Norwalk Native Walks Every Street In The City

From The City of Norwalk: Three months ago Norwalk native Rich Mackin decided to walk to improve his health and fitness. Initially walking to specific destinations, he wanted to broaden his goal. On Tuesday, August 22, 2017 he will finish walking every street in the City of Norwalk when he completes his journey at Cranbury Park.

Asked what prompted this unusual goal, Mackin said “Norwalk is both where I am now and where I'm from, and I wanted to know more about it. Walking hasn’t been an easy thing for me, I spent most of my life with a serious limp following an assault I suffered. And after finding a team of healers in Portland, OR, I'm excited to use my legs as much as possible.”

Mackin graduated Norwalk High School in 1990 and moved to Boston, MA to attend Massachusetts College of Art, then pursued a career in writing. He moved to Portland, OR in 2003 and became an active member in the arts community, A Zen Buddhist temple, and City Repair, an organization that builds community through public art projects. He came home to Norwalk in April 2017 to be with his family, but wanted a way to maintain his mindfulness and his physical activity.

“In Boston and Portland, a twenty minute walk is an unremarkable activity for most people. But here in Fairfield County people seem shocked by such a feat,” he claimed. When asked what keeps him going, Mackin said, “I see walking as a form of meditation. I'm not walking just to get somewhere, I'm walking for the experience of walking. Sometimes it's exploration, sometimes it's an exercise in mindfulness.”

Asked what the future holds, Mackin expressed an interest in visiting the highest points in surrounding states. He has already visited those in Connecticut and Rhode Island, and intends to continue. He has also started walking across states. In July he walked across Connecticut (from South Salem, NY to Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk, CT, which is the shortest diameter in the state), and will similarly be crossing parts of Delaware, Maryland, Rhode Island and Massachusetts on foot through August and September.

For updated information on Mackin's final Norwalk trek on August 22nd, please contact Melissa A. Bernstein at 203-722-5389 or brrmelbee@gmail.com in the week leading up.

Image Courtesy of The City of Norwalk