We’re Blown Away By Today’s Featured Instagrammer Jedidiah Jenkins, The Great Explorer

There’s something to be said about a man who appreciates Jack Kerouac’s On the Road.

Jedidiah Jenkins is one of those men and we’ve a lot to say about him. After all, when a man sets forth on a 17 month, 7,000 mile journey by bike—let me repeat that: By bike!—from Florence, Ore. to Patagonia… can you honestly expect little to be said?

Jenkins, who is named after American hero, explorer Jedidiah Smith, lives up to his name and has, without a doubt, become an inspiration for many. It’s one thing to dream about leaving your job and going on a life-changing expedition, it’s another to actually do it. To believe that you owe yourself that much. Time is precious, people!

Jenkins who has been on the road for 11 months now, has been documenting his trip for the world via Instagram and Tumblr. He has amassed over 39k followers on Instagram alone and it’s not hard to understand why.

He doesn’t just have an inspirational story to share. Many have those. It’s the way he shares it that makes all the difference.

From well-composed landscape photographs to the apparent joy he brings to his friends’ lives to his sketches and scribbles… the man can do no wrong. The minute you enter his Instagram, you are met with not only the most ethereal landscape photos but also photos of an inspiring man and his friends who are all calling for you to do the same.

The main reason behind Jenkins’s trip is for him to be able to write a book, which he says will be “Equal parts John Steinbeck, Into the Wild, Anne Lammott, On the Road and Donald Miller.” He actually calls his upcoming work “a sequel” as his parents, Peter and Barbara Jenkins have also written a book documenting their travels—they walked it!—across America in the 70s. The title of their book, The Walk West: A Walk Across America, has also inspired thousands.

It’s probably safe to say that Jenkins has made them proud not just for doing what he does, but more so because even funds ran low, he never once considered that giving up was an option.

It’s like Kerouac said…“There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so just keep on rolling under the stars.”

So Jedidiah, just keep rolling under the stars. You’re doing great work.

And you, what are you waiting for? Head on over to his Instagram and click that follow and if you really like Jedidiah’s story, how about also backing him on Kickstarter?