I was driving up to Mammoth on Thursday April 16, 2009, on a long stretch of desolate road, and saw a man walking with a "LOVE LIFE" sign above his head. We sped past, anxious to get to the ski slopes, but I couldn't stop thinking about who he was or why he was walking.
LUCKILY, four days later on Sunday April 19, we were driving back to Los Angeles, and again saw the same man still walking north on the 395! We pulled the car over, I ran up to him and the first thing he said to me was, "Slow down, I'm not going anywhere, I'm only 62, I've got a good 'nother twenty years in me!"
At first I wasn't sure if he was maybe a little crazy, or really was walking with a purpose. Come to find out, Steve Fugate, has walked over 21,000 miles across the United States. It all started in 1999 when Steve was first walking a thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail. Halfway completed, he found out his son Stevie had committed suicide. Several months later, he went back and completed the trail from the same place he had stopped when hearing the devastating news.
He says he wanted no other parent to ever go through the indescribable pain of losing a child, especially one to a "selfish" act of suicide. He continued walking as part of his "trail therapy" but again received devastating news just a month short of completing a walk around the country. He had lost his only daughter Shelly, to an accidental drug overdose. She suffered from M.S.
Again forging on, he continues to walk the roads spreading his "LOVE LIFE" message. It's only been 24 hours since we met, and I can't seem to stop thinking about this man on his mission. I hope to see him again, maybe meet up with him on the trail, and write a more in-depth article. For now, I wanted to be sure and get the word out and photos posted about this incredible man's journey.
You can find out all about Steve at his website: www.trailtherapy.com
No comments:
Post a Comment