https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_tth8ibHsA
Meet Kevin Doyle, a 57-year-old Minnesota man who’s spent the past month walking from Petaluma to San Diego, traveling more than 600 miles on his journey through California to the biggest fan convention in the universe.
Doyle, who’s a photographer and illustrator, according to The L.A. Times, walked the lonely road dressed as a stormtrooper in order to honor his late wife, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2012, and to get his creative juices flowing again. He’s hoping that the extended journey will allow him to “clear his mind” and also raise money for charity. Doyle’s established a children’s cancer foundation named after his wife, Eileen.
“In the time since she died, I’ve struggled with how to deal with the loss. I’ve been self-destructive and my art suffered,” Doyle told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “Being out here, my mindset is an open book. I hope I find enough healing to be creative and work in that way again.”
If that healing has happened, it’s come at a price. The Times reports that while Doyle is overjoyed with the experience, he’s also gone through heat waves, long periods of rain, and has even had to shimmy along a cliff to get to where he is now. Along the way he’s met people who have walked with him, shared their own stories of cancer or, Doyle says, just showed up to give him a hug.
The Times has an in-depth look at Doyle’s journey, including the history of his relationship with his late wife and an account of their Star Wars-themed wedding in 2010. Doyle even proposed to his wife dressed as Darth Vader. The write-up’s definitely worth your while.
Aside from stopping to see Vulcan Ave. in Encinitas, California (hey even stormtroopers love Star Trek), Doyle’s kept on track the entire time, sometimes doing more than 40 miles in one day. And, if you’re wondering, he only wore the helmet for photo-ops—he would have burned in the hot California sun otherwise.
(via The L.A. Times)
