80-year-old Delaware County man aims to walk over 11,500 miles

BROOMALL, Pa. - As a full-time certified public accountant numbers are important to 80-year-old Harold Sampson. But late each morning in his home office, Sampson prepares for a midday ritual involving numbers that have taken over his life.

In a tribute to his Jewish heritage, Sampson is walking 11,560 miles from Broomall to Jerusalem and back. Bit-by-bit, Sampson walks anywhere from three to 20 miles each day at Cardinal O'Hara High School or at Newtown High School.

What began as a goal of 75 miles in a week, then 1000 miles from August through December, has expanded to a more-than-11,000 mile Odyssey.

Sampson says God is the main inspiration behind his trek. As a jewish man, Jerusalem was an "important element" in Harold's quest.

Sampson wears mid-matched sneakers on his daily walks, which serve as a nod to the kids who support his efforts and keep him young at heart.

He also wears a paper clip around his neck, which serves as a reminder of the paper clip sculpture that Sampson donated to his synagogue in Broomall. The paper clip is symbolic of how different people, like papers in a pile, can be bound together.

Sampson figures to complete his 'walk to Jerusalem' during his stroll on Thursday, but he already has his eyes on his next goal. Sampson says he would like to walk halfway around the world or walk another 1,000 miles between now and his 81st birthday in January.