FAQ - Give Me Your Huddled Masses

Days Walking - 5

FAQ! Because the emails, they don't stop.

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What is a FAQ?
F.A.Q. is an abbreviation for Frequently Asked Questions.

Some of this info you may already know.
Feel free to scroll on past that sh*t.

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What are you doing?
Our group is taking an insanely long walkabout, the longest walkabout in the history of mankind (without stopping to build a teepee, ger, or hut). We have pledged to walk from Barrow, Alaska to Punta Arena, Chile. Yes, the country of Chile.

We're starting at the bald head of the planet earth, dandruffy with snow, and walking to a point just below the chin. Described less whimsically, that's (giving or taking) about 15,000 miles. I told you we were insane. But it's a good insane. At ten miles a day on average, walking six days a week, that's 1500 days. At 312 days a year, it's 5 years. I'll be 25 years old or dead at the end of this road.

We try to get in about 10 miles a day, but often averages 6-8.
Many of the early days were -24 with the wind chill, give me a break.

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WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!?
Because this is an amazing world, full of mystery, beautiful sights, sounds, and people. And because I can. And because the idea scares the beejeesus outta me. If it doesn't scare me, it's not worth doing.

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How is it you have time/energy to post?
This is the land of the midnight sun, baby. As of this edit of the FAQ, on June 20 2005, the sun rises here at about 3am. The sun sets at about 1am. No that's not a typo, we have only an hour and a half, two hours of 'night'. Yes, it is freaky - I agree.

That gives us about 8 hours for hiking (not counting breaks), and we stop about an hour before sunset to build the shelters. We stop long before sunset, obviously. We can't hike for 22 hours a day.

While on the road, I don't post my entries myself, I call and dictate them into Marina's voicemail, who types them in and posts them for me. (You'll meet Marina in a minute) .

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Who are you people?
We are The Pilgrimage of Litany (and friends)

Anneli G____
Team Engineer, Builder of Bridges
22 years old, of Asbestos, Maine.
Dark hair, dark skin, dark eyes, brilliantly bright mind. She's going to be a civil engineer one day. Anneli is a determined, focused type of girl who takes no shit and no prisoners.

Church B______
Team Nurse, Tender of Hospice
19 years old, of Tacoma, Washington. Church has this energy in the air around her... She is cool peeps. She's been a volunteer at her uncle's veterinarian clinic and she prefers dogs to cats.

Litany Webb
Team Chronicler, Bard and Poet
20 years old, of Los Angeles, California.
I have a profile and it talks about me and if you can't glean my personality from blog context, I don't know what more I can tell you.

Jake B____
Team Survival Expert, Fixer
23 years old, of El Paso, Texas.
A good guy and very sharp. Capable and confident. He's had a lot of survival training in different climates and has even been an professional survival instructor. He can build a makeshift shelter, start a fire with virtually nothing, and tell you (in exhaustive detail) which roots and grubs won't kill you.

Kwame R______
Team Linguist, Charmer and Player
21 years old, of Pleasant Prairie, Montana.
He grew up in a genuine cathouse, and knows a thing or two about women. He speaks five languages fluently and two more passably. (English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese, German, Gaelic).

Adrian G______
Team Fitness Trainer, Master of Pain, Masseuse
25 years old, of Chicago, Illinois.
Over the past two months, he's dragged our asses out of bed in the pre-dawn gloom, and made us march directly up hills that should properly be described as mountains. When it's more than 45 degrees, you should have ropes, not shoes. He designed our obstacle course, and insisted that we all beat it in 2 minutes or less. Anyone who thinks girls can't climb ropes has not met Adrian.

Gabriel N_____
Team Equipment Specialist, Biomechanics Engineer
28 years old, of New York, New York.
Gabriel is a poet trapped in the body of a mathematician. The man is trying to apply string theory to build a better hiking boot.

Caeled B_____
Team Electronic Engineer, IT God
18 years old, of Cordoba, Argentina.
Typical lumpen, sun-fearing computer nerd. (Those are his words). He's an amazing technical resource, and has encyclopedic knowledge of First Edition D&D.

and (sorry I left you out last time, my girl!)

Marina B___
Logistical Goddess
37 years old, of Los Angeles California.
Marina is not walking with us, and she is so happy about that. She works at my Dad's company, and he decided to add my little team onto her 'to do' list. She keeps tabs on us, mails us supplies, and reminds Dad to feed my cat. Meow!!

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How does the logistics work?
Marina (see the Who Are You People question) handles stuff like where and when to ship our next CARE package, supplies, and goods. Family members for the other team members also work through Marina. And she makes sure my bills get paid and that we're still alive. She reminds me to answer my email.

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What in God's name makes you think this is possible...?
The Natives of Chile got there somehow, ai'ght? And they didn't jet-set. They got their serious walk on, 10,000 years ago, and they didn't even have Bactine.

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Can I join up and walk with you?
Wow, no. We did a lot of calculation and study on group size, social dynamics, etc - and eight is the optimum number. If someone dies, I'll give you a shout-out.

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Is there Pilgrimage of Litany merchandise?
There is! http://www.cafepress.com/litanywebb There is like zero art skill on the team, but we cobbled together a few items. Want to donate some artwork for the cause? Email me.

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How Can I Help?
It's just nice to know you guys are out there. I love love love getting comments on the blog, pro or con. And if you're really twitching to help, feel free to click on the ads at the bottom of the page. Quality Consumer Goods await your perusal! If 900 million people click on an ad, I get like fiddy cents. Woot!

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My publication would love to hire you, paying you gobs of cash to syndicate your entries, or write a column or novel.
Ok, no one has ever asked me this.
But it would be nice.
And of course I would agree.

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What does the group talk about?
There are times when we discuss Highbrow Issues, like morality, religion, ethics, politics, and the fate of the planet. I should probably relate some of those discussions, instead of just rambling daily about my random thoughts and wacko dreamings. Next time we talk about something Important, I'll take notes.

But largely, we talk about what people usually talk about, minus the routine. Your average bullsh*t. We're not talking about last night's episode of Sex in the City, or how the dog trashed the laundry room - again, or how our boss is an assh*le. All of that 'watercooler' stuff is not there.

We talk about old movies, and try to quote as many lines as we can ("No Horsesh*t, Jack? No Horsesh*t.") we talk about our lives growing up, and what brought us to this point (though a lot of that was covered in the first few months. We trained together for months before starting the trip, so a lot of the 'getting to know you' sh*t took place a while ago. There was a blog for that period, but it has gone poof, hence this new blog.

We complain about the weather, the shortness of the days (the sun doesn't even rise very high before dipping back down, and noon doesn't look like noon. You're tapping your watch going - "It can't be noon, this thing is busted!"), equipment problems (something is always rubbing. And if it aint rubbing, it's pinching. And if it's not pinching... well you see where I'm going.)

How we should have brought more pepper and less salt, etc.A big topic is "When we reach civilization, I'm gonna..." It's almost like we're in prison or on a desert island. You get strong cravings for stuff you don't have. For food, snacks, tv shows, porn, a warm bed, a rousing LAN party of Quake / Unreal (video games), chance to visit a church / temple / synagogue, the list is endless.

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How would your trip be different without technology?
The trip would not be possible without technology. I wouldn't even consider it. Without GPS, emergency locator beacons, satellite phones and PC uplinks, rechargeable battery packs and crank dynamo's, there's just no way. We would die, and no one would ever find us.So that covers the tech-necessities.Gizmo's like iPods and GameBoys are nice, but in no way necessary. They just help distract us when we're resting. When I listen to my iPod as I walk, I have to keep the volume low, so I can hear verbal cues from the group - "I've fallen and I can't get up, I've fallen through the ice, a Polar Bear is eating my face", that sort of thing.) Books are heavy, so being able to listen to audiobooks on the iPod are a real weight-saver. There are 3 different religious books I'm listening to right now. They are each based on a different faith, and it's really interesting to compare the themes. Underlying them all is really a sense of order and purpose, and a 'Be Groovy and Things Will be Groovy' sensibility. But I digress. How unlike me. (is there a text-based smiley symbol for rolling eyes?)

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What are you hoping to get from the trip?
I hope and pray for an expanded appreciation for the planet, its vastness, and our place in it. I want to see free animals and unfenced trees and wild water, and mountains and canyons. When I'm done walking, I want to be able to look at a map and see not just lines and letters, but remember the smell of the ground exactly there. In that precise location. The earthy-ness of it. To rake my fingers through it and see the beetles scurry and the worms wormy and get it under my fingernails.

To smell the vitality of the earth, untouched by urban haze and carbon monoxide. If that means that a mud pot or geyser belches out sulfur, that's fine, I want to smell it. If a bat-filled cave smells of guano, I want to smell it. And I want to smell the caribou and the bison and the deer. And the fields of flowers. I want to sink to my knees, curl on my side and pass out in a field of poppies and dream dream dream of Nirvana.

I want to become a better writer.

I want to meet people, Earthlings all, working hard in their daily life, working the farm, the orchards, the mines, the bars and diners and rock climbers and white water rafters. I want to meet the Native folks with their ancient ways, boats and snowmobiles, humility and pride.

I want to meet the hermit meditating in his hut, solving the mysteries of mysteries in the wilderness. I want to shake his hand and share his breath and ask him about his favorite jazz song.

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How does the experience compare to expectations?
We're not making as much progress as I'd hoped. We planned for 10 miles a day, and usually do around 8. We're not lazy, but early on, (it was winter when we started) the days were really short. Some of the drifts and deformed multi year ice make the terrain a lot less flat than we expected, from examining the topo maps. So far, there's been no earthy soil for me to play in, or caribou to smell, or poppies to dream in. Since leaving Barrow, we've only bumped into one person. Happy, Mournful Sigh. And he was very very cool, so the 'interesting peeps encountered' box gets a 100% score. So far, there hasn't been a lot of stimuli, not much to write home about. The third day was largely like the fourth day, and et cetera. Once we work our way farther south, and the weather improves, and we reach the treeline, I'm sure things will get a lot more interesting.

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What do you plan to do after the trip is over?
I really don't know what to expect. No idea. Maybe I'll find a village that I fall in love with somewhere in Central America, and join the Peace Corps and help the locals. Devote my life to teaching and tending. Maybe I'll fall into an ice crevasse tomorrow and die. Maybe a sexy Martial Arts instructor in Brazil will sweep me off my feet, and I'll settle down, raise kids, and teach interpretive dance. Maybe I'll catch the fever and join a diamond mine in Argentina, forsaking my Americano Fait and sifting for sparkly carbon bits. I'm sorry that I don't have a better answer. I'm not sorry that it's a big, frightening exciting unknown.

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Do any of the Walkers write a blog?
Caeled (our IT guy) does, but he's frightfully private. It's not shared, it's one of those 'online-but-no-one-can-see-it' ones, which makes no sense to me. That's like putting a classified ad in the paper, but putting it in some weird code that no one can read. Why, Caeled? It's a social medium. S h a r e!

I'll work on his resolve and see if I can get him to be a little more open with the world. Also, Church keeps a journal, of the old fashioned, pen and paper ilk. Spiral bound at the top, and she writes in the purplest of inks. I don't know if she ever plans to type it all up for the world to see. She enjoys her music player, but isn't much for technology beyond that.

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Planning the trip -
Were the members chosen to get along and work well together?
The hardest part was finding people who were interested, truly interested in spending five years of their life away from their homes and families. After that, it became a weeding process looking for the right skillsets. We needed a survival expert, we needed a medical type, and a technology guy, and like that. Beyond that, the right people sort of chose themselves. And we get along because we're the type of people who would choose to do this. It's like Rocky Horror. If you show up, all in costume, and hang with all the other wonderful freaks in costume, you're likely to get along, because you're interested and willing to go to that place, to be silly and fun and just go with it.

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You talk about sex a lot. Are you a slut?
I am a slut trapped in a wary woman living in the year 2005. If only I'd been born in 1945, I would have been 20 in 1965. Free Love Baby. Back in the day, all you had to worry about was clap. Ah, the good old days. Of course, that's forgetting Syphilis. Let's do.

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Are you/the team allowed to catch rides / hitchhike?
No. If a member is injured and cannot walk to a hospital, one member may ride with the injured party to the hospital. Everyone else walks. Bodies of water are a different story, there is no swimming with huge heavy fuc*ing backpacks on.

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Are you related Morgan Webb? Can you introduce me?
No. And no.

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Will you be my girlfriend / will you marry me?
Mmm maybe I should meet you first, neh?

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Can I use excerpts from your blog?
Sure, just email me and tell me what you'd like to use, and where it's gonna be displayed. Also, you gotta credit me with the byline and link back to my blog.

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What are your measurements, how much do you weigh, where can I download nude pics of you?
No. No. No.

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When is your birthday?
9/30/84 but feel free to get your gift on at whim. My Wishlist.

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Who is paying for all this? Your Daddy? You suck, rich girl.
F*ck you. Each of us scraped together the initial fundage for our gear by ourselves. A couple of the guys took out loans from friends and family. Plus, you'd be surprised how little you can live on when you're not paying rent, car payments, insurance, gas money, and lunch at PF Changs.

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How much does it cost to walk across the known world / how much was your gear?
Well obviously we won't know how much the total is until we've done it. But to date, I alone have spent about $11,000. $7,082 was from my savings. I made $1200 selling my car, and $563.22 selling the majority of my worldly possessions. Then I cashed out a chunk of my college fund.

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Where did you get your gear?
Gabriel built some of it with his own two hands, like Da Vinci. Such as the pendulum dynamo. The rest of the goodies, we got from REI, and various sites online, whoever was cheaper.

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Is your real name Litany?
Sadly so.

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"Litany" What were your parents thinking?
Mom hated the idea, Dad thought it was brilliant.

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What does your gear consist of?
Only the heaviest possible stuff known to man! Dark Matter!! Arc'Teryx Bora 75 BackPack, MSR Wind 2 Man Tent, 10 FT Hang-up Clothesline, Garmin 201 Global Positioning System, Shoulder Straps for the backpack (why are they separate from the pack??), Outdoor Soap...on and on. Trust me you don't want the full list. If you just gotta have it, I made an excel file during the planning stages.

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Are you equipped with a towel on the trip?
Yes, Ford Prefect taught me well. If you don't know what that means, there is movie, you lazy slob.

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Do you think you'll actually finish?
Absolutely. Eventually. In only 5 years? Might be optimistic. What we did not calculate into the "5 Years" was the fact that we would have to stop in towns along the way and earn cash to further fund our expedition - buy replacement parts for our worn-out gear, buy more food, tp, you get the idea.

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Can I buy your boots / hat / panties when you're done?
Um. I guess so. Jake suggested putting the stuff on eBay. We'll see.

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Why don't you talk more about the other group members?
Because they are boring and I hate them. Ah, no. I'll get around to it. I'm the most vocal one, so you hear about me mostly. And I often ignore everyone and get my iTunes audiobook on. I can only listen to the wind whistle for so long.

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Why don't you post your GPS data?
Ah, sometimes I do. I usually forget unless someone reminds me. Plus, aliens might choose to beam me aboard the mothership for experimentation / poking.

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Can we meet up as you walk through my home town?
Hells yeah. Hit me with the digits.

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Why do you post so few pictures, damn?
Did Shakespeare need pictures? I don't think so. Pics are a pain in my ass. I take many shots, until my memory stick is full, and then when I need it for an exciting action shot, it's full. It spends a lot of its time in my backpack. I have a lot of pics I will post one day, but I'm really lazy when it comes to this.

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Do you drink / smoke / snort coke / etc?
Yes / Used to / Never Will. Peyote is interesting, but I'll probably never try it.

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What is your position on - gay marriage / minorities / abortion / men / women / meat?
You'll have to glean these tidbits from context.

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You owe me five bucks from last month...?
Um. I'll take care of you when I get home... I'm on a trip right now.

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Do you really think anyone is still reading at this point?
You are. Yes you are, don't deny it.

Litany Webb, signing off

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