Update after three years. 

I now weigh more than 400 pounds. I’m down 22 pounds though and weighing in every morning at https://twitch.tv/bendoeslife - so, follow there if you feel so inclined. 

I walked from Los Angeles to Boston over the course of five months. This is what it looked like through the lens of my camera. 

I've entered Kansas. 1,260 miles down. Starting to lose my mind and the only cure is the Mulan soundtrack on repeat. With all the force of a great typhoon. http://Instagram.com/bendoeslife to follow along.

The walk, so far: Q & A.

I’m 1,139 miles into the 3,035 mile walk which puts me at 37.5% of the way from ocean to ocean. I feel that gives me a sufficient enough sample size to be somewhat of an authority on long walks and, given my extended break, am answering some of the frequently asked questions I’ve gotten both online and from people I’ve met along the way. 

What inspired you to do this?  A variety of things. My grandmother, Meemaw, and her adventurous life. Me getting out of a long term relationship and it being an opportune time to do a big thing. Once I had the idea I was scared that if I didn’t do it, one day in the distant future I’d regret the hell out of it. I think, in general, I just think it’s a cool and exciting thing to do. My good friend Guy, attempted to do it back in 2005 and on some level I probably wanted to do it maybe to succeed where he failed (which isn’t as bad as it sounds if you click through that link and read a little about it.)

What have you learned about yourself so far? It’s entirely cliche but I’ve learned to appreciate the small things and not take things for granted. Maybe not permanently–I’m sure my baseline will gradually shift back to where it was but now, when I’m out on the road, everything is magnified and the simple life is enough. I’m more satisfied on a daily basis; when you expect not a lot, not a lot becomes more than enough.

How many miles per day? 23.72 is my official miles per day over the entire walk, but that includes days off and early days of 18-21 miles per day. On days I walk now, I’m averaging between 25-27 mostly depending on if I’m going to be in a town at the end of those miles. 

Have you found that it’s easier or harder than you imagined it being? A lot easier, for sure. When I was planning the walk, it seemed a little scary, and it certainly has been at times, but for the most part I’m having such a fun time out there, easily one of the best things of my life. There’s nothing really physically difficult about the walk itself. After a couple weeks, your body is used to it and it’s just a matter of waking up and starting to walk each day. You take breaks, and eat when you want, and then continue walking. The hard parts are the isolation and being away from loved ones, particularly in my situation of starting a new relationship right before heading to Los Angeles. That’s been hard, but, in the general sense, I’ve been surprised by how “easy” and exhilarating it is. 

How do you charge your phone? By far the most popular question. I have a portable charger that when fully charged gives my iPhone up to eight charges. Link here. 

What do you do to pass the time? Music? Podcasts? Audio books? I do music occasionally, but a lot of the time I don’t listen to anything. I really don’t get bored and I can’t explain why. I just think a lot. Like, really a lot. 

What do you eat? Beef jerky, dried fruits, trail mix, peanuts, pringles, Arizona iced tea, oranges and bananas. 

Have you ever felt unsafe? There was one time in Riverside, CA where a man was following me and yelling at me at 4 in the morning. I ended up running away from him. I feel scared almost every night I sleep outside; I’m still not used to it and I’m not sure I ever will. 

Are you going to shave your beard? Haven’t decided on that yet. For now, I’m just going to keep it, but I’m not sentimentally attached to it. 

How do you plan your routes? Google Maps has walking directions that are pretty good. Right now, in the prairies, there’s only really one route to go anyway, so I just walk east. Other than a few stops in major cities, I’m going the shortest route that Google offers.  Are you planning on hosting meetups along the way? Yeah, starting in Kansas City next month, for sure. KC, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Cincinnati (maybe), Philadelphia, New York City, Boston. 

When do you plan on finishing?  Tentatively it’s looking like July 23rd in the Atlantic Ocean in Boston. There will be a big party that night somewhere in Boston and everyone is invited. Pa will be there. 

Just hit mile 200 on Route 66 in the middle of the Mojave Desert. I'll update here at Tumblr periodically but I'm updating daily on Instagram http://instagram.com/bendoeslife

Day 7 has come to an end here in Joshua Tree. 130 miles are done. Many more to go. Instagram is where I'm doing most of my updating: http://instagram.com/bendoeslife

Day Three: complete.

Let me first say that day 3 was, by all accounts, a huge success. My feet had been the big problem days one and two but it appears that they are beginning to callous, which is heavenly. Mile 18 today, about a mile from my finishing point, I made my way into Sycamore Wilderness Canyon park. 

The name alone should have tipped me off to whether or not I should attempt it with Charles the Stroller. Needless to say there were some ill-fated attempts to cross some sketchy-ass trails, a lot of loud cuss words, and a shameful walk back to the main road after losing an hour or so of daylight. It could have been worse, but it was frustrating as hell.

All told, 19 miles were completed and I’ve scouted out a solid camping spot here in Eastern Riverside. Back at it bright and early tomorrow morning.

Thanks, dude.

“It’s weird I’m not going to be doing this with you, dude.” 

That’s what Pa said to me an hour ago as he left me on a street corner here in Corona, California. “This is the type of thing we do as a team. It’s going to be hard not to be here with you.”

I held it together as we hugged and said our goodbyes, but when he hollered out his window, “love you dude!” as he headed off back to Arkansas, I choked up and a tear or two streamed down my cheeks. 

Last summer when I told him about the idea to do this, he said, “I won’t be able to do the whole thing, but I’m damn sure seeing you off.” He made it work out where he could walk the first two days with me. That’s what he does. It’s what he’s always done. 

Over the past 48 hours, we’ve trekked 37 miles together and laughed until we cried several times. It’s so hard to keep going without him, but I’m going to. Calling him dozens of times per week, undoubtedly.

I love you, dude. 

Logistics & Strategy.

My friend Caitlin asked on Instagram if I could make a post detailing some of the how and why about the walk. I covered some of the why in the previous post; the rest of the why will reveal itself I’m sure over the course of the 3,000 miles. 

Logistics and Strategy

I’m sure there will be more things I think. If you have questions, feel free to ask and I will do some Q and A posts along the way?

I’ve had a lot of questions regarding route. Here’s the current tentative-will-definitely-change plan.

Major cities I’ll be walking through:

Laughlin, NV Durango, CO Wichita, KS Kansas City, MO St. Louis, MO Louisville, KY Cincinnati, OH Philadelphia, PA New York City Boston, MA

Two nights ago, Alexis and I had an ice cream date on my last night in the city.

She went raspberry sorbet and I rolled coffee Haagen Dazs. 

When the plan to walk across the country was formed and solidified, I never imagined in my wildest dreams that a girl would come along that would make leaving town so difficult. I spent months and months day-dreaming about the adventures and mis-adventures I would find myself in. The people I’d meet. The sights, the landmarks, the everything. Every day I played and replayed every aspect of the walk in my head. Being a little sad to leave wasn’t one of them.

And she’s been nothing but supportive. And with iPhones and Internet and Snapchat and Facebook and Facetime and Skype it’s a little easier to stay together, but man it’s hard. It’s so hard and, in some ways, the whole endeavor would be easier if we had never met. In other ways, though, it’s going to be so much easier. The emails and the cheesy cheek-kissing pictures and the occasional flirty text... just having her there--it’s all going to be so incredibly helpful. 

And I’m still so incredibly stoked to go, and she’s stoked for me. And seven or eight months from now when I land back in Little Rock it will all have been worth it, but right now... it’s just a little hard to leave.

The Long Walk

Tonight I'm arriving in California after nine months of planning a 3,100 mile walk from Los Angeles to Boston. Pacific to Atlantic. Saturday morning I'll dip my toes into the ocean and begin the longest walk of my life. 

Last May, the day I turned 29, I weighed 381 pounds, just out of a four-year relationship and was the unhealthiest I'd been in a long time. When I began planning the walk, I suspect I saw it as an escape--running away from myself, I guess. The geographic cure and all that. I wrote (and am still writing) every day about the process, the planning and the things I'm feeling toward the walk. In the early stages of plotting, my attitude was overly confident, certainly overcompensating for my own insecurities. Now, as I'm more prepared and trained for the endeavor, I have a respect for the journey. 

And I'm no longer running from something. In fact, I'm leaving a lot behind to do the walk as scheduled. My generally-comfortable life and routine notwithstanding, I'm leaving my girlfriend, my job, my family, friends and my dog. I've sold or given away most everything I own, fully committed to the trek. I'm scared as hell, but even more excited. I can't think of anything further outside of my comfort zone of work, Netflix, lunch-break Yahtzee, climate-controlled workouts, and late-night Mario Kart with Alexis. Every Friday I go to the same Waffle House where my favorite waitress Jeanette brings me a bacon and egg sandwich. None of that will be making the walk with me and it's a little unnerving. 

Seven years ago I started this blog, promising Meemaw I would find happiness in life. I've done that, for the most part, and now I'm seeking the adventure. Channeling my inner Meemaw and becoming an explorer. It's going to take a long time, somewhere between seven and nine months. I'm not exactly sure what all I'm looking for out there; the journey has a nebulous thesis. The only thing I know for certain is that it's going to be hard, lonely, and exhausting, but hopefully exhilarating, inspiring, and rewarding all the same.

So that’s it. I’m walking to my grandmother’s via one of the longest routes imaginable. I’ll see you in the fall, Meemaw. I can’t wait. 

February 1st.

January was a refreshing month. The turn of the calendar is always like that, I think. Hopeful and optimistic. Rarely does it stay that way, but I can say it did for me. 

Today was another flip of the page. It was a day of cleaning up in my apartment, organizing closets full of things I haven’t thought about in weeks or months or years. Loads of things got thrown away, more loads of things got donated. I took an inventory of my life and got rid of the unnecessary things. Each garbage bag more satisfying than the last. 

Things are good around these parts. The Patriots lost, but everything else is simply wonderful. Exercise is going superbly. Work and writing are going superbly. The weather has been unseasonably warm so outdoor working out is back in session and I couldn’t be happier about it. 

Also, I got new shoes today. 

They remind me of 65-year-old retiree walking shoes, but as they are going to be primarily used for walking, I’m semi okay with it. 

Happy February. 13 days until Valentine’s. 

Part of my new year’s resolution is to just get miles. A lot of them. So I make sure to carve out time each day for the sole sake of traveling by foot. Today was 11 miles through the city, just shy of four hours. It does incredible things for me mentally and creatively. A nice walk with just the sound of the bustling city? Can’t really beat it.

Musings from the Office

Down in southern Arkansas with Alexis for the weekend meeting her family. Slightly nervous, but it seems to be going well. Woke up early on this beautiful (but very cold) morning, bundled up and did a nice five mile run on the gravel roads that seemingly go infinitely into the horizon. 2016 is off to a stellar start, in every way.

New Year’s 2016

Started atop the tallest building in all of Arkansas. 

Moved to beers at a pub on the river. 

Proceeded to coffee at Waffle House. 

And ended with mac and cheese over some Mario Party. 

We’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.