@kennethamy,
kennethamy wrote:
Is is only me who finds it very weird that those three chose the Iraqi-Iranian border to go hiking of all the places in the world? "Say, let's go for a hike" "Great idea. Where should we go? I hear the Appalachian trail is interesting" "Nah, I have a better idea. Let's hike along the Iraqi-Iranian border". Huh? And what I find just as weird is that when one of them was released, she had lot's of interviews, and so far as I can tell, not one interviewer asked her the question, why did you choose that area to hike in? Not one. I would have thought that would be the first question to ask.
I have no idea what type of people these particular hikers are, so I can only speculate. Throughout my life I have read any and all adventure accounts I could get my hands on. Many of this type of persons seem to have little concern for political situations, although most of them are highly intelligent and have greater knowledge of the actual situation than most.
The instability of a region is an accepted risk to these types, quite often one of the lesser risks of the journey.
I have often wondered, as yourself, what adventurers were thinking when they undertook such risks. It is apparent that they see the world quite differently than most of us.
I have read a number of accounts of travels through this area, including northern Afganistan and Pakistan, over the years. The area is on the ancient route followed by Marco Polo, and the silk route. This area has never been what we would consider safe, and is probably no more dangerous now than it has been in the past. Most hikers rely on proper respect for tribal clans, seeking introductions along the way.
Of course, as I have stated, this is pure speculation as to the type of adventurer these hikers are. I suppose the question wasn't asked simply because the reporters are exactly the type to seek adventure. It never occured to them to ask a question they, themselves, could not answer; because it's there.
