U.S. Army Veteran Walking Across The Country Passes Through Enfield

ENFIELD, CT — An Army veteran who plans to walk to all four corners of the continental United States over the next year and a half, covering more than 5,600 miles, embarked from his hometown in Maine less than three weeks ago, and reached Enfield on Wednesday.

Matt Dyer, 29, departed Windham, Maine on Dec. 30. His route, which he believes has never before been traveled on foot, will take him to Florida, then across the southern states to California before concluding in Washington state. The total distance is 5,679 miles.

"It's a four corners walk," he said in an exclusive interview with Patch Wednesday afternoon at the Chick-fil-A on Route 190. "So it starts in Maine. It goes down to Miami. It goes to San Diego and up to Olympia, Washington."

Dyer said he decided to set out from New England in winter in order to avoid walking through desert-like areas in summertime. He expects to reach Miami, a distance of roughly 1,600 miles, in June.

"The timing starting in the winter in New England is actually going to work out well, because I'd rather be up here with good gear in the winter," he said.

His inspiration comes from several sources. His wife, Marinna, was also an Army veteran whom he lost to suicide on May 7, 2017. He plans to finish his walk in July 2024, around the fifth anniversary of his father's death.

"I don't have a cause, I have a lot of events that have happened that have led me to want to do this," he said. "I'm challenging myself. My cause is to exercise, unplug and be in nature, test the limits of my body. To have resiliency and the mental toughness to never tap out and do something never done before. I am sharing my journey for one, to prove I did it; two, to inspire people to do something outside of your comfort zone; and three, for self-exploration."

Thus far, he has been averaging nearly 12 miles a day. He checks out his planned route online daily, and sets his departure time based on anticipated conditions.

"Surprisingly, there's a lot of narrow shoulders, 12-inch shoulders or no shoulder width and I'll Google Earth the route before I go on it," he said. "And if it's a narrow shoulder majority, I don't change the route, I change the time I leave. So I might hang out all day long, until 6 or 8 p.m. I can walk at night in the middle of the road, with no traffic. Doesn't matter that there's no shoulder. But every day is different."

Dyer carries an American flag and pulls a cart containing necessities, adorned with a sign which says, "Army vet walking across USA. Follow me on Facebook, 2023walkusa." He mainly sleeps in a tent and occasionally stays in motels; he spent Tuesday night at the Windsor Locks Canal State Park Trail in Suffield, while Monday night found him at the Motel 6 in Chicopee, Mass.

About 10 days ago, he started the Facebook page, sharing photos and stories from his journey, including meetings with law enforcement officers. Wednesday, he met Sgt. Doug Montas of the Enfield Police Department and posed for a picture near the sergeant's SUV. He also posts favorite songs and other forms of inspiration.