At twenty-five minutes past four on a clear, chilly late winter afternoon in 1909, an elderly man walked out of the main New York post office, opposite City Hall in lower Manhattan, and paused for a moment on the uppermost step.
Description:
Wayne Curtis in his fascinating book The Last Great Walk: The True Story of a 1909 Walk from New York to San Francisco, and Why It matters Today interweaves the facts of Edward Payson Weston's 3,900 mile walk across the United States in 1909 along with significant related topics such as how man began to walk, styles of walking, the development of quality roads, the conflict between pedestrians and automobiles, and the current state of walking in today's society.
Edward Weston was known as The Walking Man for his many long distance walks throughout his life. His first walk resulted from losing a bet that Stephen Douglas would win the 1860 presidency election. The loser (Weston) had to walk 430 miles from Boston to Washington DC in 10 days and witness the presidential inauguration. Weston, although at first doubtful he could complete that distance, actually found the walk an easy, enjoyable experience. He fully intended to walk back Boston a few weeks later but had to alter his plans due to the outbreak of the Civil War that made walking on roads in that area dangerous.
Over the next years he walked 5,000 miles in England and 1,200 miles from Portland, Maine to Chicago in 30 days on a $10,000 bet. He was a showman who advertised his challenges to raise money and also see the flocks of people who cheered him along the way.
But his biggest challenge and the subject of this book was to walk from New York to San Francisco in 100 days. It would require approximately 8.2 million steps - about 80,000 per day (compared with the average American today who takes about 5,000 steps daily). Weston would have to walk over rural and non-existent roads as only 6% of US roads were paved in 1909). He trained by walking 25 - 30 miles each day for months.
The weather was consistently horrendous throughout the journey, with stiff winds that blew him off the road, snow, rain, and mud; all difficult elements that make him re-think his decision to start the trip in winter to commemorate his 70th birthday. That's right, he was 70 years old when he set out from New York City in 1909.
He braved walking across a train trestle (after being reassured that no trains were coming) which spanned the Missouri River. It was one mile long and 150' high, giving him frightful nightmares for days after. In the covered snow tunnels in Montana, he had to press himself flat against the wall as trains shrieked past him only one foot away. Sometimes he walked 35 miles without seeing a house where he could get rest and food after his accompanying car broke down and had to be abandoned.
In the end, he averaged 38 miles a day over the 3,925 miles, including 2,500 miles walking on railroad tracks to avoid the ankle-deep muddy roads. He walked 1,800 miles alone without a support vehicle, wore out three pairs of shoes, and estimated his money spent as $2,500 (about $60,000 today). To offset costs, he sold photos of himself, gave lectures along the way, and received free lodgings and meals from hotels which he promoted in his articles and interviews.
But The Last Great Walk has much more to offer besides this fascinating man and his travels. Woven into Weston's walk is detailed research into the invention and rise in popularity of automobiles, walking styles, and the dangers of walking (in 1909, 60 people were killed and 1,200 injured in Chicago alone). Author Curtis explains the term "jaywalking," created to convince people not to walk so randomly in streets, has nothing to do with birds.
In the end I simply enjoyed following this small, determined 70-year-old man and his quests to walk longer and longer distances to promote health and to just show everyone he could do it at any age. His philosophy was always the same: pedestrianism is something all people can benefit from. After his second cross-country walk, he sums\med it up:
Happy reading.
Edward Weston was known as The Walking Man for his many long distance walks throughout his life. His first walk resulted from losing a bet that Stephen Douglas would win the 1860 presidency election. The loser (Weston) had to walk 430 miles from Boston to Washington DC in 10 days and witness the presidential inauguration. Weston, although at first doubtful he could complete that distance, actually found the walk an easy, enjoyable experience. He fully intended to walk back Boston a few weeks later but had to alter his plans due to the outbreak of the Civil War that made walking on roads in that area dangerous.
Over the next years he walked 5,000 miles in England and 1,200 miles from Portland, Maine to Chicago in 30 days on a $10,000 bet. He was a showman who advertised his challenges to raise money and also see the flocks of people who cheered him along the way.
But his biggest challenge and the subject of this book was to walk from New York to San Francisco in 100 days. It would require approximately 8.2 million steps - about 80,000 per day (compared with the average American today who takes about 5,000 steps daily). Weston would have to walk over rural and non-existent roads as only 6% of US roads were paved in 1909). He trained by walking 25 - 30 miles each day for months.
The weather was consistently horrendous throughout the journey, with stiff winds that blew him off the road, snow, rain, and mud; all difficult elements that make him re-think his decision to start the trip in winter to commemorate his 70th birthday. That's right, he was 70 years old when he set out from New York City in 1909.
He braved walking across a train trestle (after being reassured that no trains were coming) which spanned the Missouri River. It was one mile long and 150' high, giving him frightful nightmares for days after. In the covered snow tunnels in Montana, he had to press himself flat against the wall as trains shrieked past him only one foot away. Sometimes he walked 35 miles without seeing a house where he could get rest and food after his accompanying car broke down and had to be abandoned.
In the end, he averaged 38 miles a day over the 3,925 miles, including 2,500 miles walking on railroad tracks to avoid the ankle-deep muddy roads. He walked 1,800 miles alone without a support vehicle, wore out three pairs of shoes, and estimated his money spent as $2,500 (about $60,000 today). To offset costs, he sold photos of himself, gave lectures along the way, and received free lodgings and meals from hotels which he promoted in his articles and interviews.
But The Last Great Walk has much more to offer besides this fascinating man and his travels. Woven into Weston's walk is detailed research into the invention and rise in popularity of automobiles, walking styles, and the dangers of walking (in 1909, 60 people were killed and 1,200 injured in Chicago alone). Author Curtis explains the term "jaywalking," created to convince people not to walk so randomly in streets, has nothing to do with birds.
["Jay" was] slang for a rural rube or country bumpkin: Only someone who didn't know the ways of the city would cross in the middle of a block ... framing the debate to make urbane city residents fearful of being thought a hick.While these details might sound like a distraction from the Weston trans-America walk, they actually add tremendously to our understanding of the world of 1909, the magnitude of Weston's feat, and the progress of walking, roads, and automobiles. I found I loved reading these details as much as the trek itself.
In the end I simply enjoyed following this small, determined 70-year-old man and his quests to walk longer and longer distances to promote health and to just show everyone he could do it at any age. His philosophy was always the same: pedestrianism is something all people can benefit from. After his second cross-country walk, he sums\med it up:
"Anyone can walk....It's free, like the sun by day and the stars by night. All we have to do is get on our legs, and the roads will take us everywhere."Weston might have been the inspiration for cancer survivor Thomas Cantley who just last week completed his own 4,000 mile trans-America walk while pushing a 6' ball to raise awareness for testicular cancer. Long distance walking clearly still has the power to captivate the attention and imagination of casual walkers like me. Well done, Weston and Cantley! And well done to author Curtis for resurrecting Weston's story of determination.
Happy reading.
If this book interests you, be sure to check out:
Bryson, Bill. A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
This is a little more humorous long walk as writer Bill Bryson attempts the 2,100 mile Appalachian Trail. Along with his cranky companion Katz (who throws out all their food in the first few miles because it was too heavy), Bryson comments on nature, the people they encounter, and the joys and sorrows of hiking for distance..White, Dan. The Cactus Eaters: How I Lost My Mind - and Almost Found Myself - on the Pacific Crest Trail (P.S.)
Young couple other decide to test their lack of skills against the 2,650 mile Pacific Crest Train on the West Coast snaking up from Mexico to Canada. Love, insanity, harsh words, and cactus-eating occurs.
