(Photo by Stina Sieg - KJZZ)

Sebastien Jacques has been walking across America since April. He says one of the best parts of the journey has been the friendliness of people, many of whom have shared their homes - and their stories - with him.

In the last few days, countless people across the country embarked on epic road trips to get a brief, brilliant glimpse of a total solar eclipse. I was one of them, and on my way up to Idaho, I met a stranger whose journey I’ve been thinking about for days.

I was a little north of Page on a desolate stretch of Highway 89 when I spotted him walking up the skinny shoulder. Lean and wearing a bright green T-shirt, he was pushing a stroller with a sign emblazoned with three important words: Walk Across America.

Sebastien Jacques told me he’s been doing exactly that since April, when he left Virginia Beach on foot.

“Yeah, it’s been amazing,” he said, his face shielded from the bright sun by a white cap.

This trip is especially amazing because, not so long ago, Jacques could hardly walk at all. Once a top tennis player in Canada, he became debilitated by a brain tumor. Now, two years after its removal, he said he’s on this adventure to show people what’s possible in life.

“It was really to come and hopefully inspire one or give hope to one person – or just a smile that it’s going to be OK,” he said.

Jacques said when he was going through his recovery, he just took it one day at a time.

“And that’s exactly what I’m doing here,” he said. “People are like, ‘How many miles?’ I don’t know. I just know I’m doing 25 miles today.”

And 25 miles tomorrow, and the day after that. Jacques is hoping to reach Santa Monica next month.

You can follow Sebastien Jacques’ journey on Facebook at @iamsebjacques and on his website at sebastienjacques.com.