One man’s inspiring journey reaches West Tennessee
THREE WAY, Tenn. — One man is embodying the spirit of adventure as he travels thousands of miles across the country on foot.
Many are following his social media as he travels through West Tennessee this week, on a mission to promote his book about self-healing and share images he has captured along the way.
His story may seem simple to some.
“I became homeless after I got out of the Army. I ended up losing everything in a tornado,” Jake Sansing told us.
This lifestyle due to hardships…
“I started walking between towns to look for work, and I was having a hard time finding anyone that would hire me because of that,” Sansing said.
…Now on a journey by choice.
“I was just living outside and I was doing okay. So I decided to just walk across America,” he said.
After four years, Sansing reached his goal of completing a 10,000 mile journey on foot, and writing and publishing a book about his experiences along the way.
The first four years, he carried with him only a backpack. Learning how to hunt, trap and forage for food–a struggle many who are homeless face everyday.
“It was pretty hard back then, just whatever I had to do to survive. I got pretty good at it, over the years. ”
He’s traveled more than 16,000 miles across the country.
Tuesday his journey took him through West Tennessee. And now, a more practical tool to carry his belongings in, and a way for people to recognize him.
“Walking with this, it’s been a whole lot different. People see me, they can look me up. They know who I am. They’ll stop and want to give me some food or whatever. It’s been a lot easier with this. It’s still hard sometimes.”
An Army vet, an author, homeless — but, on a mission to help others.
“Don’t let people put you down to a place where you accept it. You gotta keep pushing, and show them you are worth it.”
And the story doesn’t end here.
“I do plan on writing another book, but I have to wait until I know when the ending is. That’s just how I work. As far as being an author goes, I don’t know what the ending is going to be. I’ll just know it when it happens,” said Sansing.
Sansing is now headed south through Mississippi and Alabama, and then to the East Coast.
He makes a living through his book sales and photography. To learn more about his journey or to purchase some of his work, click here.
For more local news, click here.
