Holden Minor Ringer’s family was incredulous when he first pitched the idea of walking across the United States, the 26-year-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 “Walk2Washington,” with a goal of walking all the way to the U.S. 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.
The story almost ended there. But then 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. He remembered the stories he read while procrastinating studying for his final, and then he started planning.
Part of his motivation, he said Sunday, is to fundraise 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 was 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. In 1998, Fairfax County native Niki Krause traveled from Charlottesville to California in a solo journey that took about 4½ months.
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. At one point, he walked from Vancouver, B.C., to Seattle as “a dress rehearsal,” he said. The hike took nine days.
Then he started planning his potential route. He knew he wanted to walk toward the East Coast. The quickest way to travel across the country is up north — through North Dakota and South Dakota. But Ringer wanted a path that included stops in cities where he knew people, so he headed south instead. He traveled through 14 states: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.
“I feel the experience has been so much more fulfilling and enriched by the people who I’ve known and gotten to connect with,” Ringer said. “It’s also just fun to say you just walked to your friend, especially from the Pacific Ocean.”
He has faced a few obstacles along the way. Originally, he projected he would complete the journey in six to nine months, according to his website. But somewhere in central Oregon, about 30 to 40 days into the trip, he got plantar fasciitis — a condition that is characterized by sharp heel pain. He hitched a ride to Bend and spent about two weeks recovering.
Ringer decided to buy a stroller to help carry his stuff, rather than hauling it in a backpack. He bought a used Chariot Cougar 1, which he affectionately named “the Pear Wagon.” But that stroller later broke down in Colorado in the middle of a thunderstorm. He now uses a different red stroller he calls “Smiley.”
The walk has also let him see firsthand how generous Americans can be, he said. A lot of his trip has relied on the kindness of strangers. People he has met along the way have given him bear spray, let him pitch a tent in their yard and bought him food. He said he has been grateful for every day of his trip — including the days when he has walked in the rain or the day his wagon broke down.
Ringer plans to spend a few weeks resting in D.C. and exploring the city. He has contacted officials such as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to meet with him. (Buttigieg hasn’t gotten back to him, he said.)
After Ringer’s stay, he plans to head north and celebrate the end of his trip in New York City, where he can see the Atlantic Ocean.
“There is absolutely no regrets in my mind about doing something like this,” he said.