Altitude Record
Above 5,100 m in Peru
The story
About
There is a moment between having an idea and acting on it, when you choose to do something or you won't… I chose to walk the length of the Earth.
I decided to become the first woman to walk the length of the Earth.
It’s a 30,000 km trek from the southernmost point of South America to the highest point of Alaska. When I finish, I will be the first woman — and one of only a handful of people — to have ever completed it.
I travel only by foot. Where there are ocean crossings, I swim or kayak. I sleep in a tent, carry everything I need, and have no on-road support team.
I started on the 19th of February 2017. I’m still going.
How it works
This is a self-supported expedition.
No crew vehicle following me down the road. No one handling logistics from a base camp. I carry everything I need on my back, navigate myself, and sort out my own problems — which, after years on the trail, range from the mundane to the genuinely strange.
I do have a bunch of friends who help out when I need a new pair of tights sent over or some other weird logistics sorted. And I turn to them, my family, and the community when adventure life gets mentally tough — because it does.
That’s the reality of walking the length of the Earth. It’s not glamorous. It’s just really, really worth it.
Mode of travel
Foot only
support team
none on-road
where I sleep
tent, mostly
started
feb 2017
Meet the human
Hi, I'm lucy
I’m Lucy Barnard. I have a background in Science and Communications, a Diploma of Project Management, and I’m a qualified wilderness first aider. These aren’t incidental — they’re what hold a project of this scale together over the long haul.
I was born in 1982. I started this expedition in 2017. I’ve been adapting as I go ever since — learning from the terrain, the people I meet, and the unglamorous reality of living on foot indefinitely.
I document the journey honestly, because I think there’s value in showing what this actually looks like — not just the highlight reel.
Meet the dog
and this is wombat
Wombat is a Blue Heeler (Australian Cattle Dog) who started walking with me at three months of age. True to the breed, he is high energy, adventurous, and cheeky. Sometimes stubborn, sometimes fierce — a quick learner who loves frisbee, anything that squeaks, and sneaking into my sleeping bag when I’m not looking.
He’s not a morning dog, hogs the bed, and has issues with donkeys and uncooked meat.
He’s been accused of licking babies on their feet to make them laugh and stealing bread from toddlers — but when he’s really hungry, he’ll find a bowl to throw in your direction. No subtleties necessary.
The reason
So why the hell am I doing this?
It bugged me that in the 35 years since it was first completed, no women had achieved the same feat… so I began planning.
Officially, three men have walked from Argentina to Alaska, and approximately ten have walked their own variations — but only one, the first, walked between the polar-most extreme cities. That’s the version I’ve undertaken.
Closing barriers is one part of it. But I also started this project for the experience — to see how far I could go. I wanted to attempt something only achieved by a handful of people. I wanted to live adventurously, travel, and have a story to tell.
"Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others." — Amelia Earhart
I share these stories honestly and in depth, while on a path few have walked — because above everything else, I’d like to contribute towards how women are revered by our children.
Guinness World Record
First woman to walk the length of the Southern Hemisphere
Completed 2019
Guinness World Record
First woman to hike the length of South America
Argentina to Colombia, 2022
Award
Australian Geographic Adventurer of the Year
2024 medal, awarded 2025
The route
Where exactly am I walking?
From Ushuaia, Argentina, to Utqiaġvik, Alaska. Even though I mapped out the trail way back when… I’ve never stuck to it.
Six years in (excluding the pandemic pause), I’ve walked the length of Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico — and as at the end of 2024, I’d covered just over 20,000 km, reaching Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.
Canada is next. Then Alaska.
