🌍 The Spirit Walk: 20 Miles for Clean Water

The Spirit Walk is a physical and spiritual challenge — a full-day journey inspired by the enduring human tradition of walking with purpose. Across time and cultures, people have stepped into nature to mark life’s turning points — to leave comfort behind, confront their limits, and return changed.

This walk draws inspiration from that lineage — from the Vision Quest, to the Japanese practice of Misogi, to the Qoyllur Rit’i pilgrimage in the Andes — and also from the modern challenge of a recent 50-mile walk completed by a small group in Madison. That experience sparked what is now becoming an annual rite of passage.

We begin at Covenant Presbyterian Church, a house of faith and community, and walk 20 miles across sacred and symbolic ground — through forests, prairies, shoreline paths, urban corridors, and Indigenous effigy mounds that still speak with quiet power.

This is not a race — it’s a pilgrimage. We walk with intention, not speed.

🌀 Shaped by purpose. Tested by challenge. Connected to something greater.

Along the way, you’ll walk beside veteran hikers from the original 50-mile challenge — Steve Whayland, Peter Gray, Jason Ilstrup and Victor Villacrez — who will serve as guides and companions on the path.

💧 Why We Walk

All proceeds from the Spirit Walk support the Tomacaya Water Project in the highlands of Peru — a partnership with Rotary International, Engineers Without Borders–UW Madison, Mundo Esperanza and the Madison Cusco Sister City Alliance.

Your contributions bring clean, reliable, life-sustaining water to the Indigenous Andean village of Tomacaya.

🎟 Registration & Fundraising

$25 registration includes:
• Participation in the walk
• Printed route guide
• GPS navigation
• Support along the route
• Community welcome at the finish
Walkers are encouraged to set up a personal or team fundraising page
Goal: Raise $5,000 for clean water in Tomacaya, Peru

🙌 Want to Do More?

💧 Donate more than $25 at checkout
🚶 Pledge per mile (e.g., $1–$10 per mile = $20–$200)
🤝 Sponsor a walker or give in their name
🕊️ Not walking? You can still donate and support the cause

Every step counts. Every dollar helps.

📅 Event Details

Date: Saturday, July 12, 2025
Start Time: 8:00 AM. Please be there at 7:30 AM, we will leave 8:00 AM sharp
Start Location: Covenant Presbyterian Church 326 S Segoe Rd
Midpoint: Aldo Leopold Park(The Sun Shelter) 2906 Traceway Dr*
Finish Line: Willaim G Lunney Lake Farm County Park 3113 Lake Farm Rd, Madison, WI 53711
Distance: 20 miles
Goal: $5,000 for clean water in Peru

*Water & beverages, energy bars, fruit and other snacks will be provided. Bring additional food for lunch if needed.

⚠️ Participation & Waiver

By registering, you acknowledge:

You’re voluntarily participating in a 20-mile physical challenge
You are responsible for your hydration, gear, and well-being
You release Mundo Esperanza, event volunteers, and partners from liability
You consent to event photos/videos being used for storytelling unless otherwise noted

Mundo Esperanza Spirit Walk

A 20-mile pilgrimage through some of Madison's most sacred landscapes!

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