A long walk home
In 2006 Karl Bushby became the first British man to walk across the partly frozen Bering Strait, the dangerous 58-mile channel between Russia and the USA.
A When Karl Bushby reached the Chukotski region in far eastern Russia, there were only seals to welcome him after 14 days on the ice. In a satellite phone call to his father in the UK, he said, 'Were here, we've done it, Dad.'
He began his journey in Chile, South America, in 1997 When he finally returns to his hometown of Hull in the UK, it is likely to be the longest continuous around-the-world journey ever made on foot. And why has it taken so long? Because Bushby's main rule for himself on the journey is that he never accepts lifts in a vehicle of any kind.
B Bushby crossed the Bering Strait with Dimitri Keiffer, a French adventurer he met in Canada. The first recorded crossing of the strait on foot was in 1998 by a Russian father and son team, but in general, not many explorers attempt it because it is so dangerous. Although local people go out on the ice to hunt and fish, few of them go very far because of the extreme danger.
C There is ice in the strait for four months of the year. March is the best month for an attempt to walk across because there is more daylight and the Currents in the water are slower. But there were large areas of open water between the ice when Bushby and Keiffer left Alaska on 17 March. 'We could often hear the ice breaking up just a couple of miles behind us,' Bushby said. 'It was very scary, like the sound of a distant express train.'
D They set off pulling nearly 200 kg of food, fuel and equipment in two lightweight *sledges, and wearing special suits in case they fell into the freezing water. Because the ice is constantly moving north or south at different speeds, taking a direct route was impossible.
For four days, the men walked north-west to try to miss a large area of open water but strong currents carried them 20 miles north in the darkness when they camped.
E Two days later, the ice moved south again, taking them almost back to their starting point and one sledge, crushed by the ice, was left behind. It was only after temperatures fell to -30°C that the ice became more stable. Pulling everything in a single sledge, the men walked a long way west. But on 25 March they quickly had to move their tent. 'It was 5 a.m. when we felt the ice moving under us,' Bushby said. 'We dived out of our sleeping bags and pulled the tent away and tried to find some stable ice.'
F This is not the only dangerous situation Bushby has faced on his journey. After leaving Punta Arenas at the tip of Chile, South America, in 1997^ he was attacked in Peru, he became very sick in Colombia, he was robbed in Ecuador and he was jailed for 18 days in Panama. He lived through extreme conditions in the South American jungles and deserts, ,qnd came very close to snakes and crocodiles.
G It is hard for anyone to understand why Bushby is on this incredibly long and hard journey and many people have asked how he can afford it. He is not raising money for charity, nor is he campaigning about the environment. His walk is simply an adventure; a long, slow, exciting walk back to his home in England. He has not had much money for most of the expedition, but he hopes sales of his book Giant Steps will help to pay for necessary equipment.
the reason why few people try to do what Bushby did Answer
2 the reason why an extraordinary walk began Answer
3 a description of the ideal time for a dangerous activity Answer
4 a reference to an improvement in the environment that made things easier Answer
5 a description of a problem with equipment Answer
6 a reason for the length of time an activity is taking Answer
7 a prediction about a future achievement for Bushby Answer
8 a reference to how Bushby will fund the rest of his journey Answer
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