Walk Across America with the MN Crossers

   WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18: THEY MADE IT!

“We made it! Baker Beach, San Francisco. 3600 miles. Eight months.” (And one broken foot.)

The walkers departed Cape Henlopen, Delaware at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, March 3. 

We are beyond proud of the walkers and honored to be a part of this incredible dream. Thank you Linnea Dietrich, Erin Dietrich, Chris Rea, Grant Dietrich, and all the Trail Angels who have fixed flats, offered shelter, treated them to beers and donuts, hosted them at baseball games, and given cheers of encouragment.

Zoom in on the map below to trace their route across the USA.

The MN Crossers Story

Fifteen years ago, Erin Dietrich had a dream: to walk across America. A child and life responsibilities necessitated that the dream be deferred.

The “light never faded” on her dream and she decided that 2021 was the year. Erin works as a hospice volunteer and sees too many people with end of life regrets about roads not taken.

On March 3, Erin, her husband Chris Rea, and her mom Linnea Dietrich embarked on this eight month walk. They will cover over 3,600 miles from March to October beginning in Cape Henlopen, Delaware and ending in Limantour Beach, California. Linnea walked through to Ohio and plans to rejoin the team in October when they reach the eastern edge of California on the final leg to San Francisco.

Along the way, the Crossers have been the beneficiaries of dozens of kind acts from complete strangers: offers to stay in vacation homes, churches, thrift stores, and RVs. Treated to massages, donuts, beers, and even MLB tickets in Kansas City – where they watched the Twins defeat the Royals – and Denver. 

With the desire to bring more energy and purpose to their walk, they went in search of a nonprofit organization to join them in this dream; ABF is deeply honored to be their chosen partner. 

PARTNERING WITH ABF

The Ann Bancroft Foundation was founded to help Minnesota girls achieve their dreams and empowers girls to imagine something bigger and helps them reach their full potential. Erin knows that this is one of the most important thing we can do for girls and as a woman who is now fulfilling her dream, she wants to share the work of ABF along the way and encourage others to make more dreams come true with a donation to ABF and Minnesota girls.