we can on the route too!
Q. How long will it take?
A. We’re planning on around six months. That’s taking it reasonably leisurely, taking weekends off and a few short breaks along the way. I’m assuming we’ll need it!
Q. You must be pretty keen walkers then…?
A. Err…not really. Whilst we occasionally walk to work (although sometimes the Underground is that bit too tempting), we’ve never really been ramblers or ones to go on walking holidays.
Q. Will you walk all of the way?
A. Absolutely. It would make the idea of walking across America rather redundant if we were to only walk across half of it.
Q. What if you get stuck in the desert – won’t you be tempted to take a bus for a little bit?
A. It might be the case that we can’t walk any further on a particular day, and so we may mark where we’ve stopped and take a lift into the nearest town for the night. The next day though, we’ll be sure to return to the exact spot we stopped walking the day before. We won’t cheat, I promise!
Q. Will you have a support vehicle to carry your bags, etc?
A. We wish! If there are any volunteers to drive round alongside us carrying all our supplies, then you’d be more than welcome (of course…). However, our budget doesn’t quite stretch to such things. We’ll just be pleased with a hot meal every now and then!
Q. Wow, sounds great! I live in America, how can I help? (NB. please ask this question)
A. Thanks! Firstly, we’d really appreciate donations to The Pamir Trust (and tell your friends!). Secondly, if you’re on the route, and you have a spare bed or space at the dinner table – we’d be very grateful guests. We’ll be spending a long time on the road, and any home comforts come very gratefully received. Any other ideas you have, we’re keen to hear! Please drop us an email at nick@walkamerica.co.uk.
Q. Err. . .where?
A. Tajikistan. It’s a former Soviet Republic, which borders Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Its capital is Dushanbe, and we’re raising money for a particular region in the country – the Gorno Badakhashan Autonomous Oblast (we prefer to call it the Pamir Mountains).
Q. Cool, what’s there?
A. Well, mountains. And lots of them. Picture Tibetan plateaus and you can’t go far wrong. In fact, better still, check out our photo gallery. Oh, and yes, it is very cool – you’ll need to wrap up warm.
Q. Why are you walking across America then, why not walk across Tajikistan?
A. That also sounds like fun (why don’t you have a go?). However, we’ve never really seen America – so a selfish reason is that we just want to see the country. Another motivation is that through raising money for the projects in Tajikistan, we also want to raise awareness of the country and its people. And that would be a little redundant if we were to do in Tajikistan! Oh yeah, and the mountains are just that bit too high in Tajikistan…
Q. I want to find out more!
A. Good, you can. Check out www.pamirs.org for loads of information on the history, culture and tourism opportunities in the region. The custodian of the website, Robert Middleton, has also written a comprehensive guide to the region, which is well worth checking out if you’re interested.
Q. Will you come talk to our school/club/organisation about Tajikistan?
A. Abso-bloomin’-lutely! If you’re in the UK, or near our walking route in the USA, we’d be more than happy to pop in to talk about Tajikistan and the Pamirs. We’re not experts in the region (by a long shot!), but we are enthusiastic about increasing awareness about the country. It is the main purpose of The Pamir Trust, after all. So, whatever you’re interested in, be it culture, history, tourism – or just an overview of the country – drop us an email to nick@walkamerica.co.uk.
