Walking became a way to restore true calm in Anthony’s life and ironically became a saving grace in his battle with PTSD after the war. “I thought, ‘if walking can help me, why not walk and help others too?’” So, after honorably serving in the military for more than two decades and making a career for himself with the USDA Forestry Service, Anthony made himself a promise - if after his retirement his health and finances would allow for it, he would complete the Walk Across America event that spans a whopping 3,307 miles coast to coast (Maine to California). When retirement came, Anthony felt like his affairs were in order, and with that, he decided it was time to hit the road. In 2015, he set out to complete the first walk in support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He accomplished his goal walking over 3,000 miles in eight months, April to December. With nothing more than a 3-wheeled bicycle cart, Roddy became a symbol of grit and determination moving from town to town - a testament to one man’s quiet defiance of limitation. Logging up to eight hours per day on the soles of his shoes, Roddy confesses there were moments when he had to dig deep to carry on. “Every time I would think about quitting, my ‘struggle’ to watch for cars, my ‘struggle’ to try and stay vigilant - to keep myself safe, I would think about all of the children out there who are struggling too - and that is what kept me going. I know they can’t quit and I wasn’t going to quit either.” Now embarking on his second country-wide trek across the Appalachian Trail, he is walking to support ‘Autism Speaks.’ More than one-thousand miles in (as of this writing), Anthony has already endured battering rainstorms, navigated jagged mountain sides and scaled towering cliff-top elevations, fighting off rattlesnakes with nothing more than a tracking pole, and braving bone-chilling temperatures – all for a great cause. Each step has tested the limits of his endurance - both physically and spiritually - yet he walks on, driven by love, legacy, and the unshakable belief that purpose doesn’t retire - it rises. This time around, Anthony traded in the cart, replacing it with a rucksack that, without water, weighs anywhere between 35-40 lbs. “I had to do a little upper body training for this trip,” he confesses. Now out on the Appalachian Trail, far from the glow of screens and the hum of modern-day chaos, Anthony finds what so many are still searching for; the truth that peace isn’t something you stumble across - it’s something you choose. His journey began in March of this year in Georgia, and will extend more than 2,000 miles back up the Eastern United States to Maine. 8 JULY 2025 | INTHEVUE.COM Legacy Appalachian Trail The length is approximately 2,198 miles (varies slightly each year due to rerouting).
