We’ve all had seemingly interminable pedestrian experiences, whether walking in hot weather, loaded down with too much gear, or navigating a crowded sidewalk. One man has navigated all of that and then some, on his cross-country walk. In March of 2023, Holden Minor Ringer set off on his journey to walk from Washington State to the Atlantic Ocean with his trusty stroller, “Smiley.” Fast forward to April 2024, where he’s walked over 3,500 miles, he’s making a quick stop in Hoboken before completing one of his goals. Read on to learn why he started this journey and where he plans to finish it.
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The Background Of Walk 2 Washington
Holden created a blog to track his progress when he began his walk across America. On Walk 2 Washington, Holden shared that the idea for his grand journey began with his love of walking. During his travels, he shares many people have questioned his choice to walk across the country. Holden says the short answer is, “It seemed like a fun thing to do and I get to meet nice people.”
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His original goal was to walk with “Smiley” the stroller from Washington State to Washington D.C. He then decided to add a second leg to the tour and go to the Atlantic Ocean after Washington D.C. Holden says it’s because he started at the Pacific Ocean at Second Beach in Washington and wants to go from ocean to ocean. He plans on jumping in the Atlantic Ocean at Rockaway Beach in Queens the last weekend of April. Following his stay in the New York City area, he’ll make his way to New Haven, CT, and visit the memorial of his grandparents. Holden has strolled through 17 states as of April 23rd, 2024.
The Evolution of Holden’s Journey
The deeper meaning of “why” has evolved throughout his walk, according to Holden. One of the reasons why he set out to walk over 3,400 miles was to encourage other people to get outside and walk. Not only does he want more people to enjoy walking, but he also wants to raise awareness of improving public spaces for people to walk around. A large part of his walk has been raising money for America Walks, a national nonprofit advocating for safe, enjoyable pedestrian spaces.
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When he made it to Washington D.C., Holden met with members of the Department of Transportation to chat about his walk as well as pedestrian and cyclist safety. In an Instagram post, Holden wrote, “I think so much of the walk has been figuring out how change is made for the better. Whether that has been at the local, state, and now federal level. I can say I’ve learned a lot while being here in the capital and hoping to always continue learning.”
A Quick Stop In New Jersey
Holden entered the Garden State the week of April 22nd, traveling over the Delaware River from Pennsylvania into Trenton. Some of the towns he passed through include Bound Brook, Plainfield, Westfield, Princeton, and Kenilworth. He plans on strolling through Jersey City and staying in Hoboken for a night before making his grand finale at Rockaway Beach.
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According to a post on Reddit, Holden says he’s aware of how much work Jersey City + Hoboken have done with the Vision Zero project and looks forward to seeing the work in person. He hopes to meet with local advocates to learn about pedestrian safety in the city and ways to improve it.
See More: 5 Northern New Jersey Locals to Watch in April 2024
Follow Holden’s progress on his blog or his Instagram as he gets closer to reaching his goal on the last weekend of April 2024.
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