Lucy Barnard - Returning to Columbia to meet up with her dog, Wombat and restart her journey of walking the length of the world.

Lucy is attempting to become the first woman to walk the length of the world. She began at the bottom of Argentina in February 2017 and will cross 15 countries to reach the highest point of Northern America. She will travel only by foot, or when the terrain is impassable by kayak or swimming.

 

In 2019, Lucy became the first woman to have hiked the length of South America (from Argentina to Colombia). 

 

Due to the pandemic, Lucy needed to pause her expedition and returned home to Australia in 2020 where she has been waiting for the travel bans and restrictions to lift. 

 

In December 2022 Lucy will be flying back out to Columbia to meet up with her beloved dog Wombat - she will then continue on her way. 

 

During this episode we catch up with Lucy to see what life has been like since we last spoke to her. Lucy shares more about the heartbreak of leaving Wombat behind when she needed to return to Australia. She fills us in on what she's been up to while her journey has been on hold.  She shares more about the planning and preparation required to get back to Columbia to start walking again.

 

We first spoke with Lucy on Jun 25, 2019 - Her Goal to be the first women to walk the length of the Earth! https://www.toughgirlchallenges.com/single-post/lucy-barnard 

 

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Lucy's career started with a science degree and specialisation in communications. She has been the chair of National Science Week NT, and worked extensively in aboriginal health research until moving to Geoscience Australia in 1016. She is passionate about culture and storytelling and aspires to become an ethnographic writer.

 

Lucy has been awarded competitive grants for her work from the Australian Geographic society and The North Face, and has been nominated for an OAM from the Australian Government in recognition of her contribution to the outdoor industry.

 

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Show Notes

• Who is Lucy
• Her goal to be the first woman to walk the length of the world
• Returning back to Australia in 2020
• Speaking to Lucy in Year 2 of her journey when she had just crossed into Peru
• Being water poisoned 
• Was she still enjoying the journey 
• Meeting her family in Peru
• Having a shift in her attitude
• Leaving behind the desert and the heat and transitioning into the mountains
• The challenges of the desert and her strategy for getting through it
• Finding joy again
• Being followed by the police while walking on the highway
• How 2020 unfolded while walking through Ecuador
• Living the life she was meant to be living
• Crossing the border into Columbia 
• Leaving Wombat with a friend 
• Feeling adrift for the past 2 years 
• Not wanting to talk about Wombat
• Transitioning back to life in Australia 
• Being away for 3 years and connecting with old friends and family
• Losing a friend to suicide
• The emotional journey
• Running out of money and needing to get a job 
• Going back to work
• Getting ready to head back out to Columbia 
• The planning and preparation before heading back
• Her dream of wanting to become an ethnographic writer in the future
• Wanting to produce more content in YouTube
• Saying goodbye to friends and family 
• The plans for the first few weeks
• Being able to get a 2 year visa for Columbia
• Making a decision about the route through Columbia 
• How can you support Lucy while out on the road
• Buy audio books for Lucy 
• Having a library membership with Borrow Box Library App 
• Book recommendations: A Gentleman in Moscow 
• What Lucy is reading
• How you can connect with Lucy
• Final words of advice

 

Social Media

 

Website: tanglesandtail.com 

 

Instagram: @tanglesandtail 

 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/tanglesandtail 

 

Twitter: @tanglesandtail 

 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LucyBarnard