Dave Kunst's guest appearances

Dave Kunst

Punto de fuga

Ultrarunning History

Once in a lifetime

Nick Drake

Stanley Kubrick

Sylvia Plath

Bernd Heinrich

Alan Jones

John Coltrane

Sandra Brown

Andy West

James Hunt

Ruth Anderson

Don Choi

Peter Dawson

Ted Corbitt

Jackie Mekler

Edward Payson

OwlTail

By Davy Crockett This is the second part of the Dave Kunst story. Read/Listen/Watch to Part 1 here.Dave Kunst, originally from Minnesota, now from California, claims that he was “the first person verified to have completed circling the entire land mass of the earth on foot.” Kunst's 1970-74 walk has historic importance for the modern-era of ultra-distance walking. I believe that Konstantin Rengarten was actually the first in 1894-1898 (See Part 3). I will show that Kunts' "verified" claim is dubious, but his amazing walk did happen, and the story is fascinating and exciting. But at what cost to those who believed in him? With the end just days away, everything seemly fell apart.In 1970, Dave Kunst of Waseca, Minnesota, started a walk around the world with his brother John. Part 1 of this story covered their travels east to New York, by plane to Portugal, and then on foot with a mule to Afghanistan where John was shot and killed by bandits. Dave was wounded and returned to Minnesota to recover in November 1972.Dave felt strongly that the walk should be continued, and he deeply wanted to get back on the road to experience an exciting and free life, without family, job, or financial obligations. He said, “The walk will definitely go on. I want to keep the ball rolling. I will be back to finish what my brother and I started so he will not have died for nothing.”Plans to resume the walkPete and DaveIn January 1973, only three months since he had been shot in the chest, Dave Kunst announced that he would resume his walk in March 1973 with his brother Pete. They would travel back to Afghanistan and resume the walk from the mountain pass where their brother John was killed. Dave said, “Pete’s wife was reluctant before, but now she is in favor of it.”  Pete said, “It’s too important to all of us to abandon this idea now. My wife understands this, especially since John gave his life for it. We have to finish the job.”Dave’s wife, Jan, was not as sure. She had mixed emotions about him again leaving her alone to raise their young children. She said, “I knew he really wanted to do it. I told him if he had to go, to go and get it over with before the kids are teenagers. I’m scared for him to go back there, but it doesn’t seem to bother him.” His reply to her worries appeared to be rather harsh. “Well that’s a typical reaction of a lot of people. That’s really the difference in individuals. Adventurers don’t think of things like that. Columbus – if he’d thought of that, he wouldn’t have discovered America. Definitely, she’s right, but if I sat here and thought about that. I’d be miserable as hell here.”Dave's brother, Pete Kunst, 28, of Santa Ana, California, was a former marine who served in the Vietnam war.  He was a stock clerk at Data Technology Corp. He was married to Nancy with four children. He didn’t originally join his two brothers because his wife was expecting in 1970. Dave said, “We kind of decided, the three of us, that if one of us dropped out, Pete was going to finish.” Pete said, “I knew one way or another, I was going to go.”  Pete had joined Dave and John on the walk in 1970 for three days when they were in Pennsylvania, but now he was going to join full-time.They estimated that to complete the walk, it would take them at least another year. Pete took out a $2,000 loan to help Nancy support the family while he was gone and she also worked as a secretary. Friends helped to raise money for their air fare back to Afghanistan.The two made preparations both in California and in Minnesota to drum up support. they met with Hubert Humphrey before they left, again collecting a letter of introduction and securing his support. They involved UNICEF as part of their walk. UNICEF did not endorse their effort, but was happy to receive any donations they brought in. For the first two and a half years of the walk, the only verified donation amount was just $3,000.

By Davy Crockett  This is the second part of the Dave Kunst story. Read/Listen/Watch to Part 1 here. Dave Kunst, originally from Minnesota, now from California, claims that he was “the first person verified to have completed circling the entire land mass of the earth on foot.” Kunst's 1970-74 walk has historic importance for the modern-era of ultra-distance walking. I believe that Konstantin Rengarten was actually the first in 1894-1898 (See Part 3). I will show that Kunts' "verified" claim is dubious, but his amazing walk did happen, and the story is fascinating and exciting. But at what cost to those who believed in him? With the end just days away, everything seemly fell apart. In 1970, Dave Kunst of Waseca, Minnesota, started a walk around the world with his brother John. Part 1 of this story covered their travels east to New York, by plane to Portugal, and then on foot with a mule to Afghanistan where John was shot and killed by bandits. Dave was wounded and returned to Minnesota to recover in November 1972. Dave felt strongly that the walk should be continued, and he deeply wanted to get back on the road to experience an exciting and free life, without family, job, or financial obligations. He said, “The walk will definitely go on. I want to keep the ball rolling. I will be back to finish what my brother and I started so he will not have died for nothing.” Plans to resume the walk Pete and Dave In January 1973, only three months since he had been shot in the chest, Dave Kunst announced that he would resume his walk in March 1973 with his brother Pete. They would travel back to Afghanistan and resume the walk from the mountain pass where their brother John was killed. Dave said, “Pete’s wife was reluctant before, but now she is in favor of it.”  Pete said, “It’s too important to all of us to abandon this idea now. My wife understands this, especially since John gave his life for it. We have to finish the job.” Dave’s wife, Jan, was not as sure. She had mixed emotions about him again leaving her alone to raise their young children. She said, “I knew he really wanted to do it. I told him if he had to go, to go and get it over with before the kids are teenagers. I’m scared for him to go back there, but it doesn’t seem to bother him.” His reply to her worries appeared to be rather harsh. “Well that’s a typical reaction of a lot of people. That’s really the difference in individuals. Adventurers don’t think of things like that. Columbus – if he’d thought of that, he wouldn’t have discovered America. Definitely, she’s right, but if I sat here and thought about that. I’d be miserable as hell here.” Dave's brother, Pete Kunst, 28, of Santa Ana, California, was a former marine who served in the Vietnam war.  He was a stock clerk at Data Technology Corp. He was married to Nancy with four children. He didn’t originally join his two brothers because his wife was expecting in 1970. Dave said, “We kind of decided, the three of us, that if one of us dropped out, Pete was going to finish.” Pete said, “I knew one way or another, I was going to go.”  Pete had joined Dave and John on the walk in 1970 for three days when they were in Pennsylvania, but now he was going to join full-time. They estimated that to complete the walk, it would take them at least another year. Pete took out a $2,000 loan to help Nancy support the family while he was gone and she also worked as a secretary. Friends helped to raise money for their air fare back to Afghanistan. The two made preparations both in California and in Minnesota to drum up support. they met with Hubert Humphrey before they left, again collecting a letter of introduction and securing his support. They involved UNICEF as part of their walk. UNICEF did not endorse their effort, but was happy to receive any donations they brought in. For the first two and a half years of the walk, the only verified donation amount was just $3,000.

45: Dave Kunst – Walk Around the World – Part 2

By Davy Crockett Who was the first person to truly walk around the world? If your search the Internet the answer that come back is: Dave Kunst, an American who claimed to do it in 1970-1974.  Dave Kunst, originally from Minnesota, claims that he is “the first person verified to have completed circling the entire land mass of the earth.”The previous parts of this series have hopefully taught the reader to be very skeptical of such claims. Is his claim true? Did he really walk around the entire world in 1970-1974? Was he the first? Was it truly independently verified, and how? Well, with any such bold claims there are problems with it, even if Guinness was at some point convinced to include it in their record book.The Kunst tale must be told and it will be covered in two parts. He was not the first to walk around the world. Konstantin Rengarten of Belarus and Latvia was the first in 1894-1898. (See Part 3). But I believe Kunst was the first to walk around the "world" in the modern, post-war era. His walk had the usual route and verification issues as other globetrotters before him. Kunst published a 1979 book about his walk, that is difficult to read. I will tell the tale primarily from the hundreds of newspaper articles published between 1970-1974, and I chose to not use addition tales from his book that were full of ego, which were not mentioned in the newspapers.Dave Kunst’s walk inspired and entertained hundreds of thousands of people who witnessed it, read about it in the newspapers, and heard about it on television and radio. But sadly, the walk left within its wake, tragedy, death, heartbreak, deception, and betrayal. Thousands around the world thought the purpose of the Kunst walk was to support a humanitarian cause and they freely financially supported him. But actually, the walk was motivated by a man with a huge ego and with selfish intentions. The truth eventually came out and it surprised and disappointed many people with a shocking ending. Nevertheless, the walk happened, and in the decades that followed, Kunst would inspire thousands of youngsters to dare to fulfil their dreams.Before the walkKunst family in 1940 censusDavid William Kunst was born on July 16, 1939 at Caledonia, Minnesota where he was raised. His parents were Aloysious “Al” Kunst (1919-2010), a salesman, and Augusta Onstad Kunst (1921-2007). The family was longtime Minnesota residents. Dave’s grandfather, Frank Kunst, immigrated from Germany and was a harness maker. Dave’s mother’s family, the Onstads, immigrated from Norway. In his early years, Dave’s family lived with his Kunst grandparents in Caledonia. While Dave was young, his father Al served in the U.S. Army during World War II and was deployed to the Philippines. On his return he managed lumberyards and then became a salesman.Dave's father, Al KunstDave was raised in the Catholic faith and attended a private Catholic school which certainly exposed him to a greater level of rules from authority figures that influenced his later attitudes. He also participated in the scouting organization. He had two younger brothers, Pete and John. Dave said, “My mom had an adventurous spirit, and she instilled that in me during my Caledonia years.” His mom would at time drop him off to go hunting for three days in the woods. At times on those trips he wouldn't hunt but would cover 20-30 miles exploring. He would always come back in a good mood.Jan Wabner KunstIn 1959, Dave married young, at age 19, to Janice “Jan” Wabner, who became a very important figure in the walk story. In her senior yearbook it was written of her, “She can live without poetry, music or walking, but she can’t live without talking.” She was active is Chorus and Drama.Dave went to work for the local county and eventually led a team of surveyors that worked on the highways. In the 1960s the Kunsts had three children, Daniel, Debra, and Brad. In 1970, the Kunst family lived in Waseca,

By Davy Crockett  Who was the first person to truly walk around the world? If your search the Internet the answer that come back is: Dave Kunst, an American who claimed to do it in 1970-1974.  Dave Kunst, originally from Minnesota, claims that he is “the first person verified to have completed circling the entire land mass of the earth.” The previous parts of this series have hopefully taught the reader to be very skeptical of such claims. Is his claim true? Did he really walk around the entire world in 1970-1974? Was he the first? Was it truly independently verified, and how? Well, with any such bold claims there are problems with it, even if Guinness was at some point convinced to include it in their record book. The Kunst tale must be told and it will be covered in two parts. He was not the first to walk around the world. Konstantin Rengarten of Belarus and Latvia was the first in 1894-1898. (See Part 3). But I believe Kunst was the first to walk around the "world" in the modern, post-war era. His walk had the usual route and verification issues as other globetrotters before him. Kunst published a 1979 book about his walk, that is difficult to read. I will tell the tale primarily from the hundreds of newspaper articles published between 1970-1974, and I chose to not use addition tales from his book that were full of ego, which were not mentioned in the newspapers. Dave Kunst’s walk inspired and entertained hundreds of thousands of people who witnessed it, read about it in the newspapers, and heard about it on television and radio. But sadly, the walk left within its wake, tragedy, death, heartbreak, deception, and betrayal. Thousands around the world thought the purpose of the Kunst walk was to support a humanitarian cause and they freely financially supported him. But actually, the walk was motivated by a man with a huge ego and with selfish intentions. The truth eventually came out and it surprised and disappointed many people with a shocking ending. Nevertheless, the walk happened, and in the decades that followed, Kunst would inspire thousands of youngsters to dare to fulfil their dreams. Before the walk Kunst family in 1940 census David William Kunst was born on July 16, 1939 at Caledonia, Minnesota where he was raised. His parents were Aloysious “Al” Kunst (1919-2010), a salesman, and Augusta Onstad Kunst (1921-2007). The family was longtime Minnesota residents. Dave’s grandfather, Frank Kunst, immigrated from Germany and was a harness maker. Dave’s mother’s family, the Onstads, immigrated from Norway. In his early years, Dave’s family lived with his Kunst grandparents in Caledonia. While Dave was young, his father Al served in the U.S. Army during World War II and was deployed to the Philippines. On his return he managed lumberyards and then became a salesman. Dave's father, Al Kunst Dave was raised in the Catholic faith and attended a private Catholic school which certainly exposed him to a greater level of rules from authority figures that influenced his later attitudes. He also participated in the scouting organization. He had two younger brothers, Pete and John. Dave said, “My mom had an adventurous spirit, and she instilled that in me during my Caledonia years.” His mom would at time drop him off to go hunting for three days in the woods. At times on those trips he wouldn't hunt but would cover 20-30 miles exploring. He would always come back in a good mood. Jan Wabner Kunst In 1959, Dave married young, at age 19, to Janice “Jan” Wabner, who became a very important figure in the walk story. In her senior yearbook it was written of her, “She can live without poetry, music or walking, but she can’t live without talking.” She was active is Chorus and Drama. Dave went to work for the local county and eventually led a team of surveyors that worked on the highways. In the 1960s the Kunsts had three children, Daniel, Debra, and Brad. In 1970, the Kunst family lived in Waseca,

44: Dave Kunst – Walk Around the World – Part 1

Il 16 luglio 1939 nasce a Woseca, Minnesota, Dave Kunst, il cui viaggio omerico attorno al mondo attraverso confini e frontiere altrimenti insuperabili diventò un viaggio nel tempo passato e futuro della sua esistenza.

Diego Alverà racconta Dave Kunst