The Longest Walk

The Changing Selfie of a Long Journey

Award-Winning **VIDEO**

Christoph Rehage
The Longest Way.com

My name is Christoph Rehage, and I like to take walks sometimes.

I was born a fat kid to a Hungarian mom and a German dad in Hanover, Germany, on November 9th in 1981.  During my childhood, I spent my time mostly consuming adventure stories and setting things on fire.  

Later on, I ended up in Wichita, Kansas, for a year, then in Paris as a laborer, and eventually in Beijing as a student of Chinese studies.

At some point in between, I spontaneously decided to walk long distances. 

Walking was both terrible and awesome at the same time, and I realized that this was something that I liked very much.  More than reading. More than swimming.  More than taking pictures, and probably even more than watching TV.

It was better than fire.

I’ve always had the desire for photography and exploration.  On the morning of my 26th birthday, on November 9th 2007, I started walking home from Beijing to Germany.  I walked and I walked, growing a beard that got longer and longer.  I had been planning this trip for over a year before I even started, and getting as far as I got was an experience for which I am very grateful.

Then, after a year on the road, close to the border of Kazakhstan, I stopped walking.  And I got a haircut.

I returned home to our village, made a video about the walk called The Longest Way, and posted it online. Little did I know that it would turn out to become a minor Internet sensation.

I never finished my original goal of walking to Germany.  Instead, I walked for a year and after roughly 2,800 miles, passed the Gobi desert, and then decided to stop walking.

I completed the journey solely on foot– straight, good old walking, and three pairs of shoes.  

There are instances where you can see me in the video sitting on a plane or riding a boat, but those are during breaks I had to take from walking, either to sort out bureaucracy issues or to take care of some personal things.  For example, obtaining the necessary visa for a trip like this was not very easy, hence I had to go back to Beijing a few times to resolve some issues.

Walking is good for you.  It helps you see the world around you in a much different way, at a slower and natural pace.  The sights and sounds are more clear.  In fact, walking itself allows you to clear your head, slow down, gather your thoughts.  There were times I felt myself thinking and living clearly for the first time, and seeing the world around me in a new and different way.

There are so many adventures and stories I could tell.  One of the things I learned is that people all over the world are inherently good in nature.  We all want the same things in life.  We all help each other wherever and whenever we can.  People are just that way.

I met so many folks.  I think if I want to get to know someone, I am most of all interested in what that person likes.  The things that someone enjoys doing, the people and ideas that he or she values.  I want to know that, and through that understanding comes the knowledge of what really makes them tick– and to live and love.