Several people have spoken to me about the possibility of walking their own pilgrimage, and I expect that others with similar thoughts will find their way to this blog eventually. I’d like to leave some small bits of advice here for anyone who may want to walk.
1) Read Peace Pilgrim’s book. It is full of logistical information if you are looking for it.
2) Be prepared to have many friends and family, even supportive friends and family, who do not understand what you are doing.
3) The more you indulge in fear, comfort-seeking, looking for praise or avoiding negative responses, the harder it’s gonna be.
4) You may find that the beginning of the pilgrimage is the hardest part. This is when you will have to decide whether you’re serious about what you’ve set out to do.
5) You don’t have to do it, but shaving your head makes everything easier. I would have been much smellier if I hadn’t!
6) Don’t pop blisters.
7) Avoid long grass when you’re in the Northeast. It can be full of ticks carrying lyme disease (I learned this the hard way–one day in New Jersey I pulled about 20 ticks off of my clothes and body). If you have to sleep outside, sleep off of the ground.
Don’t wear cotton.
Finally, I do believe an action like this can have many positive effects on the world that are measurable and practical, but if you have no motivation beyond the political, you simply will not be able to handle the challenges.
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