By Tom Rohrer
Hiking or walking, no matter the length, remains a popular and healthy exercise activity for Thurston County residents.
Thanks to temperate weather and beautiful scenery, there are opportunities galore in the area for both the grizzled and casual walker.
However, two Olympia area women are seeing what the rest of the state has to offer, as both Nancy McKinney and Lynne Glore will be walking across the state in twenty days later this month.
The two are scheduled to leave Tekoa on Sunday, Oct. 7, and will attempt to walk the remaining 400 miles in twenty days, before arriving at their final destination on Kelly Beach Road in Olympia.
In order to accomplish the journey in the desired allotment of time, Glore and McKinney will have to average around twenty miles of walking per day, a task the duo is looking forward to undertaking.
“It will be a challenge for sure,” Glore said. “But we feel competent and prepared and it will be great to have someone along the whole way.”
“Physically it will be difficult, but when you are out walking, you are closer to the scenery and within yourself as opposed to if you were in a car,” McKinney said. “It’s a cool thing for Lynne and I to do.”
The idea to journey on foot across the state came from a discussion Glore and McKinney had about gentleman who had walked across not just an entire state, but the entire globe.
“Lynne and I have been doing long walks for about three years, and we chatted about a guy who walked around the entire world,” McKinney said. “And that took five years. We thought we could at least do the state. That’s where the idea was born.”
For the last six months, Glore has been planning the route, which goes east to west, and allows the duo to have an opportunity to celebrate with their friends upon completion.
Glore traveled to the eastern side of the state to scout out routes and talk to locals about appropriate trails. The John Wayne Trail, which runs from the state’s boarder with Idaho to just west of North Bend, will serve as the main route for the majority of the walk. Glore says that she has received support from friends and family, but says her sanity is being questioned by others.
“We get a couple of reactions,” Glore said. “Either it’s, are you crazy? Or, wow, that’s awesome. But we have all sorts of people telling us they’ll help us in any way they can.”
The walk will also serve as a well needed break for the two from the spoils of everyday, urban life.
“It will be great to get away from things like election season,” Glore said. “Not having to think about everything going on and just be in my own little universe, I’m looking forward to that.”
“Taking a break, that’s the big driver for me,” said McKinney, who is an Administrator for South Puget Sound Community College. “I live a life of fast paced, crazy. Walking is something that helps me gain my perspective. It’s hard to do that with jobs and families.”
Having an opportunity to witness firsthand the changes in climate and scenery between the two sides of the state is also an appealing prospect.
“It’s almost like traveling in two states,” Glore said. “A lot of people don’t realize how much Eastern Washington differs from the coastal side. And you can get an idea by driving, but actually being outside in nature, that gives you a greater appreciation for the change.”
To prepare, the two consistently take walks together in areas such as Capitol Forest in addition to weight and yoga training. No matter how physically ready the duo is for the journey, it will be difficult to initially acclimate to the grueling schedule.
“I anticipate the first three to four days will be tough, but then we can get in that groove and go on,” McKinney said. “Part of my training deals with getting up when you don’t want to and putting that physical effort it. I know it will be tough, but I know we can do it.”
McKinney will be blogging about Glore and her journey throughout the trip at walkwashington2012.wordpress.com/ .
