(Shoshoni, WY) – With over 300 miles to go, 71-year-old Bob Linfield was recently in Shoshoni on his mission to walk from Thornton, Colorado to Bozeman, Montana. A nearly 700-mile journey that he is doing in sections.
“Last year, when I turned 70, I thought I gotta do something to celebrate,” Bob explained. “And so my parents grew up in Bozeman, Montana. We have a lot of history up there. We got cabins up there. And actually, there’s a Linfield Hall. My great great grandfather was a dean of agriculture. And you know, things like that. So, I decided, well, I’m gonna walk to Bozeman, Montana. I always wanted to go on a long walk, but I’m a computer scientist, 50 years and retired. I spent my whole life with computers but always wanted to do a long walk. And so now I’m retired. This is the time to do it. Can I do it? I don’t know.”
Bob started this journey in March of 2022, only walking about 40 miles. He then picked up walking again in August and going until December.
The winter was “very tough,” he noted. “The winds and stuff, I froze.”
Fortunately, Bob has done fourteeners in Colorado and has Everest-rated gear, which helped him through the coldest days.
The way he started out walking was unique – he would park his car, walk about 10 miles, then turn around and return to his car.
Now, Bob and his wife Marian are on this adventure together. Marian drives the car ahead and provides support. At the end of each section, they return to their home in Colorado.
Their next section continues through Fremont County – Riverton to Dubois and then up through the Tetons and Yellowstone.
Bob plans to reach his final destination in late August.
One unique thing about Wyoming, he noted, is that over 60 people have stopped to check on him. Something he didn’t experience while walking in Colorado.
“Anyone who really just has that desire to do something, I think they should do it,” Bob said.