Englishmen travel countryside to meet people, write book
Staff reporter
Two lone figures walk on the side of the highway — carrying backpacks that have all their needs.
There is no vehicle trailing them in case of incident. They are on their own but they don't seem to mind.
Meet Dave Toolan and Stuart Hamilton.
Early into a conversation it is obvious these travelers aren't from anywhere around these parts.
Toolan is from Redditch, England, and Hamilton from Herne Bay, England.
The two passed through Marion County earlier this month.
So what are two blokes from England doing in the middle of the U.S.? They're walking.
It started as an idea for a book — talk with people across the U.S. about pertinent topics such as politics, religion, and the Middle East, to name a few, and compare it with opinions and ideas in England.
The two started last June in Lewis, Del. Their journey ended for the winter in October in Kansas City. During their hiatus from the road, Hamilton was diagnosed with testicular cancer.
It set him back a bit, to say the least.
"I've been quite lucky," Hamilton said.
The cancer was removed but he lives day to day, month to month, not knowing if it will return. He stops along the way to have blood drawn once a month — just to make sure he remains cancer-free. With no insurance, donations have paid for his lab work thus far.
What if the cancer returns?
"We'll deal with it if it occurs," Hamilton said.
So, why would two English men, barely in their 30s, decide to do such a crazy thing as walk across the U.S.?
"We wanted to have an adventure," Toolan said.
Hamilton had just sold his house in Denmark, which gave him a few dollars in his pocket and Toolan was up for about anything that would take him from his desk job.
They left their respective jobs — Toolan as an accounts manager and Hamilton as a librarian who had worked for the International Federation of Library Associations as a censorship researcher — and decided to meet Americans on a grassroots level.
So why America and the Midwest?
"America has a significant effect on European lives," Toolan said. And Hamilton had already walked across Europe in 2001, so it only seemed fitting to now walk across the U.S.
Averaging 20 miles per day, the pair depend on the kindness of strangers and they haven't been disappointed.
"We've experienced great hospitality," Toolan said.
With tents among the essentials in their backpacks, many nights they camp in someone's yard or field. Once in a while they stay in a motel, just to get a good night's sleep.
Toolan has a well-worn guitar strapped to his bag which helps to break the monotony.
Comfortable, properly-fitted shoes are their key to success. They will walk through several pairs before the trip is through.
Have they had any serious injuries or calamities along the way?
Not really. A case of tendentious was remedied with different orthotics. Otherwise, the two have remained unscathed.
Their walk will take them through 13 states and some of the most rugged terrain in the country.
Their ultimate goal is to be in Point Reyes, Calif., near San Francisco, by late October or early November.
Documenting the once-in-a-lifetime experience is important. They are using all methods possible — cameras, video cameras, and journals. And they will make history as being the first Europeans to walk the American Discovery Trail, coast to coast.
They plan to publish a book about their 4,900-mile walk in time for the 2008 presidential elections.
Will they make it to the West Coast?
A web site, www.walkingthestates.com, follows their adventure and gives an inside glimpse of the two strangers from England. The two maintain their senses of humor on the web site and in person, which makes them approachable and immediately liked by Americans.
In the beginning, they raised funds for a heart association since the two knew of people with heart disease and ailments. Now their focus is on cancer research.
"It seems more pertinent now," Hamilton said.
