Chris Senopole and Adam Shatarsky sat on the curb outside the Wendy’s restaurant on Shea Blvd., both men enjoying an ice-cold soda, lips chapped and heads still covered against the sun’s beating rays.

They had been out walking.

Their “walk” began on June 15 at Camp Pendleton in California and, save for a stretch of desert that would have likely killed them were they to try and cross it, the duo had been hoofing it all the way to Fountain Hills.

They’ve still got a ways to go, though, before they complete their 2,700-mile journey to Washington, D.C.

Former Marines and now steadfast buddies, Senopole and Shatarsky are in the middle of an event they cooked up called The Wounded Walk.

With plans to reach D.C. sometime in October, the duo are marching across America to help raise funds and awareness for The Wounded Warrior Project, an organization dedicated to supporting soldiers with injuries, whether they be physical, mental and emotional.

Back at Wendy’s, Senopole points at his hefty backpack as he rises shakily to his feet.

“That’s staying right there,” he says, making his way out into the parking lot, one pained step at a time, to pose with his friend for a photo.

“It takes a few minutes to get your legs working again,” Shatarsky adds as both guys abandon the shade, each step taking visible effort.

“But once you get rolling, it’s not as bad.”

Fountain Hills was home to Senopole and Shatarsky for one night on Monday, June 24. The next day the guys hit the road to Flagstaff, continuing their slow march across the country with nothing more than backpacks full of supplies and a pair of flags flapping in the wind.

Shatarsky, originally from Leesburg, Va., and Senopole, originally from Daniels, W.Va., first met in the Marine Corps. They stayed friends after service, however, which eventually led to their current journey.

Pitcher of beer

“We came up with the idea about four years ago in an Outback Steakhouse booth, drinking a pitcher of beer,” Shatarsky said.

“We don’t remember who came up with the ‘walk across America’ idea, but as soon as it was on the table we said, okay, if we’re going to do it, let’s do it for a good cause.”

The guys found their cause in The Wounded Warrior Project. Being in the military and having a mutual friend who lost one of his legs from the knee down, the organization’s efforts are something the duo said they felt strongly about.

Then, earlier this year, Shatarsky decides it was time to act on their “crazy idea.”

“Adam calls me up and says, you know, we talked about it a long time, are you ready to step?” Senopole said.

“So I said, yeah. I put in my two weeks at work, flew out to Boise a little over two months ago and we got everything set up.”

Shatarsky was working at Whole Foods at the time while Senopole was working as a corrections officer.

“I don’t think a lot of people believed me at first, when I told them why I was quitting,” Senopole said, laughing.

“Then I turned the tracker on in California and they were like, ‘Whoah, you’re actually doing this?’”

The tracker Senopole was referencing is a GPS the guys have on them at all times. The device pings their location every five minutes so anyone can keep up with their progress (see sidebar for information on The Wounded Walk’s Facebook page, with information on how to follow the tracker).

Initially the guys set out with a goal of collecting $10,000 in pledges for The Wounded Warrior Project. Having already cleared $15,000, they said the sky is now the limit.

“They did a story on us in L.A. and, overnight, everything quadrupled,” Senopole said.

“We were lying in our beds and we eventually had to turn our phones off because they wouldn’t stop going off with updates, messages and alerts. It was incredible.”

Shatarsky said that they had a pretty good idea of what they were getting themselves into when they first decided to walk across the country to raise funds and awareness for Wounded Warrior, and they’ve planned their days accordingly.

“We try to do 20 to 30 miles a day,” he said.

“It’s a long walk, but every three miles we take a 10-minute break and we always take a long lunch break. We do it in a way that always gives us something to look forward to.”

While supporting The Wounded Warrior Project is their main goal for the walk, Shatarsky said he also wanted to see if America is as friendly as he always thought it was.

“And it is,” he said.

“Tenfold. It’s unbelievable. The fact that we’re meeting all of these wonderful people that really believe in what we’re doing and what we’re doing it for, it just really strengthens the whole thing.”

The guys said they get stopped several times a day by people who have heard about their project and just want to say hi or personally offer their support.

Much support

Locally, one kind-hearted resident put Shatarsky and Senopole up for the night, giving them the chance to grab a shower and a good night’s sleep before heading up the mountains to Flagstaff.

They said they’re finding that kind of reaction everywhere they go, and that it’s been an amazing experience.

And like Shatarsky and Senopole, their story is making its way across the country, too, leading the charge in front of them and alerting folks to their progress after they’ve quietly strolled through town after town.

Shatarsky said that their hope is that by “blasting this story all over the country,” people will know there’s an outlet where they can help support wounded soldiers in need and, for those who are in need of said support, they’ll know they have a place to turn.

“Some people aren’t getting the treatment they need. And not all wounds are physical, either,” Shatarsky continued.

“It’s not just about raising money for the cause, but also about raising awareness. We’re thinking this might be big enough and crazy enough to help.

“We figured someone has to notice if we walk up and down every freeway in the country with these two flags on our backs. It’s going to catch on. It was just the two of us in the beginning and now so many more people have joined the cause.”

Senopole agreed.

“I think we’re proving that everybody can make a difference,” he said.

“No matter what your cause is, you can do something for it. I’m a small-town, average guy. Nothing special. You just have to take that first step.”