Video: Walking with the Mursi – A long distance hike across Ethopia

Do you see yourself as an adventurer?

I’ve even been called an adventurer, but I’ve sure as hell got nothing on David Willing. David spent nearly a month hiking remote Ethiopia (and luckily for us, he recorded his experience). It’s the kind of adventure I crave but I’m not sure if I’m capable of and, even if I am, I’ll probably always have an excuse not to do it. Still, I couldn’t be any more inspired after watching David’s short documentary, Walking With the Mursi.

For David, it all started when he was hiking in the Grampians (in Victoria, Australia) and became lost. As nightfall fell, he stumbled across an Aboriginal rock shelter where he spent the night, which got him thinking about other tribal regions where people still have to walk long distances on a daily basis just to survive.

Eventually, David trained in the highlands of Lebanon and the mountains of northern Italy before taking on the adventure of a lifetime – 500 kilometres (at least that was the plan) of hiking across the remote Omo Valley in Ethiopia, supported by the Mursi tribe; with a Mursi guide who didn’t speak a word of English.

The resulting documentary follows him through the entire journey from the Grampians to Ethiopia. Not everything goes right and David tells his story in the most engaging, honest and inspiring way.

It’s available to watch for free below (via YouTube) because, obviously, David is all kinds of awesome. If you’ve got a spare 40 minutes you should give it a watch. You’ll be glad you did.

If you have any questions about David Willing, his walk with the Mursi, or the documentary in general, ask them in the comments below and I’ll try and get him to come and respond.