When Sharon Robinson Goods stood atop Mount Kilimanjaro in 2022, she wasn’t thinking about breaking records. She was thinking about possibilities.
Just months removed from the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, she had spent nine months training alongside a group of seasoned adults, all over the age of 50, who refused to believe adventure belonged only to the young. Robinson Goods remembered watching younger climbers who had skipped training be forced to turn back while every member of her trained group of older African Americans successfully reached the summit.
“Everyone had personal reasons for doing the hike; bucket list, personal goal, interest in world travel,” Robinson Goods recounted. “We put it out to the business community, and 25 people appeared on Zoom. And then we started training.”
The climb became more than a personal accomplishment. It was the beginning of Wisdom Walkers, a nonprofit organization of seasoned adults committed to promoting healthy living through hiking, walking, and acts of service.
Today, the organization has grown into a nationwide movement, with its largest presence in the Washington, D.C. region. The group encourages people of all ages and activity levels to embrace movement through walking.
“I remember when I got COVID, I couldn’t even walk to the corner, and before that I used to walk 3-5 miles. And, for that time, I had to be satisfied with that,” said Robinson Goods, who serves as the organization’s executive director. “There is great satisfaction in doing what you can, even if that is walking to the corner, resting and coming back.”
A Different Kind of Fitness
Every Saturday morning, participants gather at Rock Creek Park before 8 a.m. to walk. There is no membership fee, no pressure to keep pace, and no expectation that everyone finishes at the same place.
For newcomers, Wisdom Walkers created Fresh Start, a walking group where total distance is determined by the newest participant, even if that means walking only two blocks.
“We start together, take a picture together, and begin walking,” Robinson Goods said. “Everyone’s goal is the same, to increase quality of life. We accept people of all fitness levels.”
That philosophy has attracted more than 350 people to the organization’s online WhatsApp community. Some walk five to seven miles each weekend. Others simply take their first steps toward better health.
“The camaraderie is the most important part,” said hiking enthusiast Samuel Gaillard. “You’re talking about life, your children, work, and before you know it you’ve walked two miles.”
For Gaillard, walking is not simply about exercise; it is about protecting the quality of life people often assume they will naturally maintain as they age.
“As you get older, your quality of life, your ability to care for yourself and others, and even your libido could all be increased by walking,” Gaillard, 62, said. “Men as young as their 30s and 40s can sometimes have pain and symptoms of a much older man; back pain, loss of strength, low endurance, decreased concentration, and heightened mood changes. You’d be surprised how much 10 minutes of walking per day can do.”
Changing the Story of Black Health
For Robinson Goods, every walk is also a response to one of the most urgent health crises affecting African Americans: heart disease.
African Americans still face disproportionately high heart disease rates. Through its Every Step Changes Lives campaign, Wisdom Walkers is raising awareness and funding for the American Heart Association and the Association of Black Cardiologists, recognizing that prevention must become as important as treatment.
Gaillard understands that lesson personally.
After learning he was at high risk for multiple chronic diseases, he was told medication was unavoidable. Instead, he committed himself to walking, nutrition, and consistent movement.
“You almost have to be countercultural,” he said. “You have to value your life more than the quick enjoyment of unhealthy habits. Walking is low impact, accessible, and one of the simplest ways to improve your quality of life.”
His advice is practical; park farther away, take the stairs, walk your dog a little farther, or simply spend five minutes walking around your home. “Small decisions, repeated consistently, can change the trajectory of a person’s health,” he emphasized.
For Robinson Goods, the mission extends beyond exercise. She believes walking restores something many people lost during the pandemic: connection.
“People are isolated,” she said. “When we’re walking together, we’re encouraging one another, solving the world’s problems, laughing, and before we know it, we’ve gone farther than we imagined.”
That spirit recently carried 10 older African American members of the Wisdom Walkers nearly 80 miles along Spain’s historic El Camino pilgrimage, walking an average of 10 miles per day for nine days. This historic feat followed previous expeditions to Mount Kilimanjaro, Machu Picchu, and Mount Fuji.
The journey continues this fall when the Wisdom Walkers join hundreds of advocates at the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk on Nov. 7 in Washington, D.C.
Yet for Robinson Goods, the greatest victory isn’t measured in summits conquered or miles completed.
“We walk,” Robinson Goods said, “because there will come a day when we can’t. Until then, every step is a gift.”
