Man walks distance of world without leaving Fountain

A 75-year-old Fountain man finally reached his goal this week. He said he walked around the world without ever leaving Fountain.

“There are a lot of people that know me by name and I have no idea who they are. I wave to about 300 cars a day,” said Gary Baker.

Neighbors and even strangers simply call him the “Walking Man.”

“Everybody who drives by is beeping and honking. He’s waving to everybody. Everybody knows who he is,” a Fountain resident told KRDO.

“I have finally reach 24,902 miles which is the distance around the world,” said Baker.

When Baker first began his walks in Fountain more than 21 years ago, he had no intention of setting this goal.

Baker said self- discipline and even strangers have kept him going.

Now that Baker has reached his goal, he doesn’t plan on walking as far every day. However, he’ll still go on morning walks.

Baker’s new goal is walking 80 miles every month until he turns 80 years old.