Malcolm Gorrill
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Oct 12/01) - A pair of Germans are in the midst of a long walk.

Zurgen Berger and Thomas Stenzel plan to walk to the southernmost tip of South America, a journey they expect will take four to five years. They set out from Prudhoe Bay in Alaska on May 9, and reached Whitehorse recently, a distance of 1,867 kilometres.

Zurgen Berger, left, and Thomas Stenzel of Germany are walking to the southernmost tip of South America, a journey they expect to take four or five years. They visited Inuvik last week. - Malcolm Gorrill/NNSL photo

They took a break from their walk and hitched a ride to Inuvik early last week. They were to stay in the area a few days before going to Whitehorse where they would resume their walk. By the end they will walk about 33,000 kilometres.

The pair, who hail from Freital, just outside Dresden, have known each other for nearly a decade.

"We've done a lot of travelling together, played a lot of sports together," Stenzel said.

"Most people say, yeah, it's really hard to be together as friends for such a long time, but we hope it's not a problem for us."

Berger explained they had been looking for a really big challenge.

"We have tried to find an adventure for us where we can see more different cultures and natures and landscapes," Berger said.

He said they will have to overcome obstacles such as mosquitoes and severe heat or cold, but that this will add to the experience.

Stenzel said they both want to meet lots of people along the way and learn about local cultures and customs. He served in the military and operated a business with Berger before they started their trip, and said he may go to university when he returns.

"But now first I want to study life," Stenzel said.

The adventurers have a Web site, located at www.projekt-horizont.de, and said they are going to send reports to some schools back in Germany.

Freital is in what was once East Germany, and is in an area of high unemployment, Berger said one thing they are trying to tell people, especially young people, is to not give up and overcome obstacles. He said he and Stenzel have already faced problems on their trip, but that little things make everything all right.

"We see the nature, we see flowers and sometimes animals, all kinds, we see sunsets, the sunrises, so it's beautiful," Berger said.