From an encounter with a band of knights to experiencing heat-induced delirium, Jason Peters and Carlos Aponte had quite the adventure as they walked 60-plus miles from Philadelphia to Atlantic City, all for the benefit of student education.
Peters, a Feasterville native and host of the podcast 2100, and Aponte, founder of the nonprofit We Love Philly, set out in the early evening of Friday, July 16 and arrived at the ocean around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 18.
The purpose of the lengthy trek was to raise funds for We Love Philly, which serves as an outlet for area teens who are unable to thrive in a traditional classroom setting. Students volunteer, practice meditation and learn the ins and outs of podcast production and video editing. Specifically, proceeds from the walk will benefit its new initiative, Project Ownership. A shipping container will be purchased and the students will transform it into an Airbnb as a way of learning about the importance of owning property.
Approximately $3,000 was raised during a kickoff event, held on July 16 at Cherry Street Pier. Additionally, the Philadelphia Foundation generously donated $10,000 to the cause.
For Peters and Aponte, who were still feeling the physical and mental effects of their walk several days later, the pain endured was completely worth it. A number of We Love Philly students were on hand in Atlantic City to greet the duo on Sunday night.
“Everyone was so happy,” said Peters. “We’re amplifying student voices. That’s what we’ve been trying to do at different stages of this.”
Peters admitted that he wasn’t sure they’d be able to finish.
“I’m 6’2, 200-plus pounds, not an athlete. I have bad knees. I wore loafers for the first 30 miles. I smoke. It’s just a shock that we were able to do this,” he said. “But we caused such a hubbub, it would’ve been such a mess if we didn’t finish. There was no option.”
While reflecting on their journey, Peters described it as being “like a movie.” They walked about 15 miles on Friday, nearly 20 miles on Saturday in the blistering 98-degree heat, and the final 30 miles on Sunday.
“The walk was fun and good, but very hard. I wore the wrong shoes for sure for the first 30 miles,” said Peters. “I ended up agreeing to pay a stranger on Twitter that agreed to bring me shoes $100. He drove shoes from King of Prussia to where we were staying in Ventnor.”
Saturday’s scorching temperatures proved difficult, especially when they ran out of water in the middle of rural New Jersey, the nearest store miles away.
“The heat was horrendous. However, we were on a mission. We did what we had to do. Complaining about it wasn’t gonna change it, so we didn’t talk about the heat much,” said Peters. “I definitely got delirious several times throughout the trip and I’m struggling to get back to full mental capacity. I couldn’t even remember the second verse to ‘A Milli,’ and I know every word to ‘A Milli’ by Lil Wayne.”
On Friday night, Peters and Aponte slept at the Howard Johnson hotel in Blackwood, which Peters said was “not in great condition.” The next night, a friend picked them up, drove them to Peters’ parents’ house in Ventnor, and then on Sunday morning, brought them to where they left off on their walk.
Along the way, the friends experienced some interesting encounters, to say the least. At one point, they spotted a man playing guitar outside of a hotel in Hammonton and decided to take a break and listen. After asking Peters and Aponte if they were Jewish, the man pulled out a knife.
“We had to scramble away,” said Peters. “Not ideal.”
A more positive interaction came when they befriended a group of individuals dressed as knights and other medieval characters.
“They were just into our whole idea so we invited them to the end of the walk and they came,” said Peters. “So when we got to Atlantic City, we had a drumline and a knight and a bunch of the We Love Philly students. It was quite a good affair.”
Peters and Aponte made it to the beach via the White Horse Pike, which Peters does not recommend for anyone thinking about following in their footsteps. Much of the road didn’t have a shoulder or sidewalk, but he improvised.
“I bought a cane to assist with my walking, and for the last 20 to 30 miles, I used the cane. But when there were no sidewalks, I would stick my cane out into the lane so that people would stay at least a cane’s distance from me and Carlos. If they got too close to us, they’d hit the cane. A couple cars came close, and a couple cars tried to come close,” Peters said, adding that when they reached the bend leading into Atlantic City, which he described as the “scariest and worst part,” he carried a flashlight facing backward.
Though Peters and Aponte reached Atlantic City two and a half hours later than expected – and without water the final three miles – they accomplished their goal, something Peters has been looking forward to since 2019. He vowed that when his podcast 2100 – a time capsule for the people of the future – reached 15,000 downloads, he would walk to the ocean. Over time, upon meeting Aponte and learning about We Love Philly, that vow evolved into a philanthropic cause.
“It was a really positive weekend despite attacking my body,” he said.
Visit welovephilly.org for more information on We Love Philly. 2100 is available on Apple Podcasts.
Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com
