Costumed island trek with pub stops planned

Although there may not be buried treasure waiting at the end, a Clinton business owner is hoping for company as he prepares to slip on his walking shoes and trek across Whidbey Island over the span of four days.

Dustin Yongue, owner of Secondhand Booty, will be leading people on what he described as a “mildly pub crawl themed” walk Feb. 23-26.

Yongue’s pirate-themed thrift store is a beloved fixture on South Whidbey less than a mile away from the Clinton ferry terminal, where prices are kept low. Recently, he moved to a location three doors down. Yongue originally dreamt up the walk-a-thon with the intention of raising funds to cover the store’s moving costs, but he welcomes anyone to join in on the fun, whether they’re donating money or not.

A total of 20 people have made pledges so far, including the owners of five South Whidbey businesses. On the store’s Facebook page, Yongue quipped that if his fundraising goal is exceeded, his next post will be from the Bahamas.

Yongue plans to don a pirate hat for the duration of his journey. Costumes are encouraged, but as he pointed out, “You gotta make sure you can walk in it.”

The expedition’s itinerary follows a meandering route broken into four sections for each day, from Clinton to Freeland, Greenbank to Port Townsend, Port Townsend to Penn Cove, Oak Harbor to Deception Pass.

Yongue’s announcement of the walk-a-thon was accompanied by his pirate-esque illustration of the tarot card “The Fool.”

“It’s really fitting, because I feel like a fool for doing this,” he said with a laugh.

On the first day, Feb. 23, participants will meet at 9 a.m. at Secondhand Booty. Starting from the thrift store, walkers will “hang a right” at Ken’s Korner and continue onto Langley. After completing this six-mile stretch, Yongue said, the group will decide if it wants to continue on to Freeland – Penn Cove Brewing Co. is the designated endpoint of the first day.

“Every town I hit, I’ll stop and get a beer somewhere,” Yongue promised.

The next two days will involve some travel as a walk-on passenger on the Coupeville-Port Townsend ferry route. Local watering holes Quench Waterfront Kitchen & Bar in Port Townsend and Toby’s Tavern in Coupeville are marked on the map, as well as 3 Sisters Market. On the last day, the walk begins at The Mill at the Kasteel in Oak Harbor.

The approximate start time for each day is 9 a.m. Participants are encouraged to go as short or as long as they want, and they can join in at any time. Yongue himself plans to get a ride home at the end of every day, except for one night he will spend in Port Townsend.

“It could end up like a Forrest Gump event where I turn around and there’s 500 people behind me,” he joked.

Believe it or not, this is not Yongue’s first long-distance walk. A few years ago, he traveled mostly on foot from Bellevue to Victoria, B.C., with the occasional help of some buses and ferry boats. This time around, he’s training by walking three to four miles three times a week.

Pledges can be made by stopping by Secondhand Booty before the walk-a-thon or by calling or texting 206-552-4904. Those making pledges don’t need to commit to walking, and vice versa. For those joining Yongue, a $25 donation is appreciated but not obligatory. The day before the event, a GoFundMe account for the store will go live.

Secondhand Booty is located in the strip mall at 4777 Commercial St. in Clinton.