Jonathan Meier is walking through Vermont.

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (AP) – A supporter of Dennis Kucinich’s campaign for the president made a brief stop in Vermont Friday as part of a coast-to-coast walk to raise awareness for the Ohio congressman.

Jonathan Meier, a 20-year-old Kucinich supporter who hails from Iowa, started walking from Portland, Maine, on Oct. 17, and plans to arrive in San Francisco on Feb. 29, two days before California’s primary.

“It’s been really rough, especially today with the cold weather,” Meier told the Brattleboro Reformer by phone from Keene, N.H., on Thursday evening. “I’ve prepared myself well for this, though.”

Meier discussed the idea of a Kucinich walk on an Internet message board for the candidate earlier this year and found an enthusiastic response. Kucinich’s national campaign works with the state branches to find homes for Meier to stay in overnight.

Along the way, several supporters have joined him for short stints. Two supporters from New Hampshire’s Monadnock Region walked the last six miles to Keene with him on Thursday.

The Kucinich walk is not Meier’s first. For 26 days between December 2002 and January 2003, Meier walked from his home in Ames, Iowa, to Washington, D.C., in protest of the pending war with Iraq.

“It was a pilgrimage of sorts,” said Meier. “And I felt now that it was time to do another walk.”

A recent college graduate with a major in religious studies and a minor in philosophy, Meier said he was attracted to the Kucinich campaign because of the congressman’s focus on peace as a message.

“Although others have spoken out against the war, (Kucinich) is the only one who is pro-peace,” explained Meier. “I found his message and stance on all the issues, especially the establishment of a Department of Peace, a very hopeful one for this country.”

As Meier walks he carries a sign for Kucinich, but he believes the message of his mission lies more in his mode of transportation than the sign.

“As I walk I’m asking America to slow down a little,” he said. “The country needs to stop for a minute and think about our actions before acting. It’s a simple but revolutionary idea.”

Saturday, Meier was due to continue his pilgrimage by passing into Western Massachusetts, and from there to Connecticut and New York.

On the Web:

http://kucinich.us/walkfordennis/itinerary.php

AP-ES-10-24-03 1738EDT