Seattle Super Saunter shows a 24-mile, freeze-free side of the city
If you happened to see throngs of pedestrians flocking south through Seattle on Saturday, it wasn't some seasonal migration - it was the Seattle Super Saunter.
Saturday marked the second annual such walk-across-Seattle event, with more than 1,500 people signing up to join a 24-mile trek through the city, organizer Holden Minor Ringer said.
Ringer, 28, is quite the walker himself. A few years ago, he hoofed it across the nation from a starting point near La Push, on the Olympic Peninsula.
"When you're walking, you're seeing the good and the bad," he said in an interview. "When I was walking on the side of highways, you're smelling the roadkill, but at the same time, I was getting to spend time in these small towns or big cities."
After that nationwide trek, Ringer came up with the idea for the Super Saunter as a way to build community and show people the city is safe. Last year's inaugural Super Saunter drew about 300 people, he said. Ringer then organized similar walks across Eastside cities and in Bellingham.
While he's also a runner, Ringer said he likes walking for its accessibility: We've had folks in wheelchairs, folks with cerebral palsy come out, ages 12 to 85."
"I wanted to encourage people to walk, I wanted people to appreciate the place that they're from and I think walking is a very interesting way to do that," said Ringer, an advocate at Transportation Choices Coalition, a nonprofit supporting bike, transit and pedestrian options across Washington.
"And lastly, it would really be great to have some sense of community," he added.
For this year's Super Saunter, Ringer tried to draw a route that would handle large groups needing to cross intersections and traverse the city. He estimated it would take him 10 hours on that route, with seven official stops, though people could probably finish faster.
The route - which he posted online - began at Seattle's northern edge, the Shoreline South/148th Street light rail station, before cutting south to Green Lake and down to Gas Works Park.
From there, it directed walkers along the west side of Lake Union, with stops at Pike Place Market and the Space Needle, before moving east through the Chinatown International District to Beacon Hill and along the Chief Sealth Trail. The route ended at the Garden of Gethsemane Church of God in Christ, with a Super Saunter pedestrian soiree set to be held at the Columbia City Night Market.
The walkers who made it to Green Lake mid-Saturday morning were still in good spirits. There had already been a stop at Zylberschtein's Delicatessen and Bakery for bagels, at least for those willing to brave the line. The sky had cooperated so far, with gloomy clouds holding onto their rain.
Asked what drew them out, a gaggle of saunterers entering Green Lake Park tossed out a medley of motivations: "Community!" "Masochism!" "Get your steps in!
Meghan DeSpain, 43, said the saunter had given her a chance to marvel at the John Lewis Memorial Bridge, near where the walk began.
"I love urban hikes because you see the city in such a different way than you would when you're driving," said DeSpain.
Walking with DeSpain was Debbie Cutting, 74, who liked Ringer's "intent to show that Seattle's a safe city."
"People are friendly, and I've seen people picking up trash," she added.
Ringer has plans to keep the saunter going. He's been in touch with people in Tacoma about the possibility of holding an event there.
"Last year was kind of a trial run," Ringer said Saturday as he hit Green Lake Park. "This year was, ‘Oh we've got a lot of people here,' and I think next year will maybe be a more formalized thing."
The Super Saunter has already gotten people experiencing more of the city. As she walked south on Wallingford Avenue with a companion, Danielle Fague, 46, said she walks 10,000 steps a day.
But, she said, "I've never walked more than around Lake Union, and we both took the train further than we ever had."
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