Writer and climate activist killed while walking across America barefoot
When writer and activist Mark Baumer walked across the U.S. for the first time, he was wearing shoes.
It was 2010, and Baumer had just finished his first year of a Master's degree of Fine Arts at Brown University. He needed something to do for the summer, so he decided to walk from Savannah, Georgia, all the way across America to Los Angeles. It took him 81 days.
He's easily one of the most authentic people I've ever met.- William Keller, Mark Baumer's friend and roommate
Last fall, he decided to try again, with two important differences. This time, he would be walking without shoes, and he would be walking for a reason: to raise money to fight climate change.
Baumer, 33, was 100 days into his journey when he was killed on Saturday. Walking down the side of a Florida highway, he was struck by a passing car.
Baumer's friend, William Keller, had been looking after the writer's house in Providence, R.I. Keller told As It Happens guest host Helen Mann that Baumer was one of his closest friends.
"He's easily one of the most authentic people I've ever met. He had such radiance and such energy within him," Keller said.
Baumer posted regular updates through videos, blog posts and photos throughout his trip. Baumer published a book about his first cross-country walk, and his blog posts meandered from spur-of-the-moment musings to dire thoughts about the state of the country.
"When I began walking I had an urge to stop traffic until all the roads in America died," Baumer wrote in his final post.
"One day everyone will be able to walk down the middle of the road free from all the violence this society has built."
Baumer's shoeless trek was in part a challenge to himself, Keller said, but also a symbolic act.
"He had done it the first time with shoes, and so of course he wanted to see what he was capable of. And walking barefoot for him was symbolic of his hopes to decrease his footprint on the environment, and to raise as much awareness as he could," Keller said.
Baumer had been walking to raise money for the FANG Collective, an activist organization dedicated to fighting climate change. He set his initial fundraising goal at $10,000, and has since more than doubled it.
"We are shocked and devastated to learn about the passing of our friend," the organization wrote in a Facebook post. "As a friend he was always there for us emotionally and did whatever he could do to support the work and vision of FANG."