June 6th-The Junuary Journey begins! A Walk in the Rain (21 miles)

The walk began on Friday morning shortly after 10:00 AM at Woodland Park Zoo in North Seattle.  “Junuary” was in full bloom, and would set the tone for the first few days of the journey.  After a brief visit with the lowland gorillas and Jim Foster’s memorial (Jim Foster was a former veterinarian at Woodland Park and also the first veterinarian to work with the Mountain gorillas in 1986) inside the zoo, I headed for the south entrance for the departure.  Having everyone meet me at the south entrance to the zoo was an excellent strategic move for 2 reasons: I needed to have some personal time at the gorilla exhibit in prayer, to think of Andre and Ndakasi, but I also got a little mixed up finding my way back to the south entrance so that would have been a bit awkward with King5 following me…..After the departure, with venti Starbucks in hand, I made my way towards Lake Washington through the city under cloudy wet conditions.  The walk along Lake Washington was definitely a highlight of the entire trip, the scenery was wonderful and the weather perfect: mild, a little cool, overcast and dry…

However, like night and day, the final leg of the first day turned sour as I ambled down Rainier Ave towards Renton in a torrential downpour for the final 7 miles.  I walked into the Holiday Inn in Renton like a drowned rat…

The lesson from Day 1?  A rather important one:  WATERPROOF YOUR BACKPACK.

June 7th-Gorilla Signs and the Boo Radley House (25 miles)
As I began day 2, I knew each day would hold something new, and something unexpected.  I was always trying to keep me eye on for the little things along the way.  Day 2, from Renton to Puyallup, had the things I was looking for….although I did not enjoy the 2nd thing towards the end of the day.  Along the way as I made my way towards Kent, I came across images that seemed most fitting…I took them as positive signs…

I wanted to stop by “American Piledriving Equipment” but I realized they were probably not as obsessed with Mountain gorilla conservation as I was.  And then I saw this sign, so I knew I was headed in the right direction!

Now granted the Kong sign was really Hong Kong 6378 miles, but hey, it was close enough, just put the camera at the right angle!  After Kent, I was off of sidewalks for the first time and I made my way down the west valley highway.  After battling with traffic and occasional ditch-diving due to the heavy Auburn Supermall traffic on a Saturday afternoon, I had the peace and quiet of the Algona-Pacific-Sumner area.  Mostly an industrial area, it was quiet on a Saturday and despite SR 167 being close enough to hear the traffic, I was very isolated….which was very serene, until I came across this…The Boo Radley house…

As I walked past the spooky abandoned house, I though nothing of it….until I heard the banging and glass breaking inside right as I walked past it.  What startled me even more was the absolute silence that ensued as I stopped and looked.  Aware that whomever (or “whatever”) had heard and/or seen me, I just casually kept walking along without looking to obvious as I looked over my shoulder.  Nothing came out of the house, although I heard something running through the grass alongside me.  I can only assume (and hope) that it was a dog, although it was probably an evil blood-thirsty goblin.  Day 2’s lesson: The realization that if I got into some kind of trouble on the trip and had to run, hopefully that would happen early in the day—once my mileage got into double digits each day, I could keep on walking but running was physically out of the question….unless of course a goblin running through the grass suddenly charged me, I probably could have mustered enough adrenaline to sprint to Portland!  I struggled a bit that day, but I had a thought that always kept me going.  Andre and Ndakasi.

Day 3: Reality Sets in (21 miles)
June 8th.  Day 3 marked the first time I’d walked more than 2 days in a row, and the reality of pain/soreness/injury began to settle in.  I started the day by getting a little lost in Puyallup, and then after regaining my bearings I experienced the first looooong hill of the trip.  I made my way through Puyallup and Spanaway, and the first real physical pain started around mile 12.  I took frequent breaks, every 2-3 miles, and the pain did not subside but it also did not get worse.  Towards the end of the day I thought I had found heaven…

Unfortunately Podiatrists take Sundays off so I ambled on down SR 507 alongside Fort Lewis until my friend Barry Neya picked me up and took me to a hotel in Yelm.  I knew after this the journey was going to change in its complexion, I had physical ailments to deal with and I was essentially leaving civilization behind me.  I knew Day 4 would be a tough test.  I would think of Andre and Ndakasi a lot for the next couple of days…

Day 4: Tough Trip Through Paradise (25 miles)
June 9th: This day turned out to be the toughest physical test I would ever face.  It was a struggle from the very beginning despite having a cheerleader along the way rooting me on early in the day in the town of McKenna…

I thought perhaps something unorthodox for breakfast may help me, but when I perused the local menu I thought to myself I’ll just keep letting Snicker’s satisfy me…

When I made it back to Yelm and then over to the Tenino bike trail, I was struggling heartily; the weather, the weight of my backpack, the tight shoulders on the road and traffic, none of it deterred me.  However, the developing situation in my lower left leg almost did.  I can only assume I had severe shin splints (which I surmised were on the left leg since I spent most of my time walking into traffic and the crown of the road and shoulders began taking its toll).  I seriously contemplated taking a day off, but I felt as though I had not been seriously challenged yet so I pressed on.  If Andre could do what he did, well I could certainly do what I had to do.  This image in Rainier reminded me of myself on the trail, asking for help…

I got through the pain and basically went to the next mental/physical level that one goes to on a journey like this.  I had miscalculated my final destination by a mile and a half, and limped my way to a little piece of heaven in the dark that day…

I had made it, a real accomplishment, as I went to sleep in the little cabin I knew I would complete the journey.  I took this photo the next day when I crawled out of bed.

Day 5: Recouperation (0 miles)
Today was a day of rest, physical rest.  My left leg simply needed a day off, I clearly was going to put the trip in jeopardy if I did not deal with the problem.  I put a lot of ice on my leg that day.  I enjoyed the peace and quiet and serenity of Offut Lake and I made a new friend…

Day 6: Dog Day Afternoon (21 miles)
June 11th.  I made my way back towards to Tenino, along the way I visited Wolfhaven International.  I was reminded of one of my other favorite mammals in need of help…perhaps there is a “Wolf Walk” in my future…

After leaving Wolfhaven and having breakfast in Tenino, continuing my southward journey, I began to lose track of time.  I was just beginning to wonder what time it was when I looked up and saw this…

Well, once the mystery of “what time is it” was solved (the beaver is not just saying that, he has his little beaver hands on a clock!), I just made my way south towards Centralia, not a care in the world….however, that was about to change.  Towards the end of the day, I had an experience that would imprint this image in my brain all the way to Portland…

I had been charged by a few dogs along the way, not attacked, but charged, but just north of Centralia something resembling this photo decided “It’s Go time”.  As he charged me, I tried to explain that I was doing a benefit fundraising walk for an animal-related cause and that I rescued greyhounds and I was a member of ASPCA, but it fell on deaf ears….Well, I escaped his lunge for my lower left leg…..yes, that’s right, THE INJURED LEG! (it is true what they say about predators preying on the weak) and then I swung around on him with 3 things: Renewed vigor, about 10 gallons of adrenaline flowing through me, and my trusty walking stick.  I don’t think “Cujo” was expecting my reaction, but frankly he picked the wrong backpacker that fateful day…and he became the brunt (verbally, not physically!) of all my frustrations that had been mounting since I left Woodland Park Zoo.  As I walked on after the encounter like a proud Silverback who repelled the challenger, I figured the “Wolf Walk” was probably on the backburner for a while…I dreamed about Andre and Ndakasi that night in the hotel…

Day 7: A Tale of Two Cities (20 miles)
June 12th.  This was the day that one of “Life in the Northwest’s Mysteries” was solved.  I’m not sure how many folks who live in Western Washington can appreciate this, but I know I’ve had a few folks comment over the years on this: “I can never tell the difference between Centralia and Chehalis”.  Well, walk through the two towns, and you’ll figure it out!  Centralia was peppered with images like this…

If you spend several hours walking through both towns, trust me, you’ll remember which one is which.  I also remember, now being well over 100 miles into the walk, how these types of things on the side of the road looked not at all like garbage but in fact an invitation for a lovely nap…

Day 8: Marathon Man (30 miles)
June 13th.  The day began at a world famous landmark.  It had been under my nose all this time, right in my backyard, and I had no idea.  Yes folks, you guessed it, THE WORLD’S LARGEST EGG…

It almost looked like I had a pretty large egg inside my raingear above my belt.  I can only hope that was a combination of wearing my belt too tight and my shirt getting bunched up….notice the “Women Log Rollers” sign in the background?  Aaaah, Western Washington I luv ya…As I made my way south of the town of Winlock, I could not help but feel I was being watched…

Well, day 8 was simply the day I got on a roll and did not stop….I walked over 30 miles, with only one rest at mile 8, and despite the many hazards along the way, I would not be denied….I was determined to make it to my inlaws house that day for dinner, and nothing got in my way (my father-in-law may be the best barbecuer in the world)…..although the streets certainly tried to deter me, like some sort of surreal Dr. Seuss journey…

Hey, I saw Coma Rd and I just kept on going……as if a Coma was not enough of a challenge, Death challenged me but I could not be denied…

Once I got past these mean streets, well, the mean streets knew they were defeated so they had no choice other than acknowledging defeat and saying…

Well, as I made it past Castle Rock, new challenges came along.  I could only think that this was all that remained of one of Cujo’s victims…

However, I had a canister of heavy grade pepper spray on my belt the size of a fire extinguisher (see giant egg photo!) so I took a deep breath and kept on going…

Upon arriving at my in-laws house in Longview, I felt as if the worst was behind me and it was all downhill from here.  My father-in-law IS the best barbecuer in the world.  I had walked 163 miles.  Andre and Ndakasi kept me going strong since I left Seattle.

Day 9: Over the bridge and through the wood, to Oregon’s house we go!
June 14th.  On day 9, I was joined by my good friend Barry Neya.  I appreciated his support, and he appreciated my moleskin in my backpack!  Early in the day, I observed what I perceived to be a critical piece of evidence in a very famous murder case.  There had always been speculation that OJ Simpson did not act alone in regards to the murder of Nicole Brown, and clearly he had an accomplice: Michael Jackson!

Barry and I plodded along through the industrial section of Longview, Washington.  At times, we walked along the railroad tracks and we felt as though we were recreating “Stand By Me”, me thinking the dead body we were going to see might be my own by the time this was over.  My last experience before crossing over into Oregon was probably the most pleasant experience of the entire journey….I discovered this:

If you happen to be walking from Seattle to Portland, and you need a pick-me-up along the way, I cannot make a better suggestion……with vanilla bean flowing through my veins, I had renewed vigor as I marched over the bridge into Oregon…

It dawned on me at the end of the day that I had actually walked to another state.  I still struggled with some pain, especially earlier that day, but again thoughts of Andre and Ndakasi kept me going…

Day 10: The Oregon Trail (26 miles)
June 15th.  Day 10 was another long one, I made my way through Columbia City, St Helens and Scappose.  I managed to lose my walking stick that I had become attached to for the second time, but I found it.  Surprisingly, folks have no desire to take a stick with duct tape on the end sitting in front of a convenience store for themselves…As much as I had bonded with my backpack, my walking stick was really my new pal….I named him “Woodrow” and he had sort of reminded me another inanimate object that became someone’s trusted friend…

As I marched south along highway 30, I made an interesting discovery.  I was perusing through my backpack for something when I discovered this…

Well, a week ago it was “extra sharp” cheddar, but after baking in my pack for days it became “extra something else”….Some critter in a nasty cheese-filled ditch on the side of highway 30 that night hit the jackpot.  Shortly after the cheddar fiasco, I came upon this place.  All I can say is this: If you are incredibly bitter about something, and you feel a need to let the world know, for the love of God “LEARN HOW TO SPELL!!!”…

I made it a few miles south of Scappoose when my friend Dave McClure came and picked me up.  It was a long day walking in the heat, and the leg pain returned, and my pack , despite getting rid of the nasty cheese, was getting heavier as I headed to…..umm, Mordor…..er, I mean Portland….but I continued to think of Andre and Ndakasi…

Day 11: Journey’s End (19 miles)
June 16th.  Well, day 11 was the final day of the journey.  I started the day early, and was joined by my friend Jeffrey Alan for the final 16 miles.  We walked and talked all through the industrial section of the city.  It was very comforting to look up and see this, although it would have been even more comforting if I was in the back of a station wagon, but no stopping me now!…

Once we made it into the city, we made our way up through Washington Park towards the Oregon Zoo.  I’d experienced a few things along the way that were parallel to Frodo’s journey in “The Lord of the Rings”, but this stairwell at the end was a little to close for comfort in relation to the “windy stair to the pass of Cirith Ungol”…

Fortunately, when I got to the top, there was not a giant spider waiting for me, and I had a feeling when I got to the zoo I would not be throwing my backpack into a fire….although it did feel like “The Precious” by the time I got there!  Well, when I got to what I thought was the entrance of the zoo I had a huge emotional release!  I cried and thanked God for watching over me, for standing by me all of those years while I stumbled through life trying to decide who I was and what was important to me.  It was an absolutely pivotal emotional and spiritual moment in my life, I was so emotional, I even had trouble taking this picture…

Well, unfortunately, what I did not realize was that I still had a mile to go, that despite seeing the sign in fact it was another mile or so further up the hill.  I thought about buying an onion somewhere in case I could not get my emotions back up in the REAL Oregon Zoo parking lot.  I’ve never been known for having great timing…I was hoping I’d see one last bizarre thing on this trip, and my wish was granted…

What you see there is unmistakeable if you look closely:  an archery range.  Nothing out of the ordinary, right?  Well, yes, because it is basically a couple hundred yards from the Oregon Zoo.  Yep, an archery range by the zoo.  I don’t even want to know the connection, I can only surmise that Ted Nugent is on the Oregon Zoo board of directors and the city of Portland is just a little more conservative than it is know for…Well, speaking of the Oregon Zoo, here is what it looks like after walking 228 miles…

With the help of my wife, my family, my friends, my supporters, and of course my higher power I had made it.  228 miles, and the first thing I thought when I got there is that I wish that not only could I keep on going but that I would do it again.  Afterall, the walk was not about me, it was about the ones I keep mentioning, Andre and Ndakasi…Who are they?  Andre and Ndakasi?  What do they have to do with this?  Well, they have everything to do with this.  They are the reason I walked from Seattle, Washington, to Portland, Oregon.  Let me introduce them to you…

Last year, 2007, was a tough year for Mountain gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).  Many gorillas were shot to death, innocent victims caught up in the crossfire of the illegal charcoal trade in the protected park in the Virunga mountains,  Parc National des Virunga.  Perhaps the most innocent of all are the infants left behind after truly evil men literally executed the gorillas as a means of “sabotage” to try and get those who protect the gorillas to back off so they can continue their illegal harvesting of old growth trees in the Park to make charcoal.  Ndakasi is one of those innocents.  When Dr. Mike Cranfield, director of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinry Project (MGVP) was in Seattle in May to do some presentations with me, he told me the story of Andre and Ndakasi.  The morning I left Woodland Park Zoo, Dr. Lucy Spelman, field manager for MGVP, emailed me more details of Andre’s and Ndakasi’s story.  You see, Andre Bauma, a park ranger and caretaker of Mountain gorillas, was in the park last year when he heard gunfire.  He feared the worst as he raced over to the area where he heard the shots.  What he found was a scene to horrific to imagine, but there was one bright spot: a 2 ½ month old female infant Mountain gorilla, clinging to her dead mother.  Barely alive, Andre picked up the little infant and carried her for miles and miles through the jungle.  All through the night.  I can only imagine what Andre went through that night, with militants and gunfire and the nighttime hazards of the jungle all around, but the next morning he made it to a gorilla sanctuary in Goma, DRC, which is comanaged by MGVP and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International.  He stayed with the little infant, named Ndakasi, and even nursed her back to health after she contracted a human disease that turned into pneumonia.  It just so happens that contraction of human disease is one of the Mountain gorilla’s greatest threats.  People like Andre Bouma and organizations like MGVP are critical to the future of this majestic species.  There are all kinds of people in this world, capable of acts of tremendous cruelty as well as acts of incredible kindness and courage.  Andre is one of the good guys, and there are many more like him, rangers dedicated to protecting the Mountain gorillas, who need our help.  Andre Bouma is an amazing man who is dedicated, like so many others, to the protection and preservation of these magnificent creatures.  They do so for one reason: the love of the Mountain gorillas.  Because of dedicated people like Andre Bouma, and all of the folks involved with MGVP, the situation in other areas of Africa (Rwanda & Uganda) is much brighter…..populations of the Mountain gorillas are healthy, thriving and increasing in those areas, and MGVP has become an integral part of the society and future of those areas… not just for the highly endangered Mountain gorillas, but for everyone: the people, the gorillas and all the other wildlife in those areas.

Thanks to all who have supported me in so many ways on my trip.  Please, do not think of me, think of Andre and Ndakasi.  Think of all of the veterinarians, volunteers, park rangers, everyone who has dedicated their lives to saving these critically endangered animals.  With folks like him and innocents like her in the world, remember, there is always hope.

Thank you, Drew Nichol.