Coronado resident Ray Karno and his friend Steve Fugate. Steve walks to heal and inspire.
Steve Fugate has done a lot of things during his life. He served in the U.S. Navy for four plus years after high school, got married, had a son, Stevie, and a daughter, Shelly, and owned his own successful business for more than 30 years. Along the way, however, Steve has also experienced great tragedy.
In 2002, when he was just 26 years old, Stevie took his own life. Steve describes his family as normal and loving. Stevie was a good student and had never been in trouble. When Stevie died, his dad decided to finish something: walking the Appalachian Trail. “I had 940 miles left to walk of the trail when Stevie died,” Steve shares, “I finished it.” While he was out on the trail, Steve had a revelation. He broke down screaming and crying. He could hear coyotes in the distance howling and he could hear their young. When he returned he shared with his daughter that “I have to do something.”
Steve tried many different groups, support and religious based, to help him cope after his son’s suicide. Nothing fit. So, as Steve puts it, “I started my own damn group.” He started walking. He had originally wanted to walk the Pacific Rim trail, but then decided to walk across the country. The inaugural walk began in Point Reyes, CA after taking a Greyhound bus from Vero Beach, Florida to California. The bus ride sealed his love of flying!
Steve doesn’t just walk; he walks with a sign that offers, in bright red letters, “LOVE LIFE”. He walks to share the message that he is happy to be here. He walks to give hope and inspiration to others who may be considering the route his son chose. His friend Ray believes, “you couldn’t get a more perfect message in two words it’s so perfect.” The LOVE LIFE message is a result of Shelly, Steve’s daughter, telling her dad that he should have instilled his love of life in Stevie. Until Shelly pointed that out, Steve had never really considered that he emanated that message to others, but friends confirmed to him that, in fact, he did exude a love of life in his everyday living.
Coronado resident Ray Karno with his friend Steve Fugate. Steve is currently on his 8th cross country walk.
Finishing the Appalachian Trail was in honor of Steve’s son, as was his first walk. Six years later, after thousands of miles walked, Steve suffered the unthinkable again — his daughter, Shelly, had died from an accidental overdose. After his daughter died, he kept walking.
Steve continues walking because “it’s just what I do.” He believes that if he can LOVE LIFE after the tragedies he has experienced, just about anyone can. He wants “to mend the heart while it is still beating. You have to stop trying to get over the loss. You don’t [get over it]. You have lost your child.” He explains that the loss of his children is not to be forgotten, but carried with him because “it’s energy for me that reminds me why I am doing this.” To date, Steve has walked 34,000 miles of this country. The goal for this walk is to touch all 48 contiguous states. When he gets home to Vero Beach, Florida in the year he estimates it will take him to finish this walk, he will have crossed the country on foot a total of eight times. Follow Steve’s walk here.
Steve is in Coronado visiting his friend Ray Karno, a Coronado resident. The two men met and became friends when Ray heard about Steve on an NPR segment of “Hearing Voices.” Ray contacted Steve to tell him, “I think what you are doing is amazing!” Though Ray had never lost someone in his family, he had two friends who lost their brothers to suicide. After the NPR segment, Steve had more than 10 people contact him directly to share that his message helped them choose a different path, to live. Steve says, “you don’t have the right to take your own life. It doesn’t just belong to you.”
Steve has 7,200 Facebook followers, but could really use more people to donate to his cause. Ray says that many of the people who follow Steve aren’t in a place to help because they are “down and out”. It’s Ray’s hope that Steve will publish a book about his message and the lives he has saved. “Steve never asks for anything,” shares Ray.
Steve carries a backpack and pushes a cart. He sleeps in a tent. Often he eats what others share or give him. He has found himself in the middle of the desert with no money. He chooses to focus on the positives of his experiences, though, stressing that one of the very best things about walking is the contact made with others. He waves and smiles, stops and talks to people along the way. He is often fueled by the kindness of others, and though his message is occasionally confused with the “pro-life” movement, most people smile and wave when they see him. Some invite him to stay in their home or give him money for his trip. He is grateful for the generosity that befalls him. Steve considers his greatest accomplishment thus far being flown to Alaska by the U.S. Army to talk to the troops there about not committing suicide. When the service members found out that Steve refused to charge a fee for his presentation, they took up a collection and raised about $1,300 for him. “I thought that was the most beautiful thing,” Steve shares.
At 67 years old, walking such great distances is getting tough. Steve is fortunate to have his boots supplied by Danner and a small amount of funds from LOVE LIFE shirt sales. Otherwise, though, Steve depends on random acts of kindness to get him through his long treks. He carries a cart with him that can haul about 4-5 days worth (70-80 pounds) of water. He says that of all the states, California is the most difficult to walk because of the varying terrain. There are deserts, mountains, cities and a myriad of varying climates. Of all the cities Steve has traversed through, he says that San Diego (and, of course, Coronado) is the best. It’s the most pedestrian and bike friendly place he has seen.
Steve Fugate at El Cordova garage with Mike Klein. They fixed Steve’s cart for free!
On his way here, his cart broke in La Jolla. Steve described the damage as “beyond the repair of magic zip ties and duct tape.” Today, in preparation for continuing his walk tomorrow, Mike Klein at El Cordova Garage on 10th and C here in Coronado, “worked on my cart over an hour repairing all that needed fixed. He was very precise and professional doing a most perfect job!” Rock, the boss, refused payment. Steve says, “the kindness from strangers never ceases to amaze me. I LOVE LIFE! These continual random acts of kindness leave me no choice but to LOVE LIFE.”
Way to go El Cordova garage! If you would like to meet Steve or just share that you too LOVE LIFE, he will be at the Christmas tree in Rotary Park tomorrow at noon. He will walk Orange Avenue to the ferry landing where he will board a ferry to San Diego. He will continue his walk by heading north to Sacramento and Auburn where he will visit with friends before making his way to Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and further east until he finally makes it back to Vero Beach.
Meet at noon tomorrow and walk Orange Avenue with Steve to show that you LOVE LIFE!
Kellee Hearther
Staff Writer
eCoronado.com
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