LaMoure man walking east to west across ND for mental health awareness

A man is walking all the way to Montana for self-reflection, one step at a time.

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — 32-year-old David McDonald began his journey right by the Red River in Moorhead and is walking across the entire state, until he reaches Montana.

McDonald had a drug overdose nine years ago and said he found God shortly after hearing about Fargo’s New Life Center.

At this time last year, his father passed away from a heart attack not long after beating cancer.

He says he’s been praying to see his father in his dream and, since then, he’s had one.

McDonald said it felt so real, that he awoke from the bed and saw his dad who seemed disappointed in him.

They embraced each other in the dream, and he woke up.

A week later, while reading a book, McDonald zoned out and began daydreaming, and the idea of a marathon journey spoke to him.

“I am walking. I turn around and I look behind me and I see people as far as I can see. Close to me are people I recognize like my mom, sister and close best friends. The farther I scan out in the crowd, the less I recognize people and I come out of this daydream and I’m like, ‘Really? What do you mean? What was that?,'” McDonald said.

Some are wondering why he is taking this journey and for what cause?

McDonald says it’s not about one particular issue, but it’s about everything he’s been through.

“There’s grief. There’s my dad who died a year ago. This is me breaking out. Homeless awareness, drug addiction and mental health. It’s a message of, you know, down in the gutter, down in holes in life that we all mentally and physically get into and take ownership in our own life in rising up one step at a time,” McDonald said.

He has essentials with him like sleeping bags and water and plans to meet with his family in Western North Dakota.

As he continues this spiritual journey, McDonald emphasizes patience in a zooming world.

“One step at a time. You can overcome any obstacle. It doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter who you think you are, what people have made you to believe you are. You are so much more than what you think you are and you can do it one step at a time,” he said.

McDonald is walking at least thirty to forty miles per day and plans to make it to the Montana border in about two weeks.