Purposeful Walks

Forrest Gump may have taken off across America "for no particular reason," but we all remember how his cross-country run inspired so many people along the way - interpreting his reasoning as they may.

Similarly, on May 26, 2008 Keela Carr began a 2,700-mile walk from Barstow, California to Arlington with a laptop computer and some clothes, her few remaining possessions. She sold her home, furniture and everything, to have enough money for the trip across the country. "I wanted to do something extremely personal," Miss Carr said after visiting injured veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Northwest. She stayed at hotels during the beginning of her walk, but said she began making connections with strangers who heard about her mission. Many of them took her into their homes and fed her. Miss Carr arrived at Walter Reed on Wednesday with her Aunt Rochelle Narain who was driving alongside Miss Carr when she collapsed just outside the military hospital. [more...]

In 1930, Mahatma Gandhi (age 61) set out on his famous "Salt March" as an act of civil disobedience by defying the salt laws - 241 miles in 24 days. He was a shrewd politician with incredible marketing skills and made sure the worldwide media covered the event. Events at each village were scheduled and publicized in Indian and foreign press. Upon arriving at the seashore, Gandhi raised a lump of salty mud and declared, "With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire." He then boiled it in seawater, producing illegal salt. Today the Salt March is acknowledged the world over as the one event that shook the British Empire to its core.

Kim Denmark of Dayton, Ohio walked across America with the goal of dramatizing the need for change as it relates to welfare reform, homelessness and poverty.

Since April 14th, Will Buchanan and his wife have been walking coast-to-coast across the country, from Oregon to New Hampshire 'on a quest to gain more freedom for our country by spreading the message of freedom and liberty along the way.'

Stuart Hamilton and Dave Toolan crossed the U.S. on foot. Why? Why not? Just to leave things behind and head off in the direction of things they'd never seen before - to take in the scenery and experience and see new things. In 2006 they walked 2,000 miles from Delaware to Kansas City. In May 2007, they rejoined the American Discovery Trail in Kansas City and headed west to Point Reyes in California - a distance of over 3,000 miles.

Steve Vaught made the decision to walk across America to lose weight and regain control of his life. "I decided to attempt something so radical because somewhere along the line I’d lost control; I'd lost myself. In life, I transformed from a skinny boy, to a fit U.S. Marine and ended up an obese man, approaching middle age and it was obvious that I was no longer able to cope with the course my life had taken." He lost the weight and rediscovered his dignity and life purpose.

Walking is the "perfect exercise" and those who take their daily walks seriously and walk their dogs regularly reap the rewards of the wonderful benefits that result. It really allows you the time to clear your head and think straight.