On a brighter note, 4 new walkers have joined us.

Lawrence Gerstein, a professor of sheep shearing and bunny hopping at Dave Letterman's alma mater, Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana and president of the International Tibet Independence Movement,joined us in Mt. Vernon. Larry has been back in Indiana taking care of business and shearing ewes. Now that he's on the walk, the positive energy has increased 8 fold. On why he joined the walk, Gerstein said "I'm just a simple walker."

A computer consultant with one name, Parzival and his partner, Sharon Wisemyn came from Winnipeg, Manitoba to join the walk in Bellingham. Handy with back rubs and quick with smiles, this lovely couple is quickly endearing themselves to the group. They learned of the walk though the internet and quickly decided to make the trek. "Being on the walk gives meaning that is relevant." Parzival said.

Tenpa Lektsog, a 62 year-old retired cable technician from Lindsey, Ontario was supposed to join the walk in Portland, but was waylaid by a kidney infection, and only able to join the walk from Seattle on. A march veteran, who walked the entire 1997 March from Toronto to NYC, there was little doubt that a mere kidney infection couldn't keep him from making at least the last part of the walk.

In 1960, when Tenpa was in his mid-20's he was taken from his home in Phari, Tibet and thrown in prison for speaking out against Communist China. after two days in jail, Tenpa was shot in both legs just to make it harder for him to escape. Then, with no medical attention whatsoever, Tenpa was forced into a hard labor camp and made to work until he was too weak from infection and bloodloss to be of any use, and sent home. 6 months after that, in 1962 Tenpa, his two children and pregnant wife escaped to India. 9 years later he made his way to Canada.

When asked why he chose to walk, Tenpa unflinchingly says, "Three reasons I'm on this march. One, I want my people to have our country back and I want to let people know that China is illegally occupying Tibet. Second, I can never forget what China did to me and my people in prison, so I walk for the prisoners that are still in the tibetan jails. and three, I'm walking for the freedom of the Panchen Lama.I want to let people that China has this little boy, and also to point out the absurdity of the fact that Communist China, which doesn't believe in religion has taken it upon themselves to pick their own Panchen Lama."

Bettina Morrison, a biologist from Bellingham, Washington learned of the walk from someone who had been on the walk for a day at a ethno-botany meeting and got our number from the local food co-op. One thing led to another and she soon found herself joining the march for the rest of the way.

Bettina went to Tibet in 1995 and witnessed the chinese celebration of the 35th anniversary of the "liberation" of Tibet. While there, she witnessed first hand the 6-7 armed soldiers on every street corner in Lhasa, entire military platoons doing calastenics in the plaza in front of the Potala and more then 40 trucks carrying even more troops from Shigatse to Lhasa. Bettina saw with her own eyes film being ripped from tourists' cameras for snapping the wrong things,and she heard of monks and nuns being tortured for speaking to tourists.As a biologist, Bettina also saw the rampant destruction of Tibet's environment and culture.

Dekey Gyaltsong, a nutrition service specialist at a Seattle area hospital, who lives in Edmond, Washington, was born in Amdo, Tibet in 1955 and escaped with her parents to India a year later. Growing up in India, Dekey travelled all over the subcontenient with a Amdo dance troupe. By 1974 Dekey was living in Musoorie with her husband, Kunchyo and their two beautiful daughters Tashi and Nortso. In 1975 the family moved from India to the Northwest and have remained since.

Dekey found out about the march through her daughters' involvement with the University of Washington SFT, hosted a dinner for the walkers and ultimately decided to join. "I wanted to do something to make a difference, and (joining) this walk was something that I could physically do to help my country."

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