Planetwalker
After witnessing the 1971 oil spill in San Francisco Bay, John Francis is determined to travel across America on foot — and in silence.
In 1971 Dr. John Francis, known the world over as “Planetwalker,” witnessed an oil tanker collision in the San Francisco Bay. The sight of oiled birds on the shoreline caused him to give up motorized transport and rely solely on his own two feet. Months after that he took a vow of silence, convinced that listening rather than adding fuel to any argumentative fire was the way ahead.
Without talking, he walked clear across the United States and back again. During those 17 silent years he listened and studied the environment around him.
When we discovered John’s story our first reaction was to assume, given its mind-blowing nature, that it had already been well documented and had somehow passed us by. That, however, was not the case.
We come from the world of outdoor filmmaking, and having both been on journeys of our own, we recognized the transformative properties of slow, long-distance travel in John’s story, albeit under very different circumstances from our own adventures. But it was the conclusion that John drew on his “pilgrimage” that we believed was not only timely but much needed in our increasingly polarized society: “How we treat each other is the first opportunity we have to positively affect the environment around us.”
Without talking, he walked clear across the United States and back again. During those 17 silent years he listened and studied the environment around him.
When we discovered John’s story our first reaction was to assume, given its mind-blowing nature, that it had already been well documented and had somehow passed us by. That, however, was not the case.
We come from the world of outdoor filmmaking, and having both been on journeys of our own, we recognized the transformative properties of slow, long-distance travel in John’s story, albeit under very different circumstances from our own adventures. But it was the conclusion that John drew on his “pilgrimage” that we believed was not only timely but much needed in our increasingly polarized society: “How we treat each other is the first opportunity we have to positively affect the environment around us.”