Wiccan Priest Erik Walton is Riding to End AIDS

“I’m doing this ride because I can,” Erik Walton

Twenty-six years ago, Erik Walton, an eclectic Wiccan living in San Diego, received the most dreaded diagnosis of the time; he was HIV positive. By 1996 his health had deteriorated to the point that he collapsed at work with viral pneumonia. Walton had lost a great deal of weight and his t-cells, a type of white blood cell that helps the body fight off infections, had dropped to fifty-five. He could barely walk, and his doctors didn’t hold out much hope.

Then Walton decided to take his health into his own hands. He explained, “Due to my being open to alternative therapies, I went to see a friend who was part of the Holistic AIDS project in San Francisco. She was an Acupuncturist/Reiki master and gave me moxa/electro therapy three times a week for the next six months.”  Walton recovered, but he was no longer able to be on his feet for long periods of time.

During this time, Walton watched his close circle of friends die from AIDS. “Little by little, one by one, people started becoming ill and dying. I’d say at least 90% of the original group is gone because of AIDS. By about 2005, myself and [my best friend] Paul were the only two left of the original group that we knew from that time.” Then, in 2008, Paul died.

During this tough period of time, Walton had joined the Circle Angkur, part of the eclectic tradition. He strengthened in his spirituality and eventually was Priested in that tradition. He started taking on leadership roles, including counseling others, with the encouragement of his High Priest.

By 2011, Walton weighed 250 lbs and could not lose any weight due to abnormal fat distribution, lipodystrophy, a side effect of the medications which had saved his life. Between the extra weight and the pain from standing too long, he said that he’d pretty much resigned himself to being inactive.

Then his doctor put him on a new drug, which helped to reduce the extra fat. He said, “I lost weight, so I decided if I couldn’t jog, dance, ski, etc, I would buy a bike. I started riding everywhere, longer and longer and the weight came off.”

Spurred on by his growing leadership in his tradition, continued grief over losing his best friend, and a need to regain his health, Walton did something incredibly challenging. He signed up to participate in a 7 day, 545 mile bike ride called AIDS Lifecycle: Riding to End AIDS/HIV. This event is a fundraiser, and the 2500 participants ride their bikes from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

The AIDS Lifecycle ride isn’t a race; it’s a rolling campground of 2500 riders and 500 staff. Riders average 80 to 100 miles per day. “You wake up at 4:30 pack your gear into the truck, which takes it to the next stop. You eat breakfast and are on the road by 6-6:30. There are rest stops every 15-20 miles each have a “theme” such as Star Wars, My Little Pony, Disney princesses,” Walton explained.

He added that everyone has a good time and receives encouragement from the locals. “People hold up signs, pass out refreshments, while passing through the farms, workers bow and take off their hats to us. There’s the “cookie lady” who starts baking in March, she gives out homemade cookies to all of the riders. Her son passed from AIDS in the 90s so she does it to honor his memory. There’s the “Chicken Lady” who is a rider who lost his best friend. He dresses up that way because his friend said he was “too chicken” to do the ride. He leaves eggs with words of encouragement on people’s bike seats so you see them before you start your ride in the morning.“

Walton does the AIDS Lifecycle ride to honor the over 200 friends that he has lost to AIDS, but especially to honor his best friend, Paul. “Paul was an amazingly talented, creative person. He was a special effects designer who had worked for the studios and later had his own business. He introduced me to so many people, and we shared so many amazing experiences together. He was the older brother I never had, even [though] he was 9 months younger than me! He had a bad break up in the early 2000s and never really recovered from it. He got involved in some self destructive behaviors and didn’t take care of himself. When he passed in 2008, we had known each other 27 years, I was devastated. When I started [Riding to End AIDS/HIV], I knew it was something he would have egged me on to do. He was an avid skier, even until the end. I know we would have had a blast doing it together so that’s why I dedicate every ride to him. I know he’s watching over me and helping me when I get discouraged.”

Walton said that the camaraderie and shared positive energy is amazing and the ride has been a life changing experience for him. “Knowing that I’ve done this, that I’ve endured heat, wet, rain, cold, wind,and kept on going, has truly made me a much stronger person. The energy from the elements, there’s nothing like it. Feeling the wind at your back, I feel like I’m flying. The elements and I do have conversations when things are difficult to deal with, [but] being on a bicycle you experience so much more of nature, the mountains, vineyards, the amazing California coastline, you’re never so close to nature. You can forget all about your discomfort and just be amazed by the beauty of it all, and being a part of it.”

Walton has only missed one year of the ride, in 2013, due to challenges with his health. He said that it was a bit of a wake-up call regarding the state of his health. He had health issues again this year, but has been training hard. This year he is a Team Ride Leader, responsible for the safety and well-being of other people on training rides.

Since the event is a fundraiser to help find a cure for AIDS, Walton is also responsible for raising $5000 in donations prior to the May 31 start to the ride. As of publication, he’s 25% of the way to his goal.

“I want to do this until we don’t need to anymore,” said Walton, “That’s why the fund raising is equally important.”

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