ST. IGNACE, Mich. — Woody has walked here. Woody has walked there.
Woody has walked just about everywhere, including the Mackinac Bridge on Labor Day, where he began a 2,000-mile solo journey across the country, raising money for mental health causes along the route.
The Lansing man (whose full name is Woody Ellis) plans to cross the Upper Peninsula in the coming weeks before heading down through the Midwest and into the South, stopping wherever he makes "connections." Then, he'll turn west, continuing a journey that will likely last a full year, possibly two.
"I’ve just always had that soul, the inquisitive, wandering soul, sort of a vagabond," Ellis told FOX 17 in a Zoom interview. "I need to travel, explore."
Months away from family, friends and a steady job can be a burden to bear. "I always feel a little guilty," Ellis said.
This time, he's adding a half dozen nonprofits to his well-packed walking trailer, which arrived in St. Ignace on Monday. Ellis wants to "initially" raise $1,000 for six mental health causes.
"The older I get, the more struggle I see in people and illnesses," Ellis said. “I just wanted it to be about something bigger than just traveling this time."
In 2016, Ellis took a 60-hour train ride from Chicago to British Columbia and lived on a wharf moored to an island off the coast of the Canadian province. He learned to scuba dive. Then he booked a flight to Hawaii, then Japan. He crissed and crossed through Asia and Europe.
"I hate how everything costs so much money. People are working to live or living to work," Ellis said. "I just feel like there's got to be a better way."
WATCH: Ellis summits Mount Toubkal in Morocco as part of a three-year solo trip
When savings run low (and they do), people like Ellis depend on strangers for meals to eat or pillows upon which to lay their heads. Networks like WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) and Help X connect them to farmers, hostels and other people willing to offer food or shelter in exchange for part-time work.
Shortly after Ellis crossed over into St. Ignace on Labor Day, he found people willing to help. A woman bought him a meal; another let him stay at a vacant lake house. A campground donated another night. A motel offered three more. "Overwhelming kindness, because of the nature of the project."
If Ellis can't find a bed, though, he's "prepared to camp anywhere" and risk the consequences. "I think it's a pretty harmless law to break and I'm a very big proponent of leaving no trace," he said.
The wandering way of life has taught Woody a lot about humanity. Strip away the daily grind, the distractions and doomscrolling, he says, and most people are decent, generous.
"Meeting with people face-to-face, having face-to-face conversations, tells you more about a person than any online opinion or political conversation could ever teach you," Ellis said.
If you'd like to subscribe to the Woody Walks newsletter, support him or his charities, or buy a Woody Walks T-shirt, click here. Ellis also plans to hold raffles for donated camping gear and LEGO sets built by him. He's also looking for people along his route to host him.
Ellis will posts updates to his travels on his Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Select photos and video provided courtesy of Woody Ellis.
