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NATCHEZ — Liz Altieri, 34, of Boston, Massachusetts, is on a pilgrimage to walk the length of the Mississippi River from its headwaters to the ocean. Having departed on March 31, Altieri arrived in Port Gibson on Friday afternoon and predicts her arrival in Natchez will come on Sunday.

“I’m taking it day by day,” said Altieri. “I don’t know how long it will take me.”

Downtown Karla Brown, who has been fond of walking and has made a few cross-country treks herself, has already made calls with friends who planned for a place for Altieri to stay a few nights in Natchez.

Why did she decide to walk?

“The quick answer is this has been a dream of mine for a long time,” Altieri said. “Underneath everything, the reason is this is what makes me feel alive—walking and going through places I might not otherwise get to if I weren’t moving slowly on my feet, connecting with people along the way. … Before I started, I thought maybe I needed a clear purpose, but I kind of wanted to do this for pleasure and enjoyment. This is what makes me feel alive and brings me joy and that’s enough.”

Altieri said she became inspired by a girl named Annie, whom she met at a potluck 12 years ago. Annie had walked across the country, and Altieri was amazed, she said.

“It stuck with me,” she said. “Years later, I’d decided to walk across Spain.”

Then last spring, she decided it was time to start at home. The only question was where.

“How do you decide? It’s kind of arbitrary which way to go. I like to follow bodies of water, one because you can’t really get lost and two because river towns tend to be rich with culture. … The Mississippi River goes across the whole country and I’d never been anywhere that the Mississippi goes.”

She left Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota on March 31, carrying a jar of water from the headwaters with the goal of carrying it to the ocean.

She also carries her hiking gear.

“I have my tent, a sleeping bag, but there was a snowstorm on the first day and it’s quite hot now, so I have just a sheet and a sleeping pad. Long pants and shirt for sun protection and a goofy hat, a reflective vest because I’m walking on roads, and a change of clothes, a trash bag to help keep my bag dry when it rains, a raincoat and just food and water.”

Altieri said she expected to be walking through rural Mississippi without many encounters and then “roughing it” most nights in her tent. But the opposite has been true.

“What this journey has been about has been the way people have shown up for me,” she said. “I came into this anticipating it would be mostly camping, but stayed with people I’ve met along the way more often than not. Mississippi specifically has been the most surprising. I go one day at a time without really planning ahead, but I will check for areas and make some cold calls to churches and little farms and whatnot and ask if it’s OK to set up my tent. With Mississippi being one of the more rural and remote areas than any of the other states, I was preparing myself to rough it more … but it’s been the complete opposite. People put me up, fed me, showed me around the river with a canoe. … It’s been a string of friends calling friends to let them know I was coming and asking if they have a place for me to stay. Coming into Port Gibson, I haven’t camped a single day here. I’ve experienced curiosity and hospitality beyond my wildest dreams.”

Besides a snowstorm starting out and a possible tornado around Murphysboro, Illinois, weather has been good to Altieri throughout most of her journey, she said.

“For the amount of time I’ve been out here, I’ve been pretty lucky with clear skies,” she said.  In Murphysboro, she said she met someone who let her know there was a tornado and gave her shelter until the storm passed. “It got close enough, I heard the warning sirens and there was hail around golf ball size. I’ve never seen hail that large. … I’m doing this alone but this whole time I have not been alone. My friends and family check on me and give me encouragement … also the people I’ve met along the way and were curious has led to many conversations. I’m open about sharing my phone number and I hear from friends, family and people I’ve met along the way.”