An American woman vowed to trek around the world on foot. Six years later Angela Maxwell has made her way back home.
“I thought I was happy, but in retrospect, I realized that I was searching for more… for a deeper connection with nature and people – by living on less and connecting with the world around me.”
While speaking to BBC, she explained that she wanted to walk around the world alone in order to develop a connection with it. In 2014, Angela decided to walk around the world alone, after overhearing a conversation in art class about a man who did so nine months earlier. She went from running a successful business to walking around the world.
Once she made the decision to go, Maxwell sold all her belongings and organized the necessary gear. She packed a cart with 50kg of camping equipment, dehydrated food, a military-grade water filter, and four seasons of clothing. Maxwell left her hometown of Bend, Oregon, on 2 May 2014 and headed into an adventure so grand it was probably best she didn’t know exactly what was waiting for her along the track.
Today the lone woman traversed the world and walked over 20,000 miles.
“It’s probably a combination of ambition, a little stubbornness, and a pinch of passion – not for hiking as a sport, but for self-discovery and adventure.”
There was no shortage of hardships along the way. Angela was even sexually assaulted. After surviving rape by a nomad who broke into her tent in Mongolia, coping with the trauma only had her push forward.
“I didn’t start walking because I was fearless – but rather because I was terrified. I was more afraid of not following my heart than I was of losing everything I owned and loved,… I was determined not to let the incident force me to give up this dream of mine and go home. I had left my whole world behind, had nothing to go back to, and understood the risks inherent in my journey.”
She went out to connect with the world and connected with so many people in the process. Her journey even helped Angela raise money for NGOs like World Pulse and Her Future Coalition.
After becoming an inspiration for people everywhere, she’s now back home working on a book. She’ll be back on the road soon enough though, as she’s planning future journeys.
“Walking has taught me that everything and everyone has a story to share, we just have to be willing to listen,” she said.
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