The Norwegian who followed his dream Walking the Great Wall is about to reach his goal. After an expedition lasting for 600 days, Robert Loken is expected to reach the Hushan Great Wall by the North-Korean border within next week.
Mr. Loken will be the first person in the world to complete this arduous walk along the Ming Dynasty Great Wall from Jiayuguan in Gansu Province to Dandong in Liaoning Province.
On his way, Mr. Loken has experienced extreme weather changes. He walked in extremely warm conditions in the Gobi desert during the summer and very cold conditions on the border to Inner Mongolia during the winter.
He has been attacked by dogs, had scorpions in his tent and almost lost consciousness while walking over a mountain pass during harsh conditions. In August 2010 Loken broke a bone in his foot and had to rest for six weeks to let it heal. This did not stop him, and soon he continued walking the Great Wall.
Loken has been met by an outstanding hospitality by Chinese people along the Great Wall. He has also started to learn more about Chinese culture and history for which he is very grateful. On his return he wants to spend time holding lectures in Norway about the walk and about the development China is currently undergoing.
Robert estimates he has walked more than 5000 kilometers, but has not calculated the exact length yet. Instead of focusing on the length of the walk, he wants to focus on the many unique experiences in China.
