Walk 4 Courage: Arizona native passes through NE Iowa on her walk across America

by Lissa Blake

Compared to coping with cancer, Arizona native Stacie Eichinger thinks traveling on foot from Washington State to Georgia is a walk in the park.
Eichinger, a 29-year-old landscaper from Tucson, AZ, passed through northeast Iowa late this past week as part of her “Walk 4 Courage” to raise awareness for an organization called Beads of Courage, a non-profit which helps children and families battling cancer and blood disorders, cardiac conditions, burn injuries, neonatal ICU issues and chronic illness.
“I’ve known the founder for a while and have been volunteering. A few years ago I decided to do this,” she said.

HOW IT WORKS
The Beads of Courage program, which got its start in 2005, is established in over 60 children’s hospitals in the United States, New Zealand and Japan. Upon enrollment, each child is given the Beads of Courage color guide with a detachable membership card.
“Their journey begins when each child is first given a length of string and beads that spell out their first name,” explains the program website, beadsofcourage.org.
“Instead of going to an appointment and getting a sticker, they get a bead signifying a procedure as tangible evidence of what they’ve been through,” said Eichinger. “What I’m doing is carrying a little shoe bead people can sponsor to help the program. I’m walking from hospital to hospital and meeting some of the children to give them my bead."

HER JOURNEY
Eichinger has traveled approximately 2,000 miles since she left Ocean Shores, WA in early May. “I went there, touched the Pacific Ocean, turned around and started walking,” she said.
Eichinger pushes a cart carrying all of her essentials. A solar panel strapped to the top helps generate enough electricity to power her iPod, cell phone charger and whatever else she might need.
“I don’t have a strong enough back to carry all of it, so I decided to make this cart,” she said of the custom-made device which is a make-shift cart set on a baby stroller frame.
She has camping gear and food along and she said she is often taken in by kind people along her route. She is on her fifth pair of shoes. “I always carry two pairs and they last about 500 miles. I have a new pair shipped to me when I need them,” she said.

CHALLENGES
When asked if she has had any frightening moments along her way, Eichinger cited two.
“First, I ran across a moose in Idaho,” she said. “I was looking for a place to camp up in the Rockies. I was near a ghost town, but there was nothing there. I was walking along a path and had left my cart at the bottom of the hill to go check out a spot to camp when I heard a huge crash to my left. I froze and saw this huge black mass, which turned out to be a giant female moose. We stared at each other for a while, then she snorted at me and turned around and disappeared in a flash. She must not have had a calf or I’d be dead. Everyone told me you’d rather run into a bear than a moose. They’re so bizarre.”

HER SECOND SCARE
A second tense situation arose near the Cascade Mountains in Washington.
“It was starting to snow and I found this old loading dock near Stevens Pass. There was this perfect little enclosure, so I set up my tent and started to eat some chili I had heated up. All of a sudden this truck pulls up. He didn’t see me at all, so when he opened his truck door, I started to open up the zipper to my tent. I startled him and he nearly jumped out of his skin,” she remembered.
“I was like ‘Hi’ and asked him what he was doing. He pointed around a corner,” said Eichinger. She said she was on high alert, planning out in her mind how she would defend herself if she needed to.
“I don’t carry a gun, but I have a few weapons of choice. My plan was to blind this guy with my powerful flashlight, hit him with my police baton and take his truck if I had to. I was ready for it mentally,” said Eichinger.
She said there were a few awkward moments, but when the guy asked her if she’d like a beer, she said she would. “That poor guy. I don’t know what he was thinking, but he went to get the beer and carefully brought it near my tent and put it down and immediately backed away. It was hilarious. I’m glad to know I can be intimidating,” she said.

A GREAT EXPERIENCE
Aside from that strange encounter, Eichinger said people along her way have been wonderful to her.
“Just today, I had someone from the school bus yard in Cresco ask me if he could do anything for me. There was a chance of severe thunderstorms, so I asked if he knew anyone who could come get me if the weather got too bad. He went and got his card and said he would be happy to help me and provide me with whatever I need. That happens every day,” she said.
Eichinger spent Friday night in Decorah and Saturday night in Waukon. She was headed to Prairie du Chien, WI from there. Her stay in Waukon included a night at the Stoney Creek Inn, and she was also assisted by The Standard newspaper's assistant editor, Bob Beach, in finding a means of transporting her cart to Marquette to avoid having to guide it down the narrow, winding stretch of Highway 76 locally known as "Sunshine Hill" while she walked that particular route.

KEEPING TRACK
Eichinger is chronicling her travels with her blog located at walk4courage.com. “I have always had a need for adventure and excitement so I am always thinking of something new and different to try. I want to do things that will push me to my limit because I want to live my life to the fullest and never say, ‘What if?’” writes Eichinger on her website.
Her website also tracks the donations she has received during her journey. Just like her journey, she is also currently about halfway to her goal of raising $38,000 for the Beads of Courage program, in addition to awareness for the program.
To follow Eichinger’s trek or to make a donation to her cause, visit walk4courage.com, or donate to Beads of Courage at beadsofcourage.org.