Unfavorable weather, aches and pains, and doubtful thoughts have plagued three Indian River High School graduates for the past two weeks, as college freshmen Sean Cummings of University of North Carolina Wilmington, Daniel Kleinstuber of Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington, N.C., and Pierson Roenke of Virginia Tech opted to take a hike, quite literally, this summer. Their efforts to walk back to southern Delaware from their colleges, coined the “Freshman 400,” have hardly gone unnoticed, however, as each step they take brings them that much closer to a life-changing accomplishment that will benefit countless families for years to come.
The long trek home, some 400 miles, was a summer challenge Cummings and his friends decided upon; something no one else had been known to have accomplished.
It didn’t take much convincing from Sean’s father, Mike Cummings of Miken Builders and Contractors for a Cause, to talk the three into putting a purpose to their promenade, as money was raised for Justin’s Beach House and the Justin W. Jennings Foundation. The non-profit organization raises money and awareness for Jennings, who lost a fight against brain cancer at the age of 19. Proceeds from the walk will go toward construction of a beach house in Bethany Beach that will be made available to families affected by cancer.
Earlier this week, with just three days left in their journey, Cummings found himself and his colleagues resting for the evening in Pocomoke, Md., roughly 50 miles outside Bethany Beach, where their journey is planned to come to an end this Friday, May 23.
“The walk has definitely gotten better,” said a relieved Cummings. “It was extremely rough when we started, much harder than I ever expected.”
Equipped with a Tomtom GPS navigational device, and an assortment of the bare essentials, the three sought shelter in the evenings at hotels and motels along the way, walking 20 to 38 miles each day.
“Most of the motels in the towns we stayed at were right on [Route] 17,” said Cummings, although a destination in Surf City, N.C., only a few days after their start, rerouted Cummings and Kleinstuber on a 12-mile stretch, just to get to their hotel.
“We got beat up over first three days,” Cummings recalled. “It was real dry, hot, and there were no gas stations.”
Regardless, the two pushed on, meeting up along the way with Roenke, who continued the venture with them. Shortly after that, relief started setting in.
“We had doubted ourselves when we first started,” Cummings said, “but you set goals for each day. Your main objective is just getting to the hotel, and that’s all you’ve got to do. We would start limping out the door each morning, but it wouldn’t take long to get into the groove. Your feet go numb after the first 5 miles each day, and you walk right through it.”
Days would start as early as 5 a.m. on some mornings, with a 15-minute preparation, wrapping their feet and taking last-minute precautions before heading out again.
In the first week into the trek, the weather took an uncooperative direction, sending heavy rain over the three.
“It was horrible,” Cummings said, “but we knew we had to get through it. When you’re hiking this far and you’re stuck in the rain, you have to change socks as much as you can. [Roenke] only had one pair of shoes to walk in, so at night we’d stuff the shoes with newspaper to dry them out.”
The notion of walk itself is enough to conjure excruciating thoughts for anyone, and Cummings and his friends can speak first-hand of what their bodies have endured.
“The walk doesn’t necessarily make you tired,” Cummings said, “but it wears you out physically, mentally, and it’s very painful — our feet were beat up with blisters, our legs would cramp and get sore. My pinky toes started to tuck under the others, just from walking so much.”
Roenke even brought along sterile syringes that the boys used to drain the blisters and temporarily subdue the agonizing stings.
By the end of the first week, the three were limping up to their hotels in the evening. Each night was usually accompanied by an ice bath, which, as uncomfortable as they were, often times helped ease the soreness the next day.
But, in continuing the journey, the three Indian River High School alumni were turning heads everywhere they went.
“A lot of people at hotels and restaurants couldn’t believe it when we told them we walked here,” said Cummings. “We don’t look like bums. We would explain what we’re doing and why, and we’d get different reactions from different people. People would tell us we were crazy, and some even said we wouldn’t make it back to Delaware. At one Hardees we stopped in, the whole staff came out to talk to us and see us. They didn’t believe it.”
A number of friends, both from college and back home, would call in throughout the week to check up on the walkers and track their progress. Sean’s father even made drives down to check in, and even accompanied them as they were driven over the Chesapeake Bridge-Tunnel, an obstacle closed to foot-traffic.
“My father said he noticed the pain we were going through,” said Sean Cummings. “Sometimes, we were walking funny, because of the pain in our feet. We’ve gotten thinner, too. You learn to just step down on each blister, though. I just closed my eyes, bite inside of mouth, and kept telling myself it was going to be better at the end of the day.”
Cummings prepared for the trip, heeding much advice from his family and from coast-to-coast mega-hiker Andrew Skurka, who made history four years ago by traversing the nation from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
“He gave me some good advice,” said Cummings, “and my mom and sister helped a lot, too.”
Cummings’ mother, a nurse, and his sister, a runner, gave them plenty of tips prior to their excursion. “They really helped, and assured us that our bodies could run off the minimal stuff.”
The three would consume protein bars, fruit bars, and even salt packets, which would put the sodium back in their bodies that’s typically lost through sweat.
“We had to make sure we stayed hydrated, and we drank a lot of water and Gatorade.” Five-hour energy shots came in handy with the last five to 10 miles of each day.
“At times,” said Cummings, “each mile seemed like three, but the energy shots really helped us push through.”
And during certain periods throughout the trip, Cummings and the guys even found themselves running, as they neared their destination for the day, using different muscles in their legs.
Being surrounded by the same people for a long period can be a burden, especially in a time of stress and exhaustion, but for Sean and the crew, it was easy to cope.
“The three of us are good friends, and we’re all pretty open with our emotions toward each other,” he said. “We never really got mad with one another, but you realize what they’re going through at the time. You may be hurting and feeling stressed, but so are they.”
Although the scenes along the North Carolina and Virginia highways were not always picturesque, each day was a surprise.
“Something cool happened each day,” said Cummings. “We walked through some cool towns and saw nice sunrises. You can really enjoy that part of the day when you’re awake for it. At one point, we walked through a field, and that was all you could see, in every direction.”
Despite the pain and discomfort, the three trudged on, and, in hindsight, kept their heads up
“We always said each day that we might be hurt bad, and really hungry or thirsty, but all that will go away over a matter of time,” said Cummings. “There are plenty of other kids out there who feel a lot worse, and we really have a lot to be happy for.”
This walk has undoubtedly been the ultimate test for Cummings, the most difficult thing he’s ever accomplished. So, would he recommend doing something like this?
“It depends what kind of person you are,” he said. “That’s how I took it. Andrew [Skurka] told me everything, and said at the end, ‘I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.’
“A lot of the time, the walk was really hard, but it feels good after it’s all done. All in all, it’s very tough, mentally. Some people like testing themselves and pushing their bodies to the limit. We reached that point a couple of times on the trip,” he acknowledged.
That’s not to say he’d do it again, but Cummings and his friends have no regrets about their impressive accomplishment.
“If it’s something you thing you can do,” he said, “then it’s definitely worth doing. I’m glad I was able to be a part of this. It feels good to be the first to do something like this, and it’s another story I’ll be able to tell people for years.”
The three will make their way back to Sussex County on Friday, May 23, with a welcome-back pig-roast awaiting them at the site of Justin’s Beach House, on Route 26, across from St. Ann’s Church in Bethany Beach. Supporters who have signed up will accompany them back into town for the last 15, 10 or five miles, depending on what they signed up for. The public is also invited to join the boys, their families, friends and supporters on Friday to hear about the adventure.
The Freshman 400 has already raised more than $2,000 from area supporters, and even some of the walkers’ encounters along the way. Additional donations can be made to the Justin W. Jennings Beach House Foundation by visiting www.jwjfoundation.org or by calling (302) 383-9282.