Man's cross-country walk makes stop in Durham to spread awareness for walkable communities
Holden Ringer was at Emory University in the spring of 2021 when he was overtaken by a sense of adventure.
"I was studying for a finance exam and I kind of wanted to be anywhere but there," Ringer said. "I wanted to go for a walk, but I needed to stay for an exam. So, as a form of procrastination, I started Googling what would it be like to walk across America, read some people's experiences and thought it was a cool idea so the seeds were planted in that moment."
Ringer moved to Washington later in 2021 to work for AmeriCorps and returned to Dallas, where his parents lived. On the flight there, he learned his mother had COVID, so he went on a 20-mile walk around the city.
"Over the course of that walk, I realized it was something I could do every day over the course of the year," Ringer said.
After starting in La Push, Washington, Ringer finds himself thousands of miles away on Wednesday in the Triangle. It's been hard, even for a former cross country and track runner, but his nationwide trek, "Walk 2 Washington," has been a challenge in endurance and a dive into a new perspective. He's also raising money for America Walks.
Ringer is already well-traveled. He grew up in Dallas, was born in Indianapolis, lived in South Africa for a bit, went to high school in Massachusetts and college in Atlanta. He most recently lived in Seattle, but has no permanent address for the time being, is unemployed and calls himself "functionally homeless." His curiosity is a nod to the American spirit and an exploration to call for cities to devote more resources to safe walking trails.
The 26-year-old is embarking on a walk across the country in hopes of bringing awareness toward walkability and alternate, sustainable transportation methods to communities. The walk is about to hit the one-year mark after starting on March 8, 2023.
"A lot of people who are hit by cars and a lot of people who die in pedestrian crashes are experiencing homelessness," Ringer said. "It's just something that's near and dear to my heart."
He's been through seven pairs of shoes and carries a jogging stroller with supplies inside. Though he's always been a big walker, cyclist and runner, he's never done much camping outside.
Ringer is staying in Durham until Sunday after walking down parts of U.S. Highway 70 and Hillsborough Road to reach the Bull City. From there, he'll head to the town of Oxford, then eventually Richmond, Virginia. Earlier in the week, he walked through Greensboro, Elon and Burlington.
His final destination is New Haven, Connecticut, where there's a memorial for his grandparents. The goal is to get there in May. He'll stop by New York City and Washington, D.C. as well. When his journey was still out west, he would frequently spend the night in a tent where there was more public land. He said he's had an easier time finding people to stay with as of he's moved east.
Ringer met with a group called Bike Durham when he arrived and will stay with some of the group members for a couple of nights.
He walks along a mix of main roads along with some greenways and trails and makes it about 30 miles each day on average. Ringer said the walk brings him a deeper sense of appreciation for his blessings and feels he's fighting for those without reliable means of transportation. Living in Seattle helped him gain a new understanding of the unhoused.
"Having the perspective of walking places is just so huge," Ringer said. "So many people see the world through a car. They're going from their home to the office or school. You're missing so much in between. I think it's important to get outside and have that perspective."
