The Road Goes Ever On - A Blog About Walking And Doing Good

I am not much of an athlete. I think that is why I was so surprised to discover my love for walking.

Walking is simple. It requires no fancy equipment, no real athletic prowess. You need a decent pair of shoes - walking, running or hiking - and a clear path. That's it. One could make the argument that it's egalitarian, or at least one of the more democratic modes of exercise. And walking is even quite useful. Walking can help you get in shape or get a package to your local post office. Walking gets you out of the house to meet neighbors and combat loneliness. Walking instead of driving (when safe and feasible) saves fuel and reduces pollution.

Maybe that's why J.R.R. Tolkien had his heroes walk to Mordor, rather than ride.

When aseanchai  and I learned that The Conqueror was offering a Lord of the Rings challenge, we both knew we had to do it. We both love fantasy films and fiction, as well things like tabletop RPGs and (yes) Renaissance festivals. In other words, we love worlds in which heroes are surrounded by beauty and magic. And swords. Swords are cool. The price to sign up for the entire challenge was a bit steep, to the point that it felt rather self-indulgent. Still, challenges like this are a good motivator for walking every day, no excuses. Sometimes you need that push.

But as I contemplated signing up for the challenge, I realized it could be more than just a means of getting outside once in a while. I took some inspiration from the 100 Mile Pandemic Relay, an informal event organized by a group of friends to raise money for the Cleveland Food Bank. If they could raise almost $8,000 in one day for one charity, how much could my husband and I raise by walking over 1,800 miles?

That's how Team Westmarch was born.

Named after an area of The Shire, Team Westmarch consists of my husband and I as of this writing. (Other people can join us, should they wish to sign up for the Lord of the Rings challenge.) We'll be raising money for charities as we walk by way of online fundraising pages. Our hope is to raise $1,000 each for nine charities, though that will depend on how many donations we receive (and how many charities actually offer online fundraising options!) Since the challenge starts in The Shire at Bag End, we though it appropriate that the first charity should focus on something all hobbits love - food. To that end, we are hoping to raise $1,000 for the Akron Canton Regional Foodbank, which does a lot of work to feed people in eight counties throughout Northeast Ohio.

We've already started our journey, and we'll be sure to keep readers updated with photos and entries along the way. We hope you enjoy following along, and we also hope you're able to help out whether it's by donating, sharing or just cheering us on. We look forward to seeing what the road has in store!