From Auburn, Wash., the 72-year-old former pastor and trucker has logged about 40,000 miles of charity walks since 1998.

Right now, he’s trying to raise funds for and awareness of Huntington’s disease, an inherited, degenerative brain disorder that affects about 1 in every 10,000 people.

The eastbound Stevenson is on his third trek across the nation, walking mostly on U.S. Highway 2. He will leave North Dakota today by way of Grand Forks.

He’s also crossed the country on foot — first in 1998 and again in 2001 — to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis, respectively.

Stevenson’s treks have succeeded in getting attention for a variety of causes, including the fight against cancer. His efforts have ranged from a Mexico-to-Canada walk to a 12,000-foot journey up Washington’s Mount Rainier. He once walked blindfolded more than 100 miles on the Cascade mountain range; his effort raised money for a 24-year-old Washington woman blinded and nearly killed on an interstate highway by a piece of unsecured furniture that fell from a trailer traveling in front of her vehicle.

“Each walk has actually spurred others,” said Stevenson’s wife, Loretta, who drives along the route, always stopping a few miles ahead of her trekking husband until he arrives to refuel with water and food.

Inspiration

Stevenson said he’s inspired by the thought of helping others. It’s what keeps his feet moving mile after mile over hot asphalt or through pouring rain.

“If I was doing it for myself,” he said, “I probably wouldn’t make it out of my own county.”

Stevenson started his current 3,000-mile trek April 26, having already completed 10,000 miles walking to raise awareness of the disease. Walking 30 miles a day, he so far has raised about $11,000 for the Huntington’s Disease Society of America.

By walk’s end in New York City, where HDSA is based, the Stevensons hope to increase the total to about $20,000. They plan to get there in mid-September.

He chose Huntington’s because his friend’s mother and three siblings died from the disease, Stevenson said. His friend, Jack Meteyer, didn’t inherit Huntington’s. An octogenarian triathlete, Meteyer also works to raise awareness, Stevenson added.

Stevenson’s walking clothes and walking shoes — he says the shoes need changing every 500 miles — are donated. Generous donations keep the gas tank of their pickup truck filled, the Stevensons said, and they usually can find overnight lodging free of charge in the communities they enter.

To make a donation, call (206) 464-9598, or log on to www.firstgiving.com/10kmilewalk. To see Stevenson’s progress as he hikes across America, check out his Web site: www.pacinparson.org.