Man Visits Maine in His 4-Corner Journey to Raise Awareness for PTSD

Army veteran Eli Smith is going above and beyond to spread awareness for veteran PTSD and suicide. He is on a record-breaking journey across the country, traveling to all four corners of our nation. Eli is walking and cycling over 15,000 miles. He started this journey back in November 2016. A few days ago, he reached his third corner - West Quoddy Head, Maine. Now, he's on his final stretch. The journey in full will have taken him three whole years.

The trip has not been smooth sailing for Eli. His GoFundMe page details some of the adversity he's faced: nearly kidnapped in Texas, nearly killed in San Diego. Robbed at gunpoint, hit by cars, and a frequent target for beer bottles and other dangerous trajectories while on the road. He's gotten lost in the woods, bitten by dogs, and had run-ins with bears. He has slept in the least comfortable of places along the way.

It has been anything but easy, but Eli is very obviously determined to persevere despite his sometimes life-threatening obstacles, all in the name of spreading awareness of veterans' mental health.

You can follow Eli on his homestretch via his facebook page and support his cause at the GoFundMe set up by volunteer Christina Schaffner.