KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Anton Nootenboom is walking barefoot from Los Angeles to New York City to bring awareness to men’s mental health, an issue he’s dealt with personally.
You’ve heard of the Flying Dutchman, but what about the Barefoot Dutchman?
“If you start walking barefoot, you have like a million radars all of a sudden added to your brain because I see everything laying on the ground,” Nootenboom said.
He started his cross country journey in February in L.A. Now he’s made it to the heartland.
“The Mojave Desert was challenging. Like going over the Rocky Mountains into the snow, really cold,” he said.
He’ll take a quick break during the day when the heat makes walking dangerous. But one step at a time, his goal is to get to NYC and you guest it, barefoot.
“These days, you’re going to have to come up with something out of the ordinary and challenging to get people’s attention, but most importantly to keep people’s attention,” he said.
His sole purpose, to raise awareness and funds for men’s mental health. Something the Army veteran has dealt with personally. It’s on this journey that he’s heard from others experiences with mental health, including a story from a Marine.
“He told me the stories he went through, that he is still here on this planet is a miracle and he now uses that as a power to create a change in his community for veterans,” Nootenboom said.
Change that Nootenboom hopes to inspire, with proceeds raised going towards organizations that help suicide prevention and by creating a safe space.
“I just want people to know that your story holds power to save a life,” he said.
Because you never know what someone is going through without walking a mile in their shoes. Even if they aren’t wearing any.
The next stop, St. Louis.
The Barefoot Dutchman walks an average of 12 miles a day. At the end of his journey, he will have walked a total of 3,200 miles. This could also break a Guinness World Record.
