Mike departed for the west coast Wednesday and began his four-and-a-half month, 2,663 mile trek Thursday morning in Southern California. His goal is to walk 20 miles the first day, lugging his 52-lb. backpack on his back and shoulders. The first 700 miles of his walk consist of desert terrain and his goal is to finish in the state of Washington in September.

 

Mike’s goal is to raise at least $15,000 and thus far he has reached almost $6,000.

 

Mike posted on his Trail Journals web page that he is started his adventure at a weight of 219-lbs. Tuesday night he only got about an hour-and-a-half of sleep because of his anxiousness and left Wednesday morning at 6 a.m. Central time.

 

“I would like to thank everyone that has wished me well for this journey and I hope to stay healthy to complete this hike,” said Mike the day he left. “There will be a lot of opportunity to talk to people about American Cancer Society and Relay for Life, it is the second most devastating diseases in the world only behind heart disease. We are getting better at treating and closer to finding a cure. Lets all do what we can. Thanks for following, and for the thoughts and prayers.”