DUBLIN — With 500 miles behind them and 500 left to go, a handful of peace advocates crossed the Monadnock region last week, marking the halfway point of a 1,000 mile march around New England.

Their route takes them from their starting point in New London, Conn., south to New Haven, up through the Berkshires of Massachusetts, across the southern parts of Vermont and New Hampshire and into Maine, then down the coast through Boston and eventually to Providence, R.I. Every inch of their journey is being done on foot, an average of 20 miles per day for 50 days.

“We have discussions about peace,” says Rachel Winch, holding a giant blue flag with a white peace symbol, on Thursday.

Holding these talks in churches and other community centers and staying with people along the way that they have been contacting since February, the marchers travel light, carrying only just enough to keep them from getting wet if it rains. The flag seems to be the only additional item they have.

On Thursday, day 26 of their walk, they woke up in Keene, had lunch in Dublin and spent the night in Peterborough. Along the way, others joined them for small pieces of their walk. Winch says they got the flag from one such person that morning, and they plan to keep it for the rest of their trip.

Making their way through Dublin in the early afternoon, veteran marcher Glenys Vischak tells them about the terrain ahead.

“I promised them it would all be downhill from here,” she says of the distance from Dublin to Peterborough.

The cluster of four other marchers with her, who range in age from the 20s to retirement years, are all glad to be marking the halfway point of their march. But they are even more excited about another coming milestone.

“We have a big celebration tomorrow,” Vischak says. “It is Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday.”
Another peace marcher adds that it is also Vischak’s anniversary.

The walk, called a pilgrimage for peace, has happened for the past four years each fall. This year, Anabell Ibarra, a native of Nicaragua, is with them in the Monadnock region. She is one of ten Nicaraguans who will walk at different parts of the march.

Headed into Peterborough, the small group sings a song composed specially for the 2009 pilgrimage for peace.

For more information on the pilgrimage for peace, visit www.peacewalk-newengland.com.