Mike Posner, Trinity ‘09, was 1,632 miles into his walk across the United States when a baby rattlesnake bit him Aug. 7.
After receiving an antidote and resting for a few days, he aims to resume the journey he had been planning for years. The Grammy-nominated artist started his almost 3,000-mile walk in April 2019 from Asbury Park, N.J., and had been releasing a song in each state, according to CNN. For example, his song “Prince Akeem” featuring Wiz Khalifa, was released just days before the snake bite.
At the time of the bite, Posner was more than 100 days into his trek across the United States. His daily goal of walking 24 miles was cut short at the 16-mile mark when he was airlifted to a nearby hospital to receive an antivenom treatment.
On Instagram, he expressed his gratitude for the attentiveness of his team and hospital staff.
“I’ll be here a few days and will not be able to walk for several weeks but enjoying the AC and the nice bed, haven’t had those in a while Hahahaha! Can’t wait to get back on The Walk!” Posner wrote on Instagram.
At Duke, Posner was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity and was involved with Small Town Records. The sociology major returned to Duke along with his friend Big Sean to perform at the LDOC concert in 2009.
Posner has received many accolades for his career as a songwriter and singer, such as a 2016 Grammy nomination for “I Took a Pill in Ibiza” and being named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list for music in 2017.
He had intended to do the walk for years, but the deaths of both his father and his friend and fellow musical artist Avicii motivated him to concentrate on the journey, Posner told Billboard the month he began his trek. Before he embarked on his journey, he set introspective goals, desiring to discover “how to be in love with where I am right now.”
"I don't feel like I'm walking to show people who I am. I'm walking to find out who I'll become,” Posner told Billboard.
Since his stay at the hospital, Posner has made strides to focus on his return to his journey. He has been able to walk without his walker, and traveled 3.6 miles Aug. 20.
Posner did not respond to requests for comment through Facebook and Instagram.
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Stefanie Pousoulides is The Chronicle's Investigations Editor. A senior from Akron, Ohio, Stefanie is double majoring in political science and international comparative studies and serves as a Senior Editor of The Muse Magazine, Duke's feminist magazine. She is also a former co-Editor-in-Chief of The Muse Magazine and a former reporting intern at PolitiFact in Washington, D.C.