The Walking Aggie

John Ball ’78 has been going on training walks—strapping on his hiking backpack, getting the perfect level of wear on his equipment and preparing his mind—for starting on March 1, he’ll attempt the longest walk of his life.

On March 1, Ball will begin a coast-to-coast backpacking trip that will take him 2,673 miles on foot. He’ll start his trek in Pacific Beach Park in San Diego and end it Daytona Beach, FL., walking unassisted with no extended breaks for 170 days. He’ll carry his supplies on his back and sleep either in a tent, a hotel, or in the homes of Aggies he meets along the way. It’s a serious challenge, he said. And he couldn’t be more excited.

“I have been planning this trip for years,” he said.     

Ball, who spent 26 years in the Air Force, had always been a runner. But when knee pain prevented him from regularly pounding the pavement, he started walking. He loved it and his mileage grew. “I’ve walked 30 miles in one day,” he said. “There’s just something missing in my day if I don’t go walk.”

One of the gifts of walking, Ball said, is that it gives one plenty of time to think. In fact, it was on one of those long walks about six years ago when he started thinking about what it would take to walk coast-to-coast. It would be a grand adventure, he said. It would change his life, and if he dedicated his walk to raise funds to endow an Aggie Ring Scholarship through The Association of Former Students, his personal goal could impact the lives of others, as well. He mapped routes, made lists, researched the trips of other cross-country walkers, and “last year, really started focusing on exactly when I was going to be able to do this,” he said.

Now just a couple months away, he’s in the final stages of preparation. He’s started making contact with Ags along his path using The Association of Former Students’ Find an Aggie online tool. His detailed plan plots out where he needs to be each night to make the walk in 170 days. “Of the 170 nights on the road, probably around 80 of them have Aggies living in those towns,” he said. It’s his hope that this walk will not only result in a physical adventure, but also strengthen and grow his relationship with his fellow Ags. “I anticipate staying with many Aggie families as I walk from town to town,” he said. 

When carrying your belongings on your back, Ball said the goal is to get rid of every surplus ounce possible, but there’s one luxury item that he can’t leave at home. “I’ll have to wear my Aggie Ring,” he said.

The Aggie Ring unites, he said. “It shows you have something in common… an immediate bond,” he said. “I believe most former students would say the Aggie Ring is the most enduring and prized symbol of what it means to be an Aggie.

Once Ball’s walk begins, you can follow his progress, watch videos, and learn more about Ball and The Walking Aggie Endowed Ring Scholarship by going to his website, thewalkingaggie.com.