Crowds embrace Walk for Peace monks in rainy Rock Hill ahead of Charlotte stop
The Walk for Peace, a collection of Buddhist monks and their dog Aloka walking from Texas to Washington, D.C., walked through Rock Hill and Fort Mill on Wednesday morning in the rain. Now they’re headed to Charlotte.
Crowds gathered along York County roads throughout the route, with many people saying they were unable to see the monks Tuesday night due to thousands of people showing up to visit them at Catawba Baptist Church in Rock Hill.
Seeing streets lined with onlookers on a cold, wet Wednesday made for an emotional morning, said Walk for Peace organizer Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara.
“That really touched my heart,” he told what looked like more than 1,000 visitors at Wednesday’s lunch stop at the Anne Springs Close Greenway. “These days, you all make me cry so much. A lot. But happy tears. Joy.”
Pannakara offered a blessing and spoke for half an hour on mindfulness. He called for peace in the present, while offering humorous tidbits on the trip thus far and surprise at the massive crowds it generates.
“You’re supposed to be at work,” he said. “Surprised me that all of you are here, and I don’t know. I really don’t know what to say. But thank you for all this love and hospitality.”
‘I like the idea for peace’
The viral trek that gained more than 1 million followers on both Facebook and Instagram since the monks started walking in October.
Monks greeted visitors for several hours on Tuesday night in Rock Hill before rising at dawn to start another leg of more than 20 miles on Wednesday. The rain did not deter people from lining the route to watch the procession.
The monks were escorted by law enforcement vehicles, as many people holding umbrellas waved and said “thank you” to the Buddhist travelers. Some cars honked along the highway, and crowds followed walking behind the monks too.
“I like the idea of peace, and I’m concerned about the state our country is in,” said Penny Sheppard of Rock Hill, as she waited for the monks to walk by. “The peace walk exemplifies where we could be.... I just want to support them... They just impress the heck out of me.”
Others echoed Sheppard’s sentiment.
“We could definitely use a little more peace in the United States right now,” said Steve Goudui of Fort Mill. He tried to see the monks in Rock Hill yesterday but turned around because of “hellacious” traffic.
No matter your religion, it makes sense that the purpose of the walk was for peace, said Rock Hill resident Carolyn Hall.
“Women, children, people getting killed. It’s a sad day in America right now,” she added. “I think it’s great what (the monks) are doing. I love it, and I just want to be a part of it.”
Where the walking monks stopped for lunch near Charlotte
By around 8:20 a.m., a string of cars lined the side of the Catawba River bridge off Cherry Road to get a glimpse of the travelers. Crowds grew throughout the morning, and they came from across the region, including Gastonia, Charlotte and Fort Mill.
Wednesday’s route took the monks, who have drawn huge crowds along their walk, through some of York County’s most scenic places. Springdale, Red River and Celriver roads took the monks through the Riverwalk area before reconnecting with U.S. 21 near its Catawba River bridge.
They crossed into Fort Mill and stayed just west of downtown before stopping at the Anne Springs Close Greenway for lunch.
Several hundred people were there at the greenway a little before 11 a.m. awaiting the monks. By the time the monks left, it appeared the 2,000 visitors the greenway prepared for was a pretty close estimate.
The monks shared lunch with guests until about 1:30 p.m. at the Lake Haigler entrance.
Buddhist monks Walk for Peace path to Charlotte
The next part of the monks’ journey has them walking nearly to Carowinds amusement park before crossing the Carolinas state line on Nations Ford Road. They’ll use Westinghouse and South boulevards in Charlotte. The route ends Wednesday at the Marion Diehl Recreation Center, off Tyvola Road in Charlotte.
The monks plan to meet with visitors 6-9 p.m. at the recreation center.
This is a developing story
This story was originally published January 14, 2026 at 8:11 AM.
