The Journal

Issue date: 9/20/07 Section: Lifestyle

Media Credit: PHOTO COURTESY OF KATELYN MINNICK Seniors Katelyn Minnick and Matt Grant visit Tower Falls in Yellowstone National Park during their cross-country trek.

Four friends, seniors at Webster University, set out to walk across America and film their efforts in late May 2007. For nearly two months, they braved treacherous weather, sometimes less-than-desirable living conditions and serious injuries before they decided they could go no further. Their walk ended near Boise, Idaho.

On July 20, the walkers, who called their adventure "Eight Stinky Feet," ended their walk. Photography major Lauren Kirkwood and audio production major Jonathan Fournier returned home due to injuries Kirkwood received while walking. Meanwhile, dance major Katelyn Minnick and film production major Matt Grant stayed on the West coast, not yet ready to return.

"It was a bummer, because it was something we had all worked so hard at," Grant said. "Katelyn and I spent a lot of time figuring out what was best to do; we did a lot of praying and soul searching."

As a film production major, Grant is required to do a senior overview - in this case, a documentary of the walk. He said he was committed to doing a documentary and still wanted to make a film. Minnick said she felt she was not ready to end the project either, despite a stress fracture in her foot that required her to wear a walking boot.

Minnick and Grant spent about a month deciding what to do. At first, both of them were scared and unsure of the future of their project, but both said they knew they were doing what felt right.

Meanwhile, they were basically stranded without transportation. Grant's parents drove out a car from Springfield, Ill. to Cheyenne, Wyo. Grant and Minnick took a Greyhound bus to meet them. The little 2006 Kia Spectra 5 hatchback, furnished by Grant's parents, would lead them to their next adventures.

Once they had the car, the two drove back to Boise to attend a wedding of the oldest son of a family they stayed with while they were walking. From there, they drove to Yellowstone National Park for a few days and compared ideas about what to do next.

"We eventually decided to go back to why we were doing the walk in the first place, which was about telling stories of the American life," Grant said.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools