Seven and a half months ago, Matt and Grace Grooms touched their feet to the ground in Calais, Maine. On Monday, those same feet reached Key West’s Southernmost Point Buoy, completing a journey of more than 3,000 miles down the East Coast Greenway. No cars. No bikes. Just walking.
For the couple and their two four-legged companions, Nemo and Foxy, however, the journey that began April 20 wasn’t even the first time they’d walked across the country. While COVID-19 ravaged the U.S. in 2020, Matt and Grace were treading a west-to-east path from Huntington Beach, California to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Apart from an epic achievement that stands on its own, their second “Walk Across America” is all about raising funds for Elevate Youth, a Boston nonprofit dedicated to empowering underserved kids to explore the outdoors with mentors. With a goal of raising $100,000, the Grooms’ efforts were rewarded in full as they reached their mark on Dec. 9, just two days before making their final trek. By Dec. 12, their total sat just north of $105,000, with donations still rolling in.
The Keys Weekly was fortunate enough to catch up with Matt and Grace for lunch – and a few steps – as they stopped at Marathon’s Irie Island Eats on Dec. 7. We can assure our readers – with this pair, what you see on social media is truly what you get, as we were inspired by their energy and warmth on the final leg of a journey that would leave most utterly exhausted. Here’s what we learned:
Why Elevate Youth?
M&G: We liked them because it’s not just like picking the kids up one time for a summer camp. A lot of the kids have been there two or three years, and you can really tell. We wanted to help a nonprofit that helps kids get outdoors, because the outdoors is so important to us.
You’ve already walked across America once. Why do it again?
M&G: When we did the first walk, it was for the nonprofit Time in a Bottle. Then our social media took off, so we decided, okay, we want to keep going on adventures, but also help out different small nonprofits. We weren’t planning on doing a second walk, but we found out about the East Coast Greenway, and that was already mapped out.
How many miles per day are you averaging?
M&G: 15 to 20. Our longest day was 33 miles into New York City, and we typically take an off day every 100 miles to catch up on work and let the dogs rest.
We’re told the story of how you met is pretty cool. Tell us about it!
Matt: We met at our best friends’ wedding. I was the best man, and Grace was the maid of honor, but we were both dating other people. I knew right away that the girl I was with wasn’t meant for me, but she was coming to the wedding anyway. I thought Grace was pretty cool, but I wasn’t overstepping boundaries. I broke up with my girlfriend the day after the wedding, and I was praying to God, “Hey, give me a sign Grace is thinking about me.” The next day, she was like “I hope you made it home safe.” I said, “Hey. I wrote you some letters and some poems, and I really need to come convince you that we’re meant to be together.” She broke up with her boyfriend and I flew to Iowa. We met in August 2019, and she moved to California with me in October.
Where did the idea for the first “Walk Across America” come from?
Matt: I read the book “To Shake the Sleeping Self” by Jedidiah Jenkins. He talked about his parents, who had walked across America and National Geographic documented it. Before I was going to work one day at 7 in the morning, I was like, “Hey, would you want to walk across America?” Grace said, “Well, I’m gonna have to think about that.” I got home, and she had a whole notepad filled out with videos and things she’d watched. We said “All right, let’s sell our stuff, and when our lease is up, let’s do it.”
There’s a big difference between being inspired, and actually going out and doing something like this walk. What is it about you two that pushed you to this?
M&G: We’re both kind of free-spirited, and if we decide we want to do something, we’re just doing it. We’re both like that individually, which made it easier.
Let’s talk about life on the road. How do you decide where to sleep?
M&G: On our first walk, it was a lot more stealth camping, because it was much more rural. This time we’ve really relied on social media. Before the walk, we did a post saying “Would you let two strangers sleep in your backyard?” We got about 400 addresses down the east coast.
Do you have any self-imposed “rules” for your walk?
M&G: The only rule we have is that we have to connect the whole path. If someone offers for us to stay but says “Hey, I live 10 miles off the path,” we’ll say yes, but we need you to drop us off exactly where we left off.
What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen on the road?
Grace: In Maine, we were walking down the road and someone was coming towards us with a stroller. We wondered if she was doing the same kind of thing as us, but she had strapped a cage to her stroller and there was a parrot in it. We weren’t totally in the middle of nowhere, but kind of. There wasn’t a lot out there.
Any sketchy experiences or moments you felt unsafe?
M&G: People always ask us this, but nothing really. We’ve had some close calls with cars, but we’ve had no bad experiences with people, and it’s going to be close to 6,000 miles of walking in 25 states. Even in cities where people have said to be really careful, we say good morning and everyone’s been super friendly.
You spend so much time together, and we can see the amazing relationship you have. But be honest … are there days when you’re sick of each other?
M&G: We always talk, but there are some days that we’re dragging a little more than others. We don’t really get mad at each other, but sometimes we just get so overstimulated because we’re just trying to go, go, go. The only time we ever really bicker with each other is if we’re hungry.
How far ahead do you plan?
M&G: We usually plan no more than a week at a time, because you don’t want to be bogged down with having to be somewhere on a certain day. We’ll do a Facebook post seeing if we have anyone in the few spots ahead.
Have you dealt with any injuries on a 3,000-mile trip?
Grace: Not really. Although I did get sick in Massachusetts one time. I just woke up in the morning and wasn’t feeling good, and I started throwing up. We kept walking and I kept throwing up on the side of the road over and over again. We got to a trail and needed to go another 13 miles to get to a motel room, and I didn’t know if I could go any further. We posted on Facebook that I was sick, and within 15 minutes there was someone on their way to pick us up.
What are the most “walkable” states?
M&G: Florida and Connecticut.
What are your favorite states?
M&G: It’s hard to pinpoint a spot. We really liked Georgia, and northern Florida is similar to that vibe.
With such a large social media following, are companies trying to partner with you on these walks?
M&G: We reached out to some beforehand just for some gear. But during the walk, honestly, we can barely keep up with anything like that. We learned how to handle the social media attention from our last walk, which made the balance much better this time. We want to be present with our walking.
Curious about Matt and Grace’s journey? Learn more and donate to Elevate Youth at theggoldenroad.org.
