Making their way across the West, over the past six months Ruah Swennerfelt and Louis Cox have slept on the floors and futons of friends and strangers, a Murphy bed and a fold-out couch, in hotels, trailers and a tent.

While it may sound like the adventures of a couple of college students, Swennerfelt and Cox aren’t 20-somethings.

The married couple, both in their 60s, are on a “Peace for Earth Walk.”

“We’re walking to talk about the connections between peace, justice and Earth care,” said Swennerfelt.

Their journey began in British Columbia in November and will end in San Diego in April.

Over the past four months, Swennerfelt and Cox have walked 803 miles, five to 10 hours or eight to 20 miles a day. They plan to travel 1,400 miles in total. Last week the two passed through Northern California and Napa.

What possesses a retirement-aged couple to walk from one end of the West Coast to the other?

“There’s a crisis in the world,” said Swennerfelt, 60, mentioning global warming, the environment, war and natural resources.

“It’s a journey of learning about self and others. We’re encouraging people to consider their place and responsibility on earth,” she said.

Swennerfelt and Cox are Quakers, members of a religious group, the Religious Society of Friends, founded in England in the 17th century.

The two live in rural Vermont, “off the grid,” leading an ecologically sustainable lifestyle. They’re also the sole employees of Quaker Earthcare Witness, a nonprofit organization within the Religious Society of Friends.

The idea for the Peace for Earth Walk evolved between the two, said Swennerfelt.

“As Quakers, we are making the connection between historic Quaker principles like simplicity, peace and justice and the changes in the world we (think) are called for,” said Cox, 64.

“We think of ourselves as pilgrims. It’s a pilgrimage. It’s a walk with a purpose of a spiritual foundation,” Swennerfelt said.

“We thought if we walked people would listen,” she said.

“It’s not just a matter of what we are saying about peace but how we are saying it,” said Cox.

While they hope to bring about some change in those they encounter, “we expect to be changed ourselves,” said Cox.

“There are many lessons to be learned from ... learning to slow down and tune into our own inward voice,” he said.

At meetings with different groups, religious and non-religious, the two give an informal presentation about their walk and message.

Any surprise benefits from the journey?

“First, hope,” said Swennerfelt. “We run into so many people doing so many good things to make the world a better place,” she said.

“At the same time, we stay in many homes with good people who still feel caught in consumerism and behaviors that are not sustainable,” she said.

Some of the roads have been tough. In larger metro areas it’s hard to walk from city to city. The couple will take a bus from Napa to Vallejo and then a ferry to San Francisco to eventually end up in Berkeley.

“We’ve had to take buses more than we’ve liked,” she said.

But they enjoyed their walk through Napa Valley and Northern California. And Cox has a local connection to the area. He was born at Mare Island when his father was in the Navy.

“We love it here,” said Swennerfelt. “The mustard and hills are beautiful.”

Other highlights of their trip have been visiting bike-friendly and progressive Port Townsend, WA and Chico, with its good food co-ops and farmers markets.

“We have found community just about everywhere we’ve settled,” she said.

After four months of carrying backpacks weighing over 30 lbs. each, and pushing a converted golf bag cart with a third pack weighing 60 lbs., the couple feel pretty fit. Fat has been replaced by toned muscle, they said.

“We’ve firmed up,” said Swennerfelt.

Luckily, the trip has been a healthy one as well, with no major sicknesses slowing them down. While taking just minimal clothing, each travels with a favorite comfort food. For Swennerfelt, it’s black tea with dried milk. For Cox, organic instant coffee with dried milk.

After the walk ends in San Diego in April, the two will head back to Vermont.

What’s the first thing they’ll do when they get home?

“Our bus gets in at 11 p.m. at night, so probably sleep,” said Swennerfelt. After that, “We’ll take two days to recoup and talk to our friends and have parties. It’ll be great.”