BOISE, Idaho — A group of people celebrated Good Friday with a near 6-mile trek from Boise Train Depot to the top of Table Rock, all while carrying an 8-foot wooden cross, which represents the Holy Cross that Christians believe Jesus Christ died upon.
For the fourth consecutive year, the Good Friday Crosswalk invited community members to meet up at the train depot at 12 p.m. and participate in the cross-toting walk to Boise Foothills' Table Rock, which All Trails classifies as a 'Moderate' level hike.
Good Friday, the Friday before Easter, is annually observed by Christians to commemorate the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
"You meet some people that are on a walking path like you are...and, you know, you come up alongside each other," said Dan Long, co-organizer of Good Friday Crosswalk. "It's kind of what Jesus did in his ministry, right? He didn't sit down a lot of people and teach; he just went for walks."
Long said the walk has shown a year-over-year growth in participants, and that anyone and everyone is welcome, as long as they are "of goodwill."
"The eventual plan is to get a couple of 1000 people doing it and pull a parade permit and close the streets of Boise on a Friday afternoon on Good Friday," Long said. "You know, the stock markets are closed for this very special celebration, right? So, this is who's welcome. Anyone of goodwill. Right? If you don't know anything about Good Friday, come out and find out about it...some wonderful folks."
The cross was built by Long and other co-organizers of the crosswalk. It stands approximately 8 feet tall, with a wheel attached to its base.
"Yeah, we built the cross, went down to the local hardware store and bought the boards and built it. First year, we didn't have a wheel on it. And they were kind of complaining a little bit because it was dragging. So, we put the wheel on it and made a little easier," he elaborated.
At the top of Table Rock, stands a 60-foot illuminated cross, erected in 1956 by the Jaycees Club of Boise. Table Rock stands at 3,650 feet in elevation, a roughly 1,000-foot climb from the base to the top. And according to Google Maps, the walk from Boise Train Depot to Table Rock is an approximate 2-hour trek, and that's without carrying a large, wooden cross.
"What's really interesting, when we start down the road, you'll get a tremendous amount of response from the driving public," Long said. "A lot of honking in support, a lot of windows down with people saying, 'right on man.' Right, a lot of excitement."
When asked of the importance of the annual walk, Long replied, "You know, we live in a great place, not just Boise, but our country, and even our world, right? There're a few bad actors. But for the most part, we all really want the same thing, right? We just want what's best for our families. And that's kind of the message, right?"
"It's something visible in our world, right? Something positive and visible...and so anyway, that's why we do it."
Long concluded by extending the invitation to all for next years' walk.
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