After leaving LA on April 12, the artist named Bearsun — who's been walking in full-on teddy bear regalia for now almost two weeks — has finally made it to San Francisco, the decided endpoint of his 400-plus-mile journey.
Bearsun has been a fixture on Instagram since his early April departure from The City of Angels — with the clear intent to travel to The City By The Bay, completely by foot. He's rested under trees. He's danced in the desert. He's vibed out, flanked by a like-sized Giraffe. He's taken countless pictures with passerby. But above all: He's been walking (virtually nonstop, sans honoring very human needs like eating and sleeping.)
Well Saturday, Bearsun finally arrived in San Francisco, marking a bitter-sweet end to his viral walkathon.
"Almost there," the self-described creative wrote in an Instagram caption, continuing with "the walk from San Francisco" — the shared video showing Bearsun pass an orange barricade with the Golden Gate Bridge coming into focus.
The man behind the mascot? Jessy Larios, the artist who began wearing the adorable bear costume (that's now seen better, cleaner days) in 2016, occasionally putting it on to run marathons. In an interview with Mercury News, the imaginative figure was born of Larios's own creativity, later mentioning he "slipped on a pair of Adidas shoes" with no plan before starting his trek, relying solely on Google Maps to chart his course. (Though now with miles behind him and gained foresight, Larios added that it "was a mistake" after having to navigate through road closures, steep mountain passes, — a decision he calls a mistake in hindsight.)
"This is what I want to do. I just want to run marathons in my bear suit," he told CNN. "It makes other people happy too, and I'm all about laughter and smiles."
Though his trek from SoCal to Norcal was at first ideated on a whim, Larios has since launched a GoFundMe campaign that's presently raised nearly $15K; he says the funds raised will eventually go to a charity chosen by his followers and donors.
To view more of Bearsun's journey through Califrnonia's landscapes, including his presumably short stint in SF today, follow the bipedal ursid on IG: @iamberasun.
Related: SFMTA and Health Department Use Street Artist Fnnch's Honey Bear for New Vaccination Campaign
Behold 'Sweepy,' SF Public Works' Terrifying Mascot [2015]
Image: Instagram via @iamberasun