2,582 miles, sore legs and a dream

Post Falls resident Samantha Lee traveled to Daytona Beach, Fla., in March with a pair of sneakers, a cart to carry her stuff and enough guile to walk thousands of miles.

After seven months, the 25-year-old is in Oregon, just a short distance from her final destination, Seaside, on the Pacific Coast.

“I like this kind of adventure stuff that not a lot of people can say they’ve done,” said Lee in a phone interview on Thursday.

Lee got her inspiration at 16, when she saw a married couple walking across the entire U.S. on TV. She didn’t think they were crazy. Instead, she said, “I kind of want to try that sometime.” 

The straight-line distance from Daytona Beach to Seaside is 2,582 miles; Lee's path will take her farther.

The Air Force veteran chose to walk in conjunction with Back on My, which gives homeless people and those suffering from addiction access to resources to help them back into society. 

So far, Lee has raised over $17,000.

One of her favorite parts has been the connections she has made. Along the journey, people have offered her rides, water and food. One person even offered to help push her cart up an overpass.  

“Meeting a lot of people on the way, kind of proving that the world is less scary than people think,” she said.

Lee’s trip has become something of an internet sensation. She has amassed tens of thousands of followers across Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, following her journey in real time. 

Her followers have brought her Red Bulls and let her sleep in their homes. She estimates she has stayed in over 70 strangers' homes since the beginning of her trip.

Not everyone was on board when she first pitched it. While she worked for the Post Falls School District to save money, co-workers, former teachers, and even friends and family told her not to do it. 

“They were like, ‘This is crazy, you are going to get killed,’” she said. “They were just concerned, rightfully so.”   

The challenge is both physical and mental. Lee walks, eats and sleeps alone for hundreds of days as she covers miles of extreme terrain in less-than-ideal weather. 

Lee said the great challenge is overcoming boredom. She often turns her phone off to conserve battery, denying her access to music, podcasts and audiobooks.    

She said she has learned a lot about herself along the way.

“My body can do a lot more than I previously expected,” she said. “When I came into this, I could do 15 miles a day, maybe, and be super sore.”    

After two months of walking, she can more than double that in a day. 

To test herself, Lee said she walked for 24 hours straight to see what she could do. She walked 64 miles. 

“Even if it's a little painful you can push your body past that point,” she said.

Lee said she has two favorite spots along her journey so far: the Katy Trail and Medicine Bow National Forest, both in Missouri. The Katy Trail is the longest rail trail in the country, developed through the Rails to Trails initiative. The Medicine Bow National Forest was the highest elevation she has crossed at nearly 11,000 ft.

“Those are just breathtaking mountains that you are going through,” she said.

The coast-to-coast walk is just the beginning for Lee, who plans more journeys. She hopes to ride a motorcycle on the Pan-American Highway, the route from Alaska to Argentina.  

“I wish I had smaller dreams, because these trips are going to take a lot of time and a lot of money,” she said. “But when you get the itch, you have to do it, or it'll drive you crazy.”   

  
  

    For most of her journey, Samantha Lee has carried behind her a cart for her things. She nicknamed it "Puff the tragic wagon." Here she is pictured at the Louisburg Cider Mill, a family-farm located in Louisburg, KS.