Hello I'm Bernie McDonald from Columbia, Missouri. I teach yoga and have a deep passion for walking. I’m working towards a goal of walking 100 miles in every US state; passing through towns, parks and down open roads. I stop in at yoga studios to take or teach classes along my travels, take tons of pictures and will be writing a book.

In 2013, I attempted to walk across the country beginning from Portland, Maine. I walked 800 miles to Richmond, Virginia before halting due to injury. While resting and recovering, I formulated a new hybrid plan of attack: 100 miles of walking per state, using train or bus to cover the remaining distances and going to all 50 states. In 2016, I used my hybrid travel method to cover 10 states consecutively; spanning from North Carolina to Washington state to quench my original desire of traveling coast to coast. I conquered 20 more states before the pandemic and my latest travels across 15 states with my wife Tori now bring me to all 50 states completed (see on-going map).

My motivation for this project has always been to learn. The experiences over the course of my travels have dramatically deepened my understanding of American life, the applications of yoga and the state of our natural world. I aspire to take on a role supporting the design of walkable communities that create a healthy local business climate while maintaining natural surroundings.

Inspiration for this project comes from:

Beautiful Lake Annecy in France; where I discovered I could walk all day

The supportive community of Portland, Maine with special thanks to my former employer Scratch Baking Co

This American Life Episode 494 featuring the amazing Andrew Forsthoefel's walk across the country

The Perennial Plate food adventure series from Daniel Klein and Mirra Fine

Terry Fox and his Marathon of Hope run across Canada

Photographer Matt Black and his Geography of Poverty project

My number one hype person, my wife, Tori McDonald:)