From The Northwest Angle to Key West

At 60 years old and newly retired, Tim (from Englewood, Colorado) is spending his first year of retirement on foot…literally. On Sunday, June 8th, he set off from The Northwest Angle, the northernmost point of the contiguous United States, with his sights set on Key West, Florida. His goal is to make it all the way to the southern tip of the country by late February or early March.

Tim is walking around 20 miles a day, often more. His longest stretch so far has been 33 miles in a single day, helped by a smoother highway route. Still, he much prefers gravel roads for the safety and peace they offer. Along the way, drivers often slow down or stop to chat. Those small encounters, he says, are what make this journey worthwhile.

Traveling with him is a custom-built wagon that doubles as his sleeping quarters and supply storage. He designed it using Coroplast, a lightweight corrugated plastic, then painted it with a copper-colored automotive film for durability. The first prototype weighed 65 pounds. The current version is 85 pounds empty and about 125 pounds when packed. It’s pulled with a harness meant for towing an icehouse.

This journey has been in the works for four years. Tim isn’t walking to raise money or awareness for anything. He just wanted something big to look forward to in retirement. Over the past few years, he prepared by walking increasingly longer trails. In 2022, he tackled the Colorado Pueblo Trail, followed by Nebraska’s Cowboy Trail in 2023, and the Mickelson Trail in South Dakota in 2024. Each one was a test run for the big one.

He expects to go through at least a dozen pairs of tennis shoes by the time he hits Florida. Luckily, his coworkers gave him an REI gift card as a retirement gift to help him restock along the way. Before this, Tim spent four decades working as a buyer in the manufacturing world. “I spent other people’s money, let’s just say that,” he laughed.

Retirement, he admits, comes with mixed feelings. “It’s a little frightening,” he said. “But anxiety can mean a lot of things. It’s not always bad.” So far, the biggest surprises have come from nature. Since leaving The Angle, he’s seen more bear than deer. He had hoped to spot some elk as he passed through the Grygla area but never caught sight of one. One night while camping in the woods, though, he heard something large crashing nearby, which was enough to keep him on alert.

During his trek through Grygla, Tim made a stop at the Grain Bin Café, where he was treated to a free breakfast. He said the food was great and the company even better. In return, he paid it forward and bought breakfast for another table.

Each night, Tim tracks his steps, miles and the number of people who stopped to say hello. His wagon displays a detailed map of his route to Florida, along with the previous trails he completed. There are also QR codes on display so folks can follow his journey online. He plans to post regularly to Instagram under the name no.mad.drifter.

As Tim continues his walk south, he’ll be sticking to the western parts of Kentucky and Tennessee to avoid the steeper terrain. His supplies include plenty of canned food and more gear than he probably needs, but he’s also excited to enjoy a few local restaurants along the way. No alarms are set…something he’s quickly grown used to in his new routine. As he joked, “That comes with choosing to be homeless for nine months.”

It was so nice visiting with Tim. He’s calm, easygoing and genuinely interested in the people he meets along the way. This walk isn’t just about covering miles. It’s about appreciating the little things, connecting with others and the reminder that, as he puts it, “People are good.”

The pictures above show Tim as he passed through Grygla, which included a breakfast stop at the Grain Bin Cafe. You also get a view from the inside of the wagon during a quick nap break!