Michael Pagels, Little Apple Post
MANHATTAN -In a weird coincidence of fate, two individuals walking across the United States for very different reasons both ended up in Manhattan, Kansas on Wednesday.
One, coming from Virginia Beach and headed West, the other from Los Angeles east, and both were on McCall Road around 3 p.m. pushing what looked like baby strollers down the road. What are the odds?
I first saw Christopher Bailey, a man with long hair walking with what looked like a baby stroller, on my drive home from the office. After seeing a sign saying “WalkwithChris.com” my interest was peaked, and it took me all the way until I got home to convince myself to go say hi. Unfortunately, he wasn’t anywhere to be found, but as I drove down McCall, I found another man walking with a stroller; Ben Claggett.
I caught up with Ben, who started his journey at Virginia Beach in early April. Traveling with only a backpack he made it to Lawrence from the east coast, where he picked up a stroller to help hold the water he would need while walking across Kansas and beyond in the dead of summer. Originally from Colorado Springs, Ben saved up money while working at a restaurant in order to travel across the country, in an attempt to inspire others to exercise. Ben’s initiative is called “Walk for 60,” and encourages people to incorporate 60 minutes of walking in their every day life by making simple changes.
In contrast, Christopher Bailey has a much different story. After struggling with drug abuse and losing contact with his family, including his twin brother, Christopher entered rehabilitation. After the birth of his nephew and 7 months of sobriety, Christopher began his journey to walk across America. His trip began on March 14, and he is wanting to inspire others who are struggling with sobriety.
Ben told me that he had a few months left to go in his journey, and will be traveling up to Wyoming after a stop in his home town of Colorado Springs. When asked what was some of his best experiences, he found it hard to pick one thing.
“It’s the little things. I call towns to see if I can camp in their city parks before I visit. I wasn’t allowed to stay in one park, but I had a hotel comp a room for the night because they thought it was too hot for me to stay outside. It’s so many little things.”
Christopher had a run-in with the Riley County Police Department, and took a picture with several officers. After telling them his story, Chris posted a picture on Instagram thanking the officers for their kind words and encouragement.
As I type this, the heat index is 95 degrees with 64% humidity. I’m not sure if the heat is exactly for me, but I do know that I will be following these guys’ journey’s across the states and supporting them all the way. You can find more information on Chrisopher at walkwithchris.com and on Ben at walkfor60.com.