Julian Monroe Fisher lives and breathes for the outdoors. Noted for his African explorations, Julian is also an anthropologist, ethnographical documentary filmmaker, author, photographer, Fellow with The Royal Geographical Society in London, International Fellow with the Explorers Club in New York City and more besides.
Since 1996, Julian's expeditions have crossed 85 countries and have ranged from a continuous world trek between 1996-2003, to leading a Colorado African Expedition in 2007 and establishing a new route from the Rwenzori Mountain glaciers to the Semliki River in Uganda in 2008.
In Spring 2011, Julian will attempt to become 'the first US American to walk coast to coast across the African continent' in his latest expedition, Equatoria - A Walk Across Africa.
Here he explains more about his passion for exploring.
1. Let's start from the beginning. How did you first become involved with expeditions and how did you realise that you wanted to become an explorer?
From my birth there were always National Geographic magazines lying around our house displaying tales from afar. Storylines and images from exotic lands depicting far-off distant cultures captured my imagination and have continued to do so relentlessly throughout my adult life. I grew up on the east coast of the United States and when I turned eighteen my first big adventure involved my best friend and I together hitchhiking across the country to the west coast of California and back again. That trek was followed by a stint for four years in college, culminating when I graduated from university with a degree in Anthropology. Post-graduation I settled into a mundane corporate job in the hospitality industry. Years later when my father was dying of lung cancer, I realized that life is short and that by the time I reached the end of my life I wanted to be sure that I would have lived a fulfilling life. So following the passing of my father, I sold everything, paid off my debts and with US$6,000 flew to Cancun, Mexico. I hopped on a bus and headed south. I have never looked back!
2. The number and range of your expeditions is awe-inspiring. What drives you to push yourself to ever more challenging extremes?
I am curious by nature and therefore I continually look for new places to explore. I now have a loving wife whom I met on a boat travelling across the Bay of Honduras and two children who encourage me to do as my mentor Colonel Norman Vaughan believed we should all do: "dream big, and dare to fail".
3. What do you aim to achieve through your explorations? Is it pure and simple exploration or do you include scientific, humanitarian or other elements too?
Most of my expeditions have had a scientific element. My last four expeditions over the past four years have been Explorers Club flag sanctioned expeditions. In order to have the honour of carrying the Explorers Club flag, there must be a scientific focus. It's not enough to climb Mount Everest or ski to the poles, there has to be some science mixed into the trek.
4. A great number of your explorations take place in Africa. What has led you to focus on this continent in particular?
The cultural diversity and the beauty of the people and the landscape hooked me back in 1997. My expeditions are not about walking into a planetary void to capture a photo of myself with a frost covered face or a sun blistered nose; my expeditions are all about interacting with fellow humans to see how, collectively, we can make the planet a better place.
5. It's important to note that although exploration is your main focus, you also have a plethora of other roles. How do you manage all of these?
My writings, films and photography are all fuelled by my expeditions. The field of exploration is quite crowded these days, not like it was 15 years ago. In many ways my aim with the expedition I start this April has me returning to my Anthropological-Ethnographical roots; being embedded daily with the locals for many months at a time. You can't simply go on a holiday and come back only knowing the place you just visited. Especially when it comes to the African continent, there is an underlying heartbeat that takes a while to become accustomed to; a pace and way of life that takes time to understand. Africa is not all about famine, war and devastating diseases; it's also about people with an insatiable appetite for life and an inherent spirit for making their lives better.
6. Your latest expedition, Equatoria - A Walk Across Africa, is kicking off this month (April 2011). Could you give us an overview of this latest adventure?
EQUATORIA - A Walk Across Africa, without a doubt is my most ambitious expedition to date. I will be attempting to walk west from the Indian Ocean coastal town of Pemba, Mozambique, towards the coastal town Lobito, Angola, at the Atlantic Ocean. The 4,000km plus walk will take me across landscape comprising parts of the territories of Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique.
The expedition attempt represents 'the first recorded US American to walk coast to coast across the African continent from Mozambique to Angola' and is believed to be 'the first recorded expedition by any explorer ever attempted along this specific route'.
The primary objective of EQUATORIA - A Walk Across Africa is to bring global awareness to the efforts of the Mines Advisory Group (MAG International) and their work in current and former conflict zones to reduce the threat of death and injury from remnants of conflict. Attention garnered by this expedition shall also bring attention to those countries that are signatories to the Ottawa Treaty and correspondingly, those countries that have not signed the treaty, including the United States, Russia and China, which all permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. In all of the African countries I will traverse, many areas remain impacted by landmines and other lethal remnants of wars both old and new. Hopefully my journey will raise awareness of how these weapons continue to plague people's lives long after the peace treaties have been signed and the warriors have all gone home.
EQUATORIA - A Walk Across Africa represents my fifth Explorers Club flag sanctioned expedition. The scientific objectives are:
A) To gather ethnographical content on the Yao or waYao indigenous people.
The waYao are a predominantly Muslim people group of about 2 million spread over three countries, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania and are one of the poorest people groups in the world. There are approximately 450,000 waYao in Mozambique. They largely occupy the eastern and northern parts of the Niassa province and form about 40% of the population of Lichinga, the capital of this Mozambique province.
B) To research conservation efforts to fight poaching within the South Luangwa National Park in Zambia while traversing the park on foot. The South Luangwa National Park in eastern Zambia, the southernmost of three national parks in the valley of the Luangwa River, is a world-renowned wildlife haven.
C) To research conservation efforts within the Parc National Da Camea in southern Angola while traversing the park on foot. Due to years of civil war, conservation research on the park is practically non-existent. My research will be the first ever scientific study conducted on foot while traversing the park.
D) To research the long term benefits to the indigenous people in Angola of the efforts of MAG International - co-laureate of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, a non-profit humanitarian initiative clearing remnants of conflicts.
E) To document the physiological effects on the body of a 56 year old man before, during and after walking 4,000 km across equatorial sub-Saharan Africa. My research will be the first ever scientific study conducted regarding a person over 50 years of age walking coast to coast from Mozambique to Angola.
7. As you cross Africa, what sort of conditions and challenges are you anticipating to encounter?
EQUATORIA - A Walk Across Africa will have me facing a full array of challenges both mentally and physically. From wildlife encounters to road bandits to corrupt government officials to Malaria to reptiles to river crossings to where to find suitable drinking water and food to hot days and cold nights. I will be crossing savannahs and plateaus and mountain ranges from sea to sea for months on end. As they say, it's a very long walk from Pemba to Lobito...
8. Finally, do you have any future expeditions in the pipeline?
I have a long list of possibilities. If I am successful in my attempt with EQUATORIA - A Walk Across Africa this first time out, I plan to continue exploring our world at large. The good news is that my wife loves exploration as much as I do and that our two kids are getting old enough now to tag along. I also have a project I am working on in the Katanga Province of The Democratic Republic of the Congo with the local king where we are building the first royal museum in the country and an Anthropological research station (see http://www.bunkeya.org/ for further details on this).
To quote T. S. Elliott: "Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."
To find out more about Julian Monroe Fisher, please visit his website: http://www.julianmonroefisher.com/ and for further information about his latest expedition, Equatoria - A Walk Across Africa, please visit: http://walkacrossafrica.org/.
Julian will be giving occasional audioblogs as he journeys through Africa on Equatoria - A Walk Across Africa. You can listen to them via his facebook profile.
