His year-long trek from Wash. to D.C. is finally at an end
West Coast man is raising funds for walkable cities
Holden Minor Ringer’s family was incredulous when he first pitched the idea of walking across the United States, the 26year-old recalled. He was determined, but even he was starting to get skeptical of his own plan.
But in March 2023, he packed some of his belongings into a backpack and kicked off his hike from Second Beach near La Push, Wash. The trip was labeled “Walk2-Washington,” with a goal of walking all the way to the US capital, and then up north along the East Coast.
After a year of walking, he finally stepped foot in D.C. on Sunday.
“I had this dream,” Ringer said in an interview at the National Mall. “I had maybe some kind of expectation of what was going to happen, but I definitely couldn’t have imagined what has happened.”
The idea first popped into Ringer’s head in 2021 while he was studying for an international finance final at Emory University. He explained he was daydreaming about going on a walk, and then wondered, “What would it be like to walk across the country?” He searched online stories of people who made the journey, and after reading about a few experiences he returned to his studies.
A few months later, he spontaneously went on a 20-mile walk while visiting family in Dallas and thought, “You know what, I could do this every day for a year,” he recalled.
Part of his motivation, he said Sunday, is to fund-raise for America Walks, an organization that supports walkable cities. He is passionate about creating more pedestrian-friendly communities, especially after seeing drivers on their phones while he’s walking along highways.
Others have made similar journeys in recent years. In 1981, a group of hikers set off from San Francisco to Harpers Ferry, W.Va., with the intent of bringing attention to America’s trail and park systems.
Some treks have ended in tragedy. In 2017, Rhode-Island based author, poet, and activist Mark Baumer was fatally struck by a car in Walton County, Fla., while he was about 100 days in.
Ringer spent about a year getting ready: He sought advice and tips from people who had done it before. He read books that recounted people’s experience walking across the country.
Then, he started planning his potential route. He knew he wanted to walk toward the East Coast. He wanted a path that included stops in cities where he knew people, so he headed south. He traveled through 14 states: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.
The walk has also let him see firsthand how generous several Americans are, he said. A lot of his trip has relied on the kindness of strangers. People he’s met along the way have given him bear spray, let him pitch a tent in their yard, and bought him food. He said he’s been grateful for every day of his trip.