Israel or Palestine? Damascus, Syria or Damascus, Virginia? West Virginia or Western Virginia? To David Landis, all are points on a map. David has made it his mission to find shared humanity across borders, even in conflict zones like the Middle East, through hiking and bikepacking trails. Having first visited the Middle East for a semester abroad during his university studies, David returned there to live for almost a decade. During his travels in the region, David experienced the incredible kindness of people he met, with several becoming lifelong friends. He’s also felt the sorrow of having some of those friends or their relatives killed in violent episodes that continue throughout the Middle East. As someone who has tried long-distance hiking, bicycle touring, and bikepacking racing (surviving waist-deep snow and concrete-like "death mud" on the grueling Tour Divide), David has come to the conclusion that, somehow, it’s all about the people and building trails that connect them.

David has an account on Instagram. His Urfa-Urbil bikepacking trip is catalogued in this story map.

David’s Camino de Santiago guidebooks are published by Village to Village Press and his trails are developed through V2V Trails.

You can watch the movie about the Elk Rut Ramble on YouTube. 

For links to podcast platforms, feedback via email, the podcast website, and Instagram:
https://linktr.ee/accidental_bicycle_tourist