The night before Bethany Hughes started on the Pacific Crest Trail, a 2,650-mile (4265km) hike from Mexico to Canada, she was so wired that she kept rifling through her bags.

Five years later, the 29-year-old with the curious inability to sit still is preparing to depart on her next daring expedition: She will attempt to become the first documented woman to travel the length of the Americas — from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Barrow, Alaska — entirely by non-motorised means. The 20,000-mile (32,187km) trek will begin in December and take an estimated five years to complete.

Along the way, Hughes plans to spend time in local villages and bear witness to their way of life, promoting education, opportunities for women and other social issues.

bbabo.Net