It’s hard not to find an almost literary resonance in the fact that a man for whom purposeful walking has become a passion was, in fact, born in a town called Walker.
Destiny or coincidence? That question aside, the facts are that Andrew Boddicker was born in Walker, Iowa, lives now in Lansing, and three years ago founded a business called Walking Space that “endeavors to provide the first long distance, multi-day, fully-supported walk based in North America.”
Boddicker is the music teacher at the elementary school in New Albin, Iowa; a pianist and a singer; a self-described adventurer and seeker-at-heart who has lived in various places throughout the United States and lived for six years in London. His business website describes him as someone who “strives to help others discover something new and transformative about themselves. He finds the best way to do this is through walking; long, contemplative, and restorative.”
(A word about that website: The design, photography, and writing are all beautifully done; Boddicker is also, it turns out, a writer of notable talent and skill. An e-mail interview with him — conducted for what was intended to be an article about his unique and fascinating, fairly new business – was too good to paraphrase. It is presented here, with only minor editing to avoid repetition. — JBR.)
For more of Andrew Boddicker’s writing, visit his Medium page.
JBR: How did you come to start Walking Space?
AB: Before I started down this path, I was living a life that was not of my choosing. I allowed other people to make my big life decisions for me — where to live, where to travel, what job to have. I was deeply unhappy without even knowing it. I was living life day-to-day in a state of blind obligation — to my partner, my job, my family. I didn’t question it — until one day my partner decided to leave me. This had been my worst and deepest fear. My direction was gone. My motivation and view of the world was ripped out from underneath me.
After months of wallowing, it was either continue living in despair or make a change. So I decided to go for a long walk — for 500 miles: the Camino de Santiago. This blessed choice changed my life and revealed that I have autonomy to choose my direction and my fate. I have a say in my destiny, and I am capable of making an impact in ways I could have only dreamed. Walking Space is the full reality of that impact.
JBR: Tell us about the Camino de Santiago.
AB: The journey that you undergo — walking 20 miles a day for 30 or more days in a foreign place — forces you to redraft your inner self because every day, the outer world is new. The only constant is you and the walk.
The walking pace methodically knocks against your broken records and forges a deeper awareness of the heart. The first week or so is spent rehashing old wounds and stories, the next two weeks or so are spent growing confidence and a renewal of self, and the last week — well — all bets are off. Freedom, heightened awareness, present-moment joy and intention, creativity.
I did it originally to try and get myself back from my divorce, but it gave me so much more. Plenty of late-night conversations, time spent alone with nature, fascinating and ancient cultural traditions welcomed you around every corner. The path is designed to take care of you every step of the way.
JBR: On your website, you refer to envisioning a place to walk intentionally, in North America. Is your business unique in North America right now? Did the Camino de Santiago take an approach to walking similar to what you all are doing, at Walking Space?
AB: I was possessed by this idea while I was walking the Camino. I had a sleep-time dream and woke up with a start, as I had been leading groups of people on long-distance walks in the Midwest in my dream. The more I thought about it, the more brilliant and necessary it seemed to be. I did more and more research and I couldn’t find any place in North America that provided the care and comfort that the Camino offers. So, I set out to provide this service to others — a place where all of their worries are taken care of and all they have to do is walk, commune, and partake in the offerings of the space.
The approach is different, certainly. This is not a fundamentally Catholic/religious experience, nor is it steeped in centuries of traditions. But what it does replicate to an extent is the continual path, with days on end of walking, in nature, through unique and charming spaces. This backdrop is prime for transformation and rejuvenation.
JBR: How did you bring your Walking Space team together?
AB: The team has come together piece by piece over the three years that Walking Space has existed, and it continues to grow and evolve. Each person offers a unique gift to offer walking participants — ranging from life coaching/guiding to yoga, breathwork, queer nature connection, parent/child relationship-building, digital-detox retreats, and more. We want everyone to find a place here and see how walking can bring greater awareness to oneself.
JBR: Are all walks overnight?
AB: No, we have some day/ afternoon walks that happen in the off seasons. These are generally referred to as our Mindfulness Walks — where we walk silently for an hour or so in nature and share our observations. Those are more of a way to introduce people to being in nature in that sort of way and hopefully open them up to our overnight walking events.
JBR: What is in the works for the future, with Walking Space?
AB: As we continue to grow, we will offer more dates and events. In 2021, we hosted and ran five walks. In 2022, we have eight events planned, with four new guides joining the team. As we diversify what we offer, we hope more people will see that there is a place for them here where they can slow down and reconnect with nature, themselves, and those in their company.
The big vision is to have teams of people leading walks all across North America so we will offer not only a diversity of programming, but also diversity in our destinations.
JBR: Are there people who maybe are not well suited to these walks? People with allergies, people who are very shy, people for whom even a slow, easygoing walk may not be as do-able as they might think? Are there things you advise people to keep in mind when deciding whether this activity is something suitable for them?
AB: When I walked the Camino I was expecting a certain type of person. I could not have been more surprised by the diversity of the body shapes, ages, genders, perspectives, and physical preparedness. That said — not everyone finishes the Camino, and not everyone will jump at the chance to join a Walking Space event.
I ask people, in case they are feeling unsure, if they need to talk to their doctor before undertaking a 20- or 30-mile walk. We provide training plans for all of our events for people who want some help preparing. We also accommodate all dietary restrictions for people who have allergies or food sensitivities.
In the spirit of being a “supported walk,” we provide check-in points throughout each walking day to check in with our walkers and support them if they need more water, snacks, or have a pain that they’d rather not make worse; and we can take them from the trail back to our base camp for that day. This is a no-excuse sort of experience. If you want it, we will get you there.
JBR: How often do you do these walks? How do you and your team fit the work of your business into your already busy lives?
AB: We currently run our overnight walking events in the summer — June through September. Usually, they are three-day events. How do we do it? — How could I not?
JBR: Tell us about what evenings are like, on overnight walks.
AB: It will depend on the walk. Each evening the guides will prepare a shared meal and then there will be some sort of event. I won’t go too deeply into the details because there are some rituals that we like to keep as surprises for our guests. But as an example: If you are on our yoga walk, we will have a nightly yoga session before we gather around the fire and spend the evening star gazing, storytelling and carrying on some traditions that you’ll have to experience to know.
We take great pride in our accommodation options, which include a custom-made Bunk Bus that provides comfortable sleeping arrangements inside a converted school bus. Private tent options are also available which include an air mattress, bedding, chair and table, and light. I have had no complaints on comfort so far; I think a lot of it has to do with the incredible feeling and joyful exhaustion a person feels after walking up to 10 miles in a day. A bed never felt so good.
JBR: Can you tell us about one or two especially powerful or meaningful things that have happened on a walk?
AB: My first walk had two participants. It was a six-day walk and I knew one of the women who was going; I did not know the other woman who had signed up, but she was recommended to Walking Space by a mutual friend. I was nervous because I wasn’t sure how walking for six days with two strangers was going to go. Within the first five minutes of meeting, these two women and myself created a bond that still remains. Since then, I have never doubted the power of this experience for people; and in each walk, transformation, magic, joy, renewal, peace and love have all shown through the experience.
This past summer we had a three-day Life Transition Walk and one of our participants said she had been forgiven by a tree during her walk that day. She had never felt that connection to nature or trees before and she has since continued to explore that relationship and grown through what brought her to us in the first place. I love the idea of being forgiven by trees.
An early guest, Decorah’s Martha Griesheimer describes her experience
Martha Greisheimer, of Decorah, is a long-time family friend of Boddicker’s. She did Walking Space’s “Signature Walk,” not currently on offer – a six-day, five-night walk from Harmony to Houston, Minn.
“Andrew’s sister, cousin and I were part of the planning to test out the timing, processes, equipment and contingencies,” Greisheimer says. “His father was also along as the driver because Andrew was still in the process of getting his commercial driver’s license at that point.”
Griesheimer stayed on the custom-made Bunk Bus. “It was great,” she says. “I think the term being used these days is ‘glamping.’ The bunks on the bus are very comfortable; I remember sleeping really well. There is even a perfectly placed reading light and electrical outlet in each compartment, along with a light-blocking privacy curtain. This is truly a supported walking experience.”
There are also tent options which are equally well equipped for comfort and convenience, she notes. And meals, she says, “were well-planned, offering plentiful fresh and nutritious food to give us a good start each day and keep us going. Water and snacks were always available. I can’t say enough about Andrew’s hospitality and attentiveness to the experience of the walk participants.”
“I’ve always loved the Root River Valley for the beauty and charm of its landscape and small towns,” Greisheimer says. “I live within an hour’s drive of these places and have visited often. Walking the valley deepened my appreciation. I never would have experienced the area this way if I hadn’t signed up for this tour.”
Greisheimer says that completing the walk was “a real mid-life achievement for me. I’d done lots of hiking in my youth but had lost touch with that. I’m glad to know I’m still capable.”
She says she has continued purposeful walking because of the Walking Space experience. “The supported walking experience is perfect for anyone who aspires to do a longer walk without having to worry about logistics. It’s a chance to slow down and unplug for a while. It is an exertion, but it is surprisingly calming to be on a purposeful walk.”
Thanks Julie this was a really good story.
Thank you so much for reading, and for your comment! — Julie
A great read! Thank you!
Thank you for reading!
I really enjoyed this story, Julie. I remember when Martha was getting ready to do this, and now I have a more complete picture. What a beautiful and supportive way to relearn what it is to walk. I am a big fan of Robert MacFarlane’s writing, and his The Old Ways A Journey on Foot is one of my favorites.
I’m going to look up that book — thank you, Sue! And thank you so much for reading. I’m happy you enjoyed the interview with Andrew. — Julie
Thanks for the great travel in our own back yard story!