What: A Walk from Canada to Mexico
Launch Day: Saturday, May 10, 2014
Time: High Noon, 12 o’clock, Pacific Time
Location: Peace Arch Park
It was only 6 short years ago that Luke, Hudson, and Murphy set out on the First Walk, from Austin to Boston. Hudson would later recount that, Papi told Murph and me were just going out for a stroll. Had we known then that we’d be walking over 2300 miles, we’d have told him not to sell his truck! You can see just how excited The Fuzzybutts were when they hit the road long ago in 2008 here. It’s only a short video, but you can get an idea of their overwhelming enthusiasm for the plan. And there wasn’t much fanfare back then – just a couple of cameras, a handful of people, and some parting “See you later, Luke. We love you!” shouts into the gusting Texas winds.
This time Luke and The Boys have thousands of people from all over the world who will be with them. No, not all of them will be there to see them off, but we will all have their backs the whole trip. When Luke and the Fuzzybutts left Texas there were many who thought he’d never make it to Boston. Some never thought he’d make it out of Texas. Nobody doubts his determination now.
So, where is their route this time? The West Coast route will take Luke, Hudson, and Indiana through Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and finally to San Diego. We can track them along the way via their TAGG pet trackers. If you’re in the area, they’d be happy to have you join them and walk a mile, a day or even a week alongside them. You can find out their schedule from Ginger at ginger@puppyup.org.
Why start at the Peace Arch Park? What better place to kick off Walk 2! On the borders of Canada and the U.S., The Peace Arch Park was dedicated by the citizens of the United States and Canada in 1921. The Peace Arch inscription reads: (facing Canada), “Children of a Common Mother,” (and facing the US), “Brethren Dwelling in Unity.” The Peace Arch stands astride the international boundary between Surrey, British Columbia (HWY 99), Canada, and Blaine, Washington (I-5), USA. “The Peace Arch Rises,” with one foot anchored in American soil and the other in Canadian, standing tall as a physical symbol of an imaginary line that stretches over 3000 miles. Poised above the international boundary of both countries, the Peace Arch represents the longest undefended boundary in the world. Dedicated in 1921, it is the first Monument built and dedicated to world peace.
Murphy
Luke’s first walk was dedicated to Malcolm. This one is for Murphy.
Luke: I want to thank all of the sponsors, supporters, friends, and family we’ve found and made mile by mile along our travels who have enabled us to keep this great story going.
Since the inception of 2 Million Dogs Foundation, we have funded a quarter of a million dollars in studies that search for the links between cancer in companion animals and people, and another $100,000 in education and awareness initiatives. We have walks in over 30 states now and the foundation continues to grow its grass roots base.
How you can help. A percentage of the donations to our Memorial Wall between March and November of this year will go towards Luke and The Boys’ Walk 2. When you make a $30 donation in honor of or in memory of a person or dog we will recognize them on our Memorial Wall, and add their names to the Memorial Shirt that Luke will wear on Walk 2.
We hope we’ll see you at the launch of the West Coast Walk – Walk 2 – this coming Saturday! And stay with us for the entire 1700 mile adventure. We’ll keep you updated here and on our Facebook pages, here and here.
All of us wish Luke, Hudson, and Indiana safe travels. And lots of Trail Magic.
For more information, visit www.puppyup.org.
Special thanks to Tagg Pet Tracker. They have generously donated Tagg Trackers for both Hudson and Indiana, as well as supplies for Luke. Thanks to them we’ll soon be able to track The Boys in real time. We’ll let you know how. Stay tuned …
