ARKANSAS, USA — Andrew "Ranger" Kielak is walking across America to help build his goal of making a life worth remembering.
Kielak said he got the idea from artist Mike Posner who made his own trip across America in 2019.
"One of the very first things that I saw when I saw Mike Posner walk was that's amazing, but here's all the reasons why I can't do it," Kielak said. "He's a millionaire. He can do these things. I can't. He's a multi-platinum artist. He has these resources. He has a support vehicle... just made this whole list of reasons why we're different and why I couldn't do what he did."
However, the thought stuck with him for many years.
COVID hit, pushing Kielak to work odd jobs to "scrape by." Plus, the Californian had never gone backpacking and doesn't really like camping. Yet, the thought stuck with him as he wanted to transform his life.
Kielak says he reached 300 pounds of stress eating his way through college. He worked to lose that weight and met with coaches who pushed him to figure out his life. After seeing Mike Dudek and Andrew Kivett also walk across America, he realized he was just making excuses.
"Since then it started the whole planning process of getting everything together, you know, route planning, saving up money, figuring out what my walk was going to be about," Kielak said.
Kielak embarked on his journey on March 10, 2024, with a backpack and stroller to cross from the Atlantic to the Pacific. To make the journey bigger than himself, he's making stops along the way to visit nonprofits and share their stories.
"I do hope that by sharing their stories, that their story is able to inspire someone else on the other side of the country, that they can do these great crazy things, that they can make an impact that they can make a difference," Kielak said.
Kielak is also fundraising for Future Farmers of America, Bigger Than the Trail, and The Hospice Promise.
Ranger's walk across America is taking one step, one organization, and one journey at a time to create a life worth remembering and sharing.
"I just want people to know that if you kind of find yourself falling into that trap of, I want to do this thing, but here are all these reasons why I can't, stop and really evaluate whether those are reasons or if they're just excuses," Kielak said.
To follow his journey, donate to his cause, or find the podcast with Hope's Bridge, you can find more information on his website.
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