After a grueling 18-month journey of walking on foot, Holly "Cargo" Harrison finally reached his destination. Harrison walked a total of 15,000 miles.
Harrison did the challenge which took him from Ushuaia, Argentina to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, simply because no one has ever done it before. He added that there are only little things in the world that no one has ever done.
Challenges Along The Way
The ex-Army Ranger also added that it was not an easy task. He had a heart attack in Nevada, had a bear encounter after entering Alaska, walked through harsh climates, and suffered from a torn tendon which made him walk the last 1,000 miles on crutches.
Harrison suffered from a heart attack on Dec.17, 2017, yet only took a break for four days.
He said was surprised that he had a heart attack because he thought he was healthy. Harrison was grateful that it happened while he was going through a town near Reno, Nevada. Thankfully, there was a small hospital in the area.
From the hospital, he was flown by helicopter to Reno where a medical team worked to operate a complete blockage in his left artery. Before this happened, he had already walked 11,000 miles without a support vehicle.
Harrison set his sights on his goal of 30 miles a day. He also carried two walking poles made out of fiberglass and recycled bottles which he repaired multiple times because he was attacked by dogs.
He said he also mostly slept on the side of the road and culverts under the highway. Harrison ate whatever he could buy on the road because he was traveling light and did not bring food.
Reason Behind His Journey
His decision to do the challenge was set to stone after he found out that it had only been attempted by a British man who completed the walk after six years and a half.
In an interview with Williams Lake Tribune in February, he said that he always enjoyed biking, traveling, and hiking.
To prepare for his monumental expedition, Harrison walked 27 miles per day for more than one year. When asked about how he feels now that he has completed his journey, he told Today that his body feels relieved and that he is happy that it is over. However, he acknowledges that another part of him is going to feel quite sad.
In a Facebook post, Harrison posted that he completed the end of his journey by getting a tattoo of his trek's map from Kenzi, a tattoo artist from Wasilla, Alaska, who saw his story online and contacted him for a commemorative tattoo.
