“Some people hear their own inner voice with great clearness, and they live what they hear. Such people become crazy..... or they become legend”

Jim Harrison

I recently read a statement from a coach who said he tells all his students to abandon “belief” or “hope” as the first step in setting goals. He said that he instills practice , proficiency and mastery in the his curriculum, before he introduces the idea of “belief” or “hope.” I quickly chimed in and told him I could not disagree more with that view. In fact it’s my belief, that to accomplish a dream it requires starting with “hope” and/or “belief” first, then we must quickly move to action to see it come into fruition.

Without total “belief” and lots of “hope” I would have never been able to successfully finish my 3,100 mile unsupported walk from the Brooklyn Bridge to the Sundial Bridge in Redding California.

On the morning of April 22nd 2019 I walked off the Brooklyn Bridge in NY and took my first step into the complete unknown and walked for 178 days from the Brooklyn Bridge to the Sundial Bridge in Redding California.

I had absolutely zero prior experience doing anything at all like this. I had never even been on an overnight backpacking trip prior to walking off the Brooklyn bridge that day. So why did I think I was able to embark on such a seemingly impossible endeavor? Because I believed I could!! I believed in every fibre of my being that I could live out my life’s purpose. My purpose of teaching resilience and mindset to those who feel voiceless, powerless, unheard or unseen. So at 46 years of age, I decided I’d walk across America to raise money and awareness for Fight For The Forgotten and their anti-bullying campaign. I gave up my NYC apartment, sold my precious van and all my drums and music equipment, my laptop, all my nicknacks cloths etc.. until all I had was my iPhone and the gear on my back. I got rid of all my worldly possessions to go on my holy pilgrimage and embrace my calling. Along the way I encountered life changing adventures and met a side of my fellow Americans that I never knew existed.

As I left I routed north up to Niagara Falls. Then scaling Lake Erie, down through Erie PA and into Columbus Ohio. I walked for weeks in the Pennsylvania and Ohio rain and thunderstorms. Every ounce of me was soaked to the bone as I walked 10 to 11 hours a day with my 52 lb backpack. The people of Ohio were kind and generous offering food and shelter. I had so many compassionate strangers stop on the side of the road and offer support in any way they could. Tired and drenched I continued west on highway 40 into Indiana.

Here is where I had my first encounter with the Amish. What a fantastic group of people. They continually brought me food and showed me where to post up for the brutal stormy nights. While in Indiana I was caught in a flash flood that took my tent, half my gear, and almost my life. Thankfully I was rescued by locals as they dangerously drove their truck into flash flooding waters and swooped me up.

In the morning those same locals took me into town and bought me all new gear and sent me on down the road. They did this asking for no reciprocity nor to post on social media or for social points.

The storms were pretty bad and the Mississippi was flooding out so my route was being forced to head a bit south to southern Illinois as I planned to cross the river into Missouri. At this point summer time came and the rain mixed with 90 and 100 degree weather. To say I was uncomfortable would be an understatement.

After Missouri I walked into Arkansas where I was amazed by the lush green of the Ozark’s and the seemingly never ending natural springs. What an incredible privilege it was to witness by foot. The locals were as kind as could be in every part of the state I walked through.

After 3 weeks the scenery changed drastically as I entered the great state of Oklahoma. This was my halfway point and this is when my walk started getting real tough. I walked through 108 degree heat for weeks on end. Every town I came into I was met with charming hospital Oklahomans that insisted on feeding me and offering showers and a bed.

One night in the Oklahoma panhandle I pitched my tent on the side of the road across the street from a prison. At 3 o’clock in the morning I was awakened by police telling me to stay in my tent as the prison break alarm sounds. Yes there was an actual prison break as I lay there at night listening to the sirens and search dogs.

All of a sudden my phone goes crazy with a tornado and flash flood warnings coming right at me. My tent filled up with about 3 inches of water and the chaos of the night eventually faded away to the morning sun. I survived and packed up camp and headed out.

I continued my walk through Colorado into Utah through Nevada and finally finishing on October 19 2019 at the Sundial Bridge in Redding California.

I survived falling off of a 40 foot cliff and getting lost in the Shawnee National Forest. I survived waking up being surrounded by Coyotes being woken up by a mountain Lyon, sleeping under bridges during lightning storms, walking with blisters, being hydrated and isolated for weeks at a time. I witnessed the best of humanity and the kindness and compassion of strangers across America throughout this walk.

Even with so many odds stacked against me I prevailed. I never lost hope and I never stopped believing I was going to make accomplish my goal of walking across America. I always think what if I didn’t “believe” or I lost “hope”? What if I put proficiency and mastery in front of taking total action. I would probably be right here right now still “planning” and preparing for my walk. What a shame that would be.