Writing this a day late... last night I collapsed after one-too-many mouthfuls of mashed potatoes... Yesterday was a hybrid day - most neatly captured by my experience walking through the drive-through at the Timbers Bistro in John Day, when I was picking up a peach smoothie for Bob. This was Day 1 for us of No Driver . Bob and I divided the day: he walked the morning, while I drove support. I walked the afternoon while he returned the favor. Actually - that's not quite accu

Hey. No one said this would be easy. If it were easy, it wouldn't need to be done. The day began with the sweetest, coolest babbling brook. My tootsies were so achey and still swollen from yesterday's walk. Deliciousness! And then we said goodbye to our driver Matthew. I started looking at maps, thinking through the route, planning how to manage the several days before our new driver arrives. And... then... a few hours into a very sweet and lazy "zero day": our new driver con

Hey gang - without much fanfare, we've passed a milestone: 200 miles from home. Washington is 200 miles closer. And, I'm indulging myself a little. It's just two of us walkers right now (a third joins us next week), and today is our last day with Matthew: our driver for the start of our trek. A personal emergency is taking Matthew back to Eugene. I will miss his poetic soul, his incredible music playlists, his depth of spirit. What a privilege to spend nearly two weeks in pil

Okay, Esty here... My first post on our website (but I've been trying to stay in touch on IG and, eek, TikTok. You can find me there @libertywalks25). Today was what thru-hikers call a "near-o" - a day of low-mileage (as in rhymes-with-zero: which would be a complete rest day.) Bob and I decided to take it a little easy, just a sweet early morning 14, because the sun in this glorious high desert is no joke. It's kind of deliriously happy-making to be done with the day's walk

How big is America? A symbolic chunk will be covered during a pilgrimage of some 6.3 million footsteps - the distance from Eugene, Oregon - to Washington, D.C. That’s the physical commitment of people participating in Liberty Walks who believe “walking together is better than splitting apart.”

https://www.mckenzieriverreflectionsnewspaper.com/story/2025/07/10/news/stepping-out-across-america/8200.html

7.9.25 - I'm writing this from the comfort of my own kitchen table, having been driven home by trail angel Janet last night after we arrived in Sisters, OR. Oh my goodness what a different experience it was walking on the 242 rather than the 126!! But I'll get to that... first, I want to brag on the Super Duo, who walked 28.5 miles on day three and came into camp looking tired but so very happy. Cheersing with "stranger beer" - a gift from a trail angel along the way! That a

Before setting off each morning, the walkers circle up to remind ourselves and one another of the way we walk. I'll post the words here, because they are the central guiding principles for how we are engaging in this adventure: The Way We Walk The way we walk is a living, embodied, breathing expression of why we walk. We affirm our core values in the way we carry ourselves and relate to those we walk alongside and meet along the way.   ·       Respect – We leave places bette

Esther, as she is in most things, is a fearless and fierce walker - she charges ahead, head down, back straight, arms pumping, and she and Bob blazed a trail so far ahead that at times, we lost sight of them. You definitely have to have stamina to keep up with the super-duo!

eople came with their big hearts and their well wishes and their questions about just how are we going to do this thing? It was a powerful good send-off that included a temple blessing for the walkers and original songs written and performed by the Raging Grannies.

Liberty Walks isn’t a protest. It’s not a platform. It’s a long, soft practice of presence. 2,800 miles of slowing down on purpose. Of being willing to walk without demanding an answer.

May the frenzy we feel now be but a distant memory once we hit the trail and realize that really, truly, we have everything we need. Plus enough tinfoil to wrap the entire RV three times over 😂

Liberty Walks Preview Edited by Elijah Reed

Launch is this Friday - we’ll be meeting at the Buddha Eye Temple in the morning and will begin our walk from there (after coffee, tea, snacks, and an orientation around safety and the rules of the road).

...we now have our Liberty Cruiser (a name that vehicle contest may soon be underway...) and our Liberty Walks Support Driver, one Matthew Boudreau!

Update! Soon, we will be getting a new website with a whole new interface!

Everything about this endeavor has fallen into place in the right time, in the right way, so I imagine that finding the driver will be no different... there is a level of trust in this process - maybe call it faith - that has been neccessary as we move along. So far, that faith has served us well!

Dharma Talk to the Zen West/Empty Field Zendo community in May 8, 2025.

Our founder Esther recently gave a heartfelt Dharma talk exploring themes of compassion, mindfulness, and the importance of staying connected in challenging times.

Recently, our founder Esther spoke with KLCC’s Oregon on the Record  about Liberty Walks’ inspiring journey across the country to promote...