A group of about two dozen people began a nearly 500-mile walk from Asheville on Sunday, March 22, 2026, carrying a message of hope and feminine energy. The Great Mother March, a woman-led pilgrimage, intends to reach the nation's capital around April 22, according to WLOS reporting.
The marchers plan to walk along the Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountains, distributing painted hearts and collecting trash. Participants also pledged to avoid plastic water bottles during their journey. Whitney Freya, a participant, described the mission as making "visible Mother Earth, the feminine energy, creativity, love to give people something positive to look at and to illustrate hope where we want to go as a culture is gonna happen step by step, one heart at a time, one person, one community at a time."
The march followed a community gathering at Pack Square Park on Saturday, March 21, 2026, from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM, according to Asheville.com. Freya also emphasized the group's philosophy about focusing on positive change, saying, Freya also emphasized the group's philosophy of focusing on positive change, saying, "If we focus all of our energy on what's wrong, that's actually what we're feeding and expanding." She describes the march as a "living prayer" aimed at embodying the future they wish to see.