A 3,000-mile walk and an incredible time-lapse video

Student Christoph Rehage documents his fascinating year-long trek across China.

By Chris BaskindFri, Mar 12 2010 at 2:30 PM EST

We've always said that the best way to appreciate the environment is to get out into nature.

Christoph Rehage's birthday present to himself in November 2007 was to go for a long walk. The plan was to walk from Beijing, China — where Rehage was a student — to his home in Bad Nenndorf, Germany. An amazing proposition, when you consider the vastness of China.

Along the way, he photographed himself. We've all seen those "picture a day" time-lapse videos. But the five-minute version of Rehage's epic walkabout, eventually covering over 4,000 kilometers, is in a league of its own.

We see a young, clean shaven man being changed by his adventure. There's obvious physical hardship: snow and the blazing sands of the Gobi desert, long, empty highways, and the pain of endless plodding. His hair and beard grow wild. People come and go; places spin behind him. Rehage finds love — and maybe heartbreak, too. With such a whirl of images and Rehage's website currently mute, the narrative is a little mysterious. It's also quite moving.

After a year, Rehage decided to stop walking and return to school. There are additional images of his journey on Trendhunter, and we've located some video outtakes for you at YouTube: