Three high school buddies, they’re bored, restless, and heading to California before enlisting in the U.S. armed forces.
Seems typical enough, but that is where normal ends for Drew Babcock, Mike Ross, and George Crawford, all 19, who decided on a whim to walk to the Pacific Ocean from Connecticut to raise money for the Livestrong cancer research and charity organization.
“It was you, or maybe me that said lets just walk to California, and then nobody would say ‘no,’ and a week later we were on our way with 80-pound packs,” Ross said. “It is a great way to see America, and we thought it could raise some money for a good cause.”
So far, Walking for a Cure 2013 has raised $7,766, and the goal is $20,000.
On the third day of their pilgrimage, a survivalist gave them some good advice. For example, the trio, who had no camping experience, did not all have sleeping pads or a portable stove. Not even maps.
“We were carrying all the wrong stuff. Now we are down to 40-pound packs and can handle any weather,” Crawford said. “This is far better than working a minimum-wage job.”
The three amigos have walked 1,900 miles in 211 days. They started off slow, but now hit 17 miles per day. Camping and staying on the couches or in spare bedrooms of strangers they meet along the way, it’s become an experience of a lifetime.
“The further West we went, the better the hospitality. People have been amazingly generous,” Crawford said.
“We had hoped to be done by now, but we are shooting for January to jump in the ocean. Honestly, I’m ready to start my life and serve my country.”
New Jersey was rude, Illinois was a little frightening, the Kansas and Iowa scenery were woefully boring, but it was all worth it when they arrived in Colorado.
“We’ve been looking forward to this for so long, seeing the mountains get just a little closer each week,” Ross said. “The scenery here has been the best. Wolf Creek Pass was a very cold couple of nights.”
“Too cold to sleep,” added Babcock.
They rely on social media and a website for donations, and have 12,000 followers on Facebook. They talk face to face with everyone they meet about Livestrong’s effort to help cancer victims survive.
“We’ve all had cancer affect our lives in some way. Livestrong is a very helpful organization with the financial and emotional costs of cancer,” Ross said.
As for cyclist Lance Armstrong, who is no longer associated with the organization he started, Crawford sees the bigger picture.
“As an athlete, I’ve lost respect, but the guy raised $300 million for Livestrong, and is a cancer survivor, so that speaks for itself,” he said.
Seen walking in the freezing rain on Highway 160 toward Towaoc, their shrouded figures seem in another dimension, seeing the world step by step, a time-warp contrasted by the blitz of truck traffic and commuters rushing to nowhere.
Perhaps they are reminder to slow down or an inspiration to do something crazy and epic for a larger cause. Branded on their feet, their road weariness is apparent, but their determination to complete the journey is part of the cancer-survivor message.
“We will make it. Physical activity is what Livestrong is about. Next is the Navajo Reservation, and then the Grand Canyon, so life is good,” Babcock said.
To donate or for more information go to http://www.walkingforacure2013.com/
