Election Day&The Long Walk Home To Hull
Sorry to Keep You Waiting, Mom!
On an Election Day morning, with the televisions preparing to explain our fate, the Crowd found something else worth watching: a man finally getting home.
Yesterday, outside a row house in Hull, in England’s East Riding of Yorkshire, a banner announced:
“Welcome Home Son.”
The son was Karl Bushby, aged 57. Getting there had occupied almost half his life.
Arenas, Chile, near the Strait of Magellan. His destination was Hull. His proposed means of getting there was walking.
There were two rules: no transportation to advance the journey, and no returning home until he could arrive under his own power. When he had to leave the trail, he would return to the point where he stopped before continuing.’
That got the attention of the long table.
Most of us consider getting across the Galley before the coffee cools a reasonable morning objective. Karl had put four continents between himself and his Mom’s kettle in Hull.
His route carried him north through South America, into Central America and onward through Mexico, the United States and Canada to Alaska. The Darién Gap contributed jungle and danger. Panama contributed an 18-day spell in jail after he crossed a restricted border zone.
Then came the Bering Strait.
In 2006, Karl and fellow adventurer Dimitry Kieffer crossed between Alaska and Russia over shifting sea ice and stretches of freezing water. Reaching the other side brought another difficulty: Russian authorities detained them for entering without using an approved border crossing.
Welcome to Chukotka!
The Washington detour came later. After Russia refused another visa, Karl walked from Los Angeles to the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., to press his case.
That was approximately 3,500 miles behind the cart devoted to getting permission to resume walking somewhere else. Eventually, the paperwork came through.
Never underestimate a man who will cross four continents to come home.
Put the kettle on!
There will be plenty of time for the election returns.
Copyright 2026 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com
