I joined Ranger Kielak for a 9-mile walk yesterday in the final week of his Walk Across America to raise money for charity.

Ranger’s journey started in March 2024 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with a goal of walking 3,000 miles through 10 states to raise $100K for his favorite charities: Future Farmers of America, Bigger Than the Trail, and The Hospice Promise Foundations. When he reaches Will Rogers State Beach on Saturday, August 31, 2024, his cross-country trek will be completed.

Ready to start the walk

We began our walk in Baldwin Park at 6:45 am on Wednesday, August 28. It was a cloudy and cool 63-degree morning. I enthusiastically joined Ranger in his “warm up” exercises. My husband, Willis, took photos and video as we headed out – Ranger with his now-famous three-wheeled cart adorned with signs announcing his Walk Across America. He also carried a hefty backpack with a sign that was visible as he walked away. The cart itself weighs 80 pounds and it was packed with about 50 pounds of gear. When I pushed it for a short distance, it rolled nicely and felt heavy to push over 3,000 miles – not all of which was sidewalks!

Walking at a comfortable 21-22 minute mile pace, chatting comfortably, the time passed quickly. We learned more about one another and shared life experiences. Age was never an issue – just two friends walking and talking together. The route was through business areas and we encountered few other pedestrians.

We made one stop at seven miles for an on-the-go snack and bathroom break. The relatively cool and cloudy weather broke soon after. About a mile before our destination, we could see in the distance someone snapping pictures of us. It was a photographer sent by the reporter who interviewed us the evening before.

We arrived at our destination in three hours and 30 minutes. I was amazed at how quickly it seemed to go. I was in awe of what this young man has done – physically, mentally and emotionally.

Stretching first

It reminded me of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual challenge I had taken on in 2022 when my husband and I, at 86 and 84 respectively, hiked Vernal and Nevada Falls in Yosemite National Park. We trained for a year and yet knew there was no guarantee our bodies could actually complete the strenuous hike at our ages and my husband post-hip replacement surgery. Just like Ranger, we did know we were committed to doing whatever it took to find out.

Ranger faced similar challenges even at 26 – he didn’t know how his body would hold up or what unknowns he would encounter. He saw others doing it and thought it was amazing. Initially he thought it wasn’t possible for him. But then he decided he would never know if he didn’t take the first step. His mission is to “highlight, learn from, and work with people in the USA that are making a real impact in their community.” He has been posting his insights about what it’s truly like walking across the country and sharing some great messages along the way on Instagram and Facebook and in his newsletter. The charities he is supporting profoundly impacted his life and he decided to dedicate his walk to support them

I first met Ranger in January 2023 when he made the year-long commitment to train as a coach with McLaren Coaching’s Transformative Coaching Essentials program in Sacramento, California, which is run by my daughter, Cami McLaren. I was a guest coach at several of the monthly intensive trainings Ranger was attending. At each training session, I got to know more about Ranger and could see his intention was clear – he was going to do whatever it took to complete the program, excel as a coach, and make a difference in the world.

When his class graduated in January 2024, I joined in the weekend graduation and celebration. It was there I learned about Ranger’s plan to Walk Across America. I remember being curious about why he wanted to do it and what it would look like and how he was going to do it. I told him I would like to join him at some point along the way and he gave me an open invitation.

Since then I had been tracking his journey on Instagram, Facebook, podcasts and on the website for his coaching business, Within Range Coaching.  I was intrigued by all of it. Most particularly, I was in awe when he walked 157 miles in five straight days across the arid southern California desert of Joshua Tree National Park with temperatures in triple digits, setting a personal best of 40 miles in one day.

Once he was in California, I knew the time had come to meet up with him, walk alongside him, observe and talk with him while he was in action, and create my own experience.

Why did I choose to walk with him? First and foremost to support a coaching colleague in what seemed to me to be a significant endeavor. Second, I wanted to share his story with YOU – our readers – and what better way than to actually walk with him?

Of course, my ongoing curiosity played a part.

I was curious whether, at 86, whether I could walk the nine miles, on concrete sidewalks, in the August heat of Southern California. So, 10 days before, feeling some trepidation, I walked the same distance under similar circumstances on asphalt in the heat, giving myself the confidence I could do it. Of course, there was no guarantee I could repeat that with Ranger on August 28th.

We met up the evening before for an interview with a local news reporter. The story with photos appeared today (8/29/24) in the Los Angeles Daily News: A walk across America finds its way through the San Gabriel Valley – Daily News. During the interview, we got to know more about one another. Ranger was confident and humble, well-spoken, kind, with a gentle sense of humor, genuinely responsive to all questions asked. His stories exemplified what he had set out to find – that people are fundamentally kind and caring across America.

Ranger’s journey reminded me of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. He left his ordinary world and embarked on a quest – to walk across America with a purpose. He faced trials and challenges, which he will share in his Journal and forthcoming book. In two days he will achieve victory when he reaches Dockweiler Beach in California on Saturday, August 31, 2024. And when he returns home he will be transformed, bringing back gifts of learning that will impact who he is and how he shows up every day of his life.

Thanks, Ranger, for allowing me to be a part of your Hero’s Journey.