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By Charlotte Hopkins

Allen Norris, a young man from Clairton, shocked friends and family last year when one day he started walking out of town and kept walking, across the country, all the way to the state of California. Norris explained, “The reason for the first journey was to encourage myself to make the best of life.”

Allen Norris left Clairton in October to walk all the way to Florida. He arrived on February 2.

This past October he decided to embark on yet another quest, with Florida as his destination.

He first walked to New York where, unfortunately, his phone was stolen. This delayed his journey for almost a month until he was able to get a new one. With his new phone in hand, he started out once more for Florida. He went through several footwear changes. Norris stated, “My boots got ruined from the inside due to rain, my shoes got lost, and I ended up walking it out in sandals.”

When Norris decided to walk to California it was to push himself to always make the best of any situation and to share that same feeling with others. He went on to say, “I do it to encourage others to make the best of life. I want to be a physical representation that you can do anything you put your mind to.”

Norris expressed the most memorable parts of his trips were the countless people he met along the way and how great it felt to achieve his goal. “I learned that there is no difference between dreams and reality,” he said, continuing, “If you can see it in your mind, you can hold it in your hand. Life is one big moment to be made.”

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