The Out of Eden Walk is Back!

Salopek and friends posing for a walker's picture togetherOutofedenwalk Instagram

The Out of Eden Walk is back on, folks! A Barstow native is continuing to walk across the world.

If you’re not yet familiar with this breathtaking project, check out the above Instagram.

The Out of Eden Walk is a National Geographic-sponsored journey by Barstow native Paul Salopek, a Pulitzer-winning journalist and photographer, retracing our distant human ancestor’s slow exodus out of Africa.

Like most things that are good, The Out of Eden Walk was on hold because of that big virus thing that happened all around the world.

Salopek has been vagabonding on foot since the middle of Obama’s presidency, taking pictures and making friends. Since COVID started, he’s been stranded in Myanmar.

But no more! Salopek is free to resume his wanderin’ ways, to our benefit. His content is amazing, and I’ll be an avid follower now that I’ve found him.

Here is his most recent National Geographic entry, if you’d like to read more and live vicariously through his eyes!

It could be said that he’s half done, but he’s got quite a bit of terrain left if he’s going to complete this epic adventure. He’s still got to wander through China and Russia (notoriously big places), then casually hop across the Bering Strait in wintertime before jaunting down to the southern tip of South America.

Tune in, it’s great stuff. Know the best part? His journey has not made him a pessimist. After eight years of walking and seeing the people of the earth, he’s not a cynic.

Yet if he’d stayed at home and simply watched the news about the places he’s been, he probably would be.

Hats off to you, Paul. You’re killing it.