Logan Combs, a 25-year-old peripatetic type from Tennessee, has been making headlines as he hikes across the country from Charleston, South Carolina to San Francisco, California. He started off in May, and the Chronicle noted yesterday that his arrival was imminent. Today, according to a photo Combs has added to Reddit this afternoon, he's reached the Pacific, so congrats are in order — and local Reddit users who provided him advice on the area have been making plans to greet him.
Combs, a recent Clemson graduate with a degree in Japanese, is raising money for the National Park system on his walk, although it sounds like he's really just in it for the adventure. He's turned down every ride he's been offered, but he has accepted $400 from strangers in donations. Combs has called his toughest day a passage through the Bald Mountains from North Carolina to Tennessee, and he's also cited Donner Pass as a difficult stretch.
On Reddit, Combs writes that "Honestly I just wanted to go on an adventure lol get out and do something cool."
"One of my favorite moments was crossing the Appalachian mountains," he explains. "I'm from North Eastern Tennessee but I was taking a back road instead of the highway so I was completely surprised when I came over the last hill and saw really familiar scenery. It was the first time it clicked what I had accomplished and I felt great. You couldn't get me to stop smiling for days afterwards."
One other anecdote: Combs' favorite person he met: "My favorite guy so far was this trucker named Mikey. He did a route from Reno to Salt Lake every few days and ever single time he passed me, he stopped and gave me a snack and we hung out for like 10 minutes. He was cool."
Last, while we're on Reddit, let me add that I really like this platform because you can see everyone's comment history unless they cover their tracks. Some other advice from Combs: "The Walmart deli is the easiest and safest place to steal food from," he says. "Good for getting protein but lacking in nutrition." And Combs also has advice for another kind of trip: Taking LSD. "Have a totem," he counsels. "Mines a stuffed penguin named Bill. Before your trip just think that your totem can see what you see, feel what you feel, and won't judge you, and you'll remember it while tripping. It's a good way to calm down if you're starting to get a bad trip."
Did Bill make the trip across the states, we wonder? Regardless, Congrats, Combs!
