Four weeks ago, the HP Planet ran the story of how Highland Park resident Metra Lundy, the owner and founder of Kinetics, was inspired to lead a walk that followed Harriet Tubman’s Underground Railroad route, all the way to Canada. She invited Highland Park residents to accompany her on the portion of the walk from Highland Park to New York City on July 19th. Ms. Lundy provided updates for our readers by answering the Planet’s questions. A final update will come upon completion of the walk. (The initial story is reprinted after the Q&A)
Q- What was the route the walkers took to New York?
A- The route that we took was Route 27 all the way up through Newark. We traveled over the New Jersey City Turnpike through North Bergen to Fort Lee and walked over the George Washington Bridge into New York City to 179th Street.
Q- How did the walkers endure the heat?
A- It was extremely hot, but because the walk was an Urban Walk, we were able to stop at several local convenience stores to re-up on water; we also used hydration tablets to prevent dehydration.
Q- How many walkers were there?
A- There was a total of five of us who walked that day. Participants stopped and started a various times based on personal desire and ability.
Q- How many miles were covered?
A- The walk was a total of 36.5 miles. It took a total of 16 hours to complete. Not everyone walked the entire route.
Q– What’s next?
A- The last portion of the Tubman Journey will take place August 22 to August 25. We will walk from Niagara, New York, to Saint Catherine’s, Canada – approximately 20 miles.
We will close the journey will a final interview with the historian at the Salem Chapel BME Church built in 1802 by freedom seekers
(Reprint of the HP Planet story of July 16, 2019)
Highland Park resident Metra Lundy one night last year had a dream – the while-you- are- sleeping type of dream, as opposed to the when-you-are-awake vision dream. The sleeping dream, however, morphed into the vision dream, and on July 19th Ms. Lundy is inviting the Highland Park community to join her in the implementation of her extraordinary vision.
Ms. Lundy, the founder and CEO of Kinetics™ Personal Training and Group Fitness and Moving Meetings™ is walking Harriet Tubman’s Underground Railroad route, all the way to Canada.
“Last year, when I was having a very difficult year – I hit an emotional low,” said Ms. Lundy, who was struggling with how to pull herself out of her funk. “Then I had a dream that I actually went on a walk that followed Harriet Tubman’s steps bringing individuals out of slavery to freedom. And upon wakening I thought ‘I could do this – I could make my dream become a reality.’ Harriet Tubman has always been my hero, so I became proactive and figured out how to do this.”
Inspired by a book on Harriet Tubman (Bound for the Promised Land by Kate Clifford Larson), Ms. Lundy is walking the Harriet Tubman’s Underground Railroad route in three, four-to-five day blocks of time over the course of the summer. She recently completed the first block, walking over 30 miles per day for five consecutive days.
She is kicking off the second leg on Friday July 19, and that day’s route will be from Kinetics to New York City, a 36-mile route. She is inviting people to do the walk with her. People can walk any portion of the route – all 36 miles are not required; the group will be stopping at many train stations along the way, so people can get on the train to go home. They are starting at 4:30 a.m. at Kinetics, 401 Raritan Ave. Anyone who would like to participate should be able to walk an 18-to-20-minute mile for at least an hour.
The Highland Park Planet will be covering this journey throughout the summer. Ms. Lundy, who has led the growth of Kinetics for a decade, created fitness experiences enabling her clients to transform mentally and physically.
“This is just one more transformative journey – and I hope people will join me,” she said.
For more information, please email: info@kineticsnj.com