On a mission: Colorado man stops in Rock Falls while walking across America top to bottom

A Colorado man on a mission to walk about 3,180 miles, from top to bottom of the continental United States, spent the night in his self-made wagon-style camper Friday, Aug. 15, in Rock Falls.

Tim Hickle of Denver started his journey June 8 in Angle Inlet, Minnesota, pulling a 7-foot-by-2-foot, 130-pound camper behind him. His goal is to walk 16 miles a day on bike trails and county roads, and to reach Key West, Florida, in late February 2026, Hickle told Shaw Local.

Hickle decided to make the trip about four years ago when he was searching for things to do after he retired in May 2025. He found a guy online who walked from Chicago to Los Angeles on Route 66, then started researching long-distance walking and learned that he would need to bring some type of wagon, he said.

Hickle said he thought, “If I need a wagon, why do I need a tent?”

1 of 7

Tim Hickle is making a trek from top to bottom across America. Sticking to trails, paths and county roads, Hickle made a stop at Crystal Lake Campground in Rock Falls on Friday, August 15, 2025. (Alex T. Paschal)

In winter 2021, he built his first camper, but found that it was too wide. He then built the camper he’s using now, which is made of corrugated plastic, the same material as a yard sign, and roofing tape.

Inside, there’s enough room to lay down and sit up comfortably. He stores food, water, clothes and other equipment underneath.

“It’s quiet spacious,” Hickle said of the 14-square-foot bedroom.

To prepare for the walk across the county, Hickle started going on walks and gradually increased the distance. He first did over 100 miles in Colorado, then about 200 miles in Nebraska and then about 300 miles in South Dakota, he said.

Hickle “learned a lot in the course of this,” including the best and worst types of footwear.

On one of his early walks, Hickle said, he “cooked my feet inside my shoes”, so much so that the “soles of my feet peeled off.”

Now he wears trail running shoes that have a large toe box and are a size up from the shoes he normally wears because his foot gets bigger while walking 18 miles in a day, Hickle said.

He’s also learned that he can’t change the weather, but can change his attitude about the weather.

Especially in the high heat of Illinois, “I believe you just get used to it,” he said. But it does beat the pouring rain he experienced in Monroe, Wisconsin.

On Aug. 9 and 10, Wisconsin had severe flash flooding that impacted Milwaukee and surrounding areas, according to the National Weather Service.

Prior to that, Hickle had another severe weather experience walking through straight-line winds of 90-110 miles per hour, he said.

It was “really a frightening experience,” Hickle said.