Athens, Texas is about an hour's drive east of Dallas, but that's not how Isaiah Shields got there.
"I've traveled 5,000 miles and haven't spent a dime on gas," Shields said.
Shields is walking across America. Athens was day 248 of walking.
"This is my eighth pair," Shields said pointing to his shoes.
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Shields left a job in corporate finance, yearning for adventure and experiences.
"That's been very worthwhile, despite the fact that it doesn't pay," Shields said.
Shields is spending his savings and few donations he gets to travel across the country on foot, pushing a cart with essential belongings like a tent, solar battery charger, and water.
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"You've grown up in one state, and you've lived in one house, and you go to the same job for years and years, and it's really easy to feel like you understand the world," Shields said. "It's the difference between knowing that war is a terrible thing to go through and having been a soldier on a battlefield, or the difference between knowing that a marathon is hard to run and being on mile 24. You know it in your head, but unless you've done it, you don't really know it in your heart."
Shields said he's learned things about himself on the road.
"Every large task that seems insurmountable can be broken down into stuff that is quite easily accomplishable," Shields said.
Shields is documenting his travels on social media and his 'You Do You' YouTube channel with posts that highlight the places he's been and people he's encountered along the way.
"The greatest takeaway from this whole thing has been that.... there are good people everywhere," Shields said.
His goal is to reach a lighthouse on the easternmost point of Maine.
"I don't really have a thing that's gonna make me feel like I'm done," Shields said. "It's the process that I'm doing every day that makes me happy."
