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Update: Man Completes Walk Across America From Top To Bottom
March 16, 2026
In early December, we introduced to Tim Hickle as he traveled through North Escambia on a quest to walk across America from north to south.
Sunday, Hickle texted NorthEscambia.com to say he has now made it to Key West — nine months, four days, 4,040 miles and 9.4 million steps later.
Our original story from December 2, 2025 (scroll down):
When Tim Hickle decided he would retire after 40 years as a buyer in the construction industry, his wife said he needed to find something to do. And he did.
Walking across America from north to south.
“So I went online and I searched the things to do when you retire, which is a horrible idea,” the 64-year-old said Monday afternoon on Pine Barren Road near McDavid.
“But I found this guy that walked Route 66 from Chicago to L.A. It was something I thought I could do. The more research I did, the more I found there were just hundreds and hundreds of people that go from coast to coast each year.”
He eventually settled on a north-south route from northern Minnesota, at the northernmost point of the U.S. at the Canadian border, to Key West, Florida. He retired in May and started his walk on June 8; he hopes to reach Key West by the end of February.
He’s made it over 180 days and 2,700 miles to North Escambia. He has about 900 miles to go.
He crossed into Florida on Sunday and spent Sunday night at Lake Stone near Century before hitting the road again. He planned to spend Monday night at the Bogia Boat Ramp on Bogia Road off Highway 29 before heading to the Molino Fire Station by Tuesday night.
As he walks, he pulls what he has nicknamed the “Copper Kettle”. It’s a simple camper cart he designed and built that carries his supplies and provides a place to sleep. The cart weighs about 120 pounds. “It has a memory foam mattress, sleeping bag, pillows,” he said. “Anything that needs to stay dry goes inside.”
Hickle is not walking to raise money or draw attention to any cause.
“It’s just a personal goal to walk from the far north in the Lower 48 to the far south in the Lower 48. There’s a lot to be said for downsizing to the point where everything I need fits into 22 square feet. I don’t mean to be anti-commercial or anything, but less is more for me.” Along the way, he recharges electrical items as he can, items like his phone and caution lights for the back of the camper.
Hickle is keeping in touch with his wife back home in Colorado as he walks, joining her when he can by phone or video—especially on Mondays when he helps her babysit their grandchild.
“We are about to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary,” he noted. He is going to miss that anniversary as he walks. One of the best parts of the walk, he said, is meeting people.
“I’m doing this at a walking pace so that I can have human interactions,” he said. “I can have a conversation with someone by the road that is getting the mail or mowing their grass. We are going to have some kind of interaction.”
“They are really the high points of his journey.”
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
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