Walkers hit the trails to Trek for Troops and help a retreat for veterans

BYRON – Northern Illinois residents are putting boots on the ground this weekend for the Trek for Troops – a fundraiser for Darkhorse Lodge, a retreat for veterans created by two former Byron residents after they lost their son in the war in Afghanistan.

Gretchen Catherwood was one several walkers who hit the trails on Friday at the Stephen and Deirdre Equine Preserve north of Oregon. And she sure was determined not to let her knees stop her from walking 100 miles.

“I did 32 miles yesterday instead of 35, I was just in too much pain that I had to quit,” said Gretchen, 59. “This morning so far, this will be the 25th mile. I need 33 today. Tomorrow I want to do 20 and 25 and then Sunday 5-10 so 100 all together.”

Friday morning’s walking conditions at the preserve – owned and operated by the Byron Forest Preserve – included clouds and a chilly wind, but no rain. “We’re hoping the sun makes it out a little today,” Catherwood said. “People just come and go. Tomorrow, I think, is going to be the bigger day.”

The 3-day event is a fundraiser for the Darkhorse Lodge, a retreat for combat veterans in Springville, Tennessee, built by Catherwood and her husband Kirk, former Byron residents, after their son Alec, 19, was killed while serving with the Marines in Afghanistan in October 2010.

And participants do not have to walk in person at the Byron Forest Preserve, located along River Road, between Oregon and Byron. “Wherever you live, we invite you to join us. Our goal is to cover at least 100 miles per state in as many states as possible on the same weekend raising money for Darkhorse Lodge,” Catherwood said.

Signs along some of the trails at the preserve on Friday included the name and rank of the other 25 Marines who were also killed from Alec’s 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, also known as the “Darkhorse” battalion.

Participants can walk the entire distance themselves or break it up into teams.

“If you have four people, each could walk 25 miles,” she said. “A team of 10 can each walk 10 miles and so on. However you divide it is up to your team. If you don’t make it 100 miles, it’s OK. It isn’t the distance that matters, it’s the heart of the team trekking.

“You can all walk together or trek in separate places, even in different states. Every participant will get pledges ahead of time and collect once the walk is complete. Sponsors may pledge a set amount or an amount per mile in increments of 25 cents. You will set your team’s course, which can be done at a school track, a park district path, sidewalks through town or even on country roads, depending on where you live and where it is most safe,” she said.

Patches are earned according to miles walked. “They are cumulative so keep track from year to year and we will send them for you and your team members when you submit your trek totals,” she said.

The Catherwoods built Darkhorse Lodge in Tennessee after their son, Lance Corporal Alec, 19, of Byron, died Oct. 14, 2010, while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

The Lodge opened in September and will start hosting veterans free-of-charge in the spring.

To sign up online, or for more information on Darkhorse Lodge, visit https://www.darkhorselodge.org/