Ellis started his journey on Sept. 2 at the Mackinac Bridge, heading north towards the top of the Upper Peninsula, and then will head west into Wisconsin and possibly south towards Louisville, Kentucky or Canada. He’s not too worried about the exact schedule, as he said this trip has the “opposite of a locked-down itinerary.”

Ellis is working with six different mental health organizations, including ones focused on schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s and other mental illnesses. He has a goal to raise at least $1,000 for each of the organizations throughout his trek.

Choosing mental health organizations seemed like an obvious choice for Ellis, mainly due to a history of mental illness among his family and friends — dementia, schizophrenia, suicide and depression. He also wants to combat the negative connotations of mental illness. 

“There seems to be a negative view of mental illness, and people are kind of ashamed and they don’t want to talk about it,” Ellis said. “I think it makes it worse for people who are going through stuff, so I want to combat that whole stigma and let people know they’re not alone.”

Ellis said that since getting older, he’s dealt with more loss and heartache, which has also affected his commitment to going on long hiking trips. While traveling solo, what comes with it is "a bit of guilt” from leaving family and friends.

“The desire to leave and travel is because family members got diagnosed with things and friends and family,” Ellis said. “I’ve just seen a lot of mental illness in the last few years, so I was trying to think of a way I could still explore and follow passions, but also do some good, especially for some specific causes that are affecting my family.”

The trek started at the Mackinac Bridge, something that has always mesmerized Ellis. Traditionally, hikers wear backpacks carrying all belongings, but not Ellis. Because of a past injury, Ellis will utilize a HipStar trailer, a travel cart, to take almost all the weight off his back. His luggage contains a sleeping bag, hammock, pillow and gear that is either sustainable, recyclable or biodegradable. 

This hike is not Ellis’ first — he’s traveled to Morocco, Taiwan, British Columbia, Tokyo, England, Turkey and other countries and territories. In the years he’s traveled, Ellis has accumulated a handful of experiences with locals and strangers, all part of the adventure.

“I really like to interact with locals and strangers — that’s the most important thing to me about traveling. I used to travel all the time without even having a cell phone,” Ellis said. “(One time) I ate dinner with 12 new friends and strangers who were all family. We just sat around cracking up and teaching each other words. That’s a big reason I like to get out there and walk: you see more and experience more connections.”

Throughout the journey, Ellis plans on completing tasks in exchange for help in the different cities he travels to. For example, on a past trip, he prepared dinner in a stranger’s home in exchange for a couple of trees to hang his hammock on. Other things he said he’s done — or could see himself doing — include “helping out on a farm” and “washing dishes at a restaurant for a day.”

Because Ellis prioritizes these experiences with strangers, his itinerary is open and can change pretty easily.

“I really want to be open to experiencing connections with strangers along the way, and if I have a strict itinerary, that means I don’t have the leniency to go any direction at any given time or say yes to experiences at any given time,” Ellis said. “I want to share stories, share laughter and share meals. I think eating a meal with someone is one of the most profound ways you can connect, especially if they’re people you don’t know.”

Interacting with locals and creating new experiences is not the only goal Ellis has, however. Mainly, he wants to have self-preservation, follow his dreams and passions and “keep myself happy and stand on my view on life and what I deem important” — achieving all this by stepping out of his comfort zone and “seeing what’s out there in the world.”

Additionally, an ambitious goal Ellis has is to complete the entire hiking journey as sustainably as possible; he’s adopted a “leave no trace” mantra.

Overall, Ellis said he’s extremely excited about this journey, and although this trip will take over two years to complete, he is ready for more challenges ahead.

“This is probably the first and smallest of many (journeys) to come,” Ellis said. “This is just the beginning.”

You can follow his hike, donate to the organizations and more on his website.