Chantz Rivera grew up in the Gun Hill Houses in the Bronx and had barely left New York before this year. He had made only brief trips to Washington, D.C., and Florida. On May 31, the 29-year-old started walking west. On Monday, Oct. 26, he reached San Francisco, SFGate reported, nearly five months and about 2,500 miles later.
The last stretch came during this week's record high tides. Bay City News reached him by phone on a flooded bike path in Mill Valley. He had rolled up his pants and was pushing his cart through a few inches of bay water. "I feel great," he said. He arrived almost two months ahead of schedule.
The route
Rivera mostly followed U.S. Routes 40 and 50 through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California, Bay City News reported. He averaged about 15 to 30 miles a day, according to SFGate, and slept in a tent by the road when he couldn't find a room. He pushed his belongings in a small black shopping cart and posted the trip for more than 18,000 social media followers.
Before the walk he worked warehouse shifts and washed dishes. "I just wanted to be free," he told SFGate. He started with $250. A GoFundMe he set up in August had raised more than $13,000 by Monday, Bay City News reported. He told SFGate he was thinking about giving some of the money away, possibly through a free food event.
What's next
He said he planned to spend about a week exploring San Francisco, with Golden Gate Park, Ocean Beach and the Golden Gate Bridge on his list, before heading to Los Angeles. He hopes to be back in the Bronx by Thanksgiving, this time by plane.