A group of Buddhist monks is persevering in their peace walk across much of the U.S. even after two participants were injured when a truck hit their escort vehicle.

Bitter cold and a biting wind did not discourage thousands from flocking to Decatur on Tuesday evening to get a glimpse of emissaries for peace.

On Monday, a monk seal was observed moving quickly up a crowded beach along Maui’s North Shore, where it settled about 20 feet from beachgoers. “We went into the water and when we came back, it was resting under our beach chairs,” said Dan Kerr, who called a response team to assist.