By the time Matt Dyer of Windham finishes his journey across America, he is hoping to accomplish something nobody else has ever done before – walk to all four corners of America in one trip.
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| Matt Dyer of Windham is one his way to walk to all four corners of America and hopes to reach Miami by July. From there he will walk to San Diego and then north to Olympia, Washington by July 2024. PHOTO BY TIM JENSEN/PATCH MEDIA |
“To my knowledge, no one has ever done this. I'm challenging myself. My cause is to exercise, unplug and be in nature, test the limits of my body and to have resiliency and the mental toughness to never tap-out and do something never done before,” he said. “I am sharing my journey for one, to prove I did it; two, to inspire people to do something outside of your comfort zone; and three, for self-exploration. I am clearing my head and taking it all in. The people I am meeting are making a lifelong impact on me so now my purpose is to share people's stories.
He's been averaging about 11.6 miles per day and at this pace, he expects to reach Miami by the end of May, and then San Diego by the end of February. From there he will head north to Olympia, Washington.
"The trip should be finished by July 6, 2024, the fifth-year anniversary of my father's death,” Dyer said. He lived in Windham from 1988 to 2019.”
If the walk itself wasn’t enough of a challenge, Dyer is hauling a cart filled with a tent, a 10-degree mummy bag, a Coleman hunting cot, two sets of wet weather clothes, sleeping clothes and walking clothes, and a ton of socks. He’s also brought along five pairs of gloves, two sets of outer reflective vests, a headlamp, miscellaneous tools, a machete, and a ton of empty carb foods like cereal, pop tarts, and gummies.
“I have 10 pounds of Whey Protein, beef jerkey, protein bars, and trail mix,” he said. “I carry at least 4 gallons of water. One is open, three reserve and electrolyte powders like Pedialyte and Gatorade.
He served in the Army from June 2012 to December 2017 as a Human Intelligence Collector for the intelligence sector and graduated from Windham High School in 2011. After his military service ended, Dyer became a Department of Defense contractor in Afghanistan starting in January 2018 for a year. His second deployment was from January 2020 to January 2021 supporting special forces (SOJTF/NATO Special Operations Component Command) as a Counterintelligence Analyst.
He and his late wife Marinna both attended Windham High School and Dyer was a member of the 2009 WHS state championship football squad.
According to Dyer, walking across America is nothing short of amazing.
“I haven't had a day where I've woke up saying ‘’Ugh. I don't want to walk today.’ I'm having a blast meeting people of all walks of life and the tranquility of walking alone down an empty road at night,” he said.
The most memorable sight he’s seen so far has been a shooting star that he observed in the Orion constellation while he was walking in Suffield, Connecticut.
“I actually have Orion tattooed on my wrist as my wife loved it,” Dyer said. I bought her a star in that constellation for Valentine’s Day in 2014.”
The most memorable place he’s passed through so far is Barre, Massachusetts,” he said.
“The walk into Barre was the toughest walk yet, 15 miles in the pouring rain. The final mile was a hill that ranks in the top five of the whole trip and I was so determined to climb it, all alone in the rain at 3 a.m.,” Dyer said. “Cooks Canyon where I slept was beautiful. There's nothing like sleeping with a babbling brook right outside your tent. In the morning I met Randy Marsden and his dog Emmitt, and I sat with them and Randy's wife, Laurie, for six hours talking about life in their kitchen, while Laurie washed and dried my stuff. Amazing people.”
While on his journey he’s noticed he’s not alone out there. He heard coyotes throughout the night in
Massachusetts and Connecticut.
“There was a skunk on the shoulder in East Granby, Connecticut who was more afraid of me than I of him so we didn't have a close encounter,” Dyer said. “I found some very cool animal bones yesterday in Canton, Connecticut that there's a nice picture of on my Facebook page.”
He said people he’s met in Connecticut have warned him to watch out for bears while walking.
“But Google, ‘Matt Dyer bear attack’ and you'll find that a man with my same name, from Maine has already been attacked by a bear and survived,” Dyer said. “So, I'm safe right?”
Logistics for his journey were reviewed in advance of his departure, where he went over possible thoroughfares and some other technical issues.
“I've only had one instance where my phone died. My fellow Windham friends James Conant and Dylan Nelson killed my battery video chatting,” he said. “I charge during the day while I eat and plan my route for the day.”
He’s not collecting donations for the trip and supports himself from a VA disability check and a survivor benefit from the death of his wife.
“If you skim my Facebook page, you'll see the jokes about the ‘no-cause cause.’ You will not find a donation link, and I am not asking for donations,” he said. “People have supported me by helping fix a flat tire, doing laundry, etc.”
As far as the trip goes, Dyer said he wants everyone to know that he’s a competitor.
“I want people to know that I want to do something never done before. I want to put myself through
anguish mentally and physically and become stronger and tougher. People don't seem to take that as an answer to the question ‘Why are you doing this?’ I truly believe that I can't be stopped by life and I'm proving it to myself. When I'm done, no matter what it is I want to do with my life, I'll say to myself, ‘I just walked around America and slept outside for 18 months, I can do anything.’”
As he continues to meet people across America on his walk and being impacted continuously by the interactions, he said he wants to use his platform to do good.
“I am filling the internet with good stories. I am coming up with ways to give back,” he said.
You can follow Dyer’s journey across America by visiting his Facebook page at 2023walkusa. <
“I have 10 pounds of Whey Protein, beef jerkey, protein bars, and trail mix,” he said. “I carry at least 4 gallons of water. One is open, three reserve and electrolyte powders like Pedialyte and Gatorade.
He served in the Army from June 2012 to December 2017 as a Human Intelligence Collector for the intelligence sector and graduated from Windham High School in 2011. After his military service ended, Dyer became a Department of Defense contractor in Afghanistan starting in January 2018 for a year. His second deployment was from January 2020 to January 2021 supporting special forces (SOJTF/NATO Special Operations Component Command) as a Counterintelligence Analyst.
He and his late wife Marinna both attended Windham High School and Dyer was a member of the 2009 WHS state championship football squad.
According to Dyer, walking across America is nothing short of amazing.
“I haven't had a day where I've woke up saying ‘’Ugh. I don't want to walk today.’ I'm having a blast meeting people of all walks of life and the tranquility of walking alone down an empty road at night,” he said.
The most memorable sight he’s seen so far has been a shooting star that he observed in the Orion constellation while he was walking in Suffield, Connecticut.
“I actually have Orion tattooed on my wrist as my wife loved it,” Dyer said. I bought her a star in that constellation for Valentine’s Day in 2014.”
The most memorable place he’s passed through so far is Barre, Massachusetts,” he said.
“The walk into Barre was the toughest walk yet, 15 miles in the pouring rain. The final mile was a hill that ranks in the top five of the whole trip and I was so determined to climb it, all alone in the rain at 3 a.m.,” Dyer said. “Cooks Canyon where I slept was beautiful. There's nothing like sleeping with a babbling brook right outside your tent. In the morning I met Randy Marsden and his dog Emmitt, and I sat with them and Randy's wife, Laurie, for six hours talking about life in their kitchen, while Laurie washed and dried my stuff. Amazing people.”
While on his journey he’s noticed he’s not alone out there. He heard coyotes throughout the night in
Massachusetts and Connecticut.
“There was a skunk on the shoulder in East Granby, Connecticut who was more afraid of me than I of him so we didn't have a close encounter,” Dyer said. “I found some very cool animal bones yesterday in Canton, Connecticut that there's a nice picture of on my Facebook page.”
He said people he’s met in Connecticut have warned him to watch out for bears while walking.
“But Google, ‘Matt Dyer bear attack’ and you'll find that a man with my same name, from Maine has already been attacked by a bear and survived,” Dyer said. “So, I'm safe right?”
Logistics for his journey were reviewed in advance of his departure, where he went over possible thoroughfares and some other technical issues.
“I've only had one instance where my phone died. My fellow Windham friends James Conant and Dylan Nelson killed my battery video chatting,” he said. “I charge during the day while I eat and plan my route for the day.”
He’s not collecting donations for the trip and supports himself from a VA disability check and a survivor benefit from the death of his wife.
“If you skim my Facebook page, you'll see the jokes about the ‘no-cause cause.’ You will not find a donation link, and I am not asking for donations,” he said. “People have supported me by helping fix a flat tire, doing laundry, etc.”
As far as the trip goes, Dyer said he wants everyone to know that he’s a competitor.
“I want people to know that I want to do something never done before. I want to put myself through
anguish mentally and physically and become stronger and tougher. People don't seem to take that as an answer to the question ‘Why are you doing this?’ I truly believe that I can't be stopped by life and I'm proving it to myself. When I'm done, no matter what it is I want to do with my life, I'll say to myself, ‘I just walked around America and slept outside for 18 months, I can do anything.’”
As he continues to meet people across America on his walk and being impacted continuously by the interactions, he said he wants to use his platform to do good.
“I am filling the internet with good stories. I am coming up with ways to give back,” he said.
You can follow Dyer’s journey across America by visiting his Facebook page at 2023walkusa. <
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