After six months out on the Appalachian Trail, Leland McKeeman has made it back to Canada.
The Prince George resident made the epic hike to raise money and awareness for mental health in northern BC.
And while he says it’s great to be back with friends and family, city living is a bit of an adjustment.
“ I had a little bit of culture shock. Driving down the road at 25 clicks per hour felt like I was racing down the highway. It takes a little while to get used to city living again. For the first couple of days off trail I had to sleep in a sleeping bag on the ground. I just couldn’t sleep in a bed.”
He says the hike was pretty rough on footwear.
“Five pairs, in total. The last couple of pairs of shoes had to be held together with dental floss. The last week of the hike, I was out in the middle of nowhere and didn’t have access to a new pair of shoes and I just had to make a go of it so I took out the dental floss and a spare needle and stitched it up.”
All told, McKeeman says he’s raised nearly $30,000 from both Canadian and American donors. The money is going to the Jared Parker Memorial Scholarship Fund, which will finance mental health research at UNBC.
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