Last night, Bicycling in Greensboro and The Community Bike Shop hosted a potluck for Holden Ringer who is, literally, walking across America. Holden shared his journey with a group of about 20 people at Transform Greensboro at 111 West Lewis Street. Holden is 331 days into his journey that began in Washington State and will conclude in Connecticut. He has walked 3,800 miles and has about 700 more to go. Holden is an Emory University graduate, where he studied marketing, American history, and German. He is making this journey because he is committed to making America more walkable. He walks on US Highways, paths, and anywhere that makes the most sense to get from Point A to Point B. He walked from High Point to Greensboro on Wendover.
Holden walks pushing a stroller he calls Smiley. One really hard day of walking was when he walked 32 miles leaving Salt Lake City, going uphill to an elevation of 5,500 feet. Once, near Atlanta, he walked 52 miles, running at an 8:30 pace for about 40 miles. Sleeping arrangements have ranged from sleeping under bridges to staying in 6 million dollar homes. Sometimes he connected with people who offered him a place to stay through Reddit and other social media sites. Sometimes, he knocks on doors and asks people if he can pitch his tent in their yard. Holden says people have been really great and his biggest scares have been with walking on highways with little or no shoulders and with people using cell phones while driving. He has never had any physical danger. He says one of the most challenging states to walk in was South Carolina, given so many roads with no shoulders. However, he said the nice people in South Carolina made up for the challenging walking conditions. If you want to follow Holden's journey, look for him on Instagram and Facebook under Walk2Washington.com. While in Greensboro, Holden is staying with Sheldon Herman who is very involved with the Community Bike Shop and the biking community. Holden made the connection with Sheldon through Greensboro Reddit and the Bicycling in Greensboro group.
Holden will try to meet senators and politicians as he walks through Washington go help get them onboard with funding for biking and making communities more pedestrian friendly. He is on his 9th pair of shoes and second stroller and hopes that will get him through the next 700 miles. We were so lucky to meet this young adventurer on a trip of a lifetime. We suspect he will carry this love of cities, walking, and advocacy for public pedestrian spaces into his career. Right now, he wants to finish this adventure before committing to a specific career path.
Happy Monday!
He's in the home stretch.
Posted by: William Kendall | Thursday, February 22, 2024 at 08:00 PM