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Hiker hopes to inspire others

Leland McKeeman will soon lace up his hiking boots and begin a 2,190 mile journey that thousands have attempted but far fewer achieve.

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Leland McKeeman soon will lace up his hiking boots and begin a 2,190-mile journey that thousands have attempted but far fewer achieve.

The Rochester native plans to hike the entire Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. That might sound daunting, but McKeeman is no stranger to adversity. In 2009, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after suffering for years.

"I knew something was wrong," he said, "but when you are at the stage when you are not diagnosed, you sometimes wonder if it's all in your head. Am I making it all up?"

Seven years later, McKeeman has made it through those tough times. Now, the 2008 Mayo High School graduate is looking to give back by raising money for mental health research with each step he takes on the trail. He also wants to share his story to help others.

"Part of what I want to show with this is that things get better. I've been so down or so up that you don't see how it can get better. Once you get in that dark of a place, it's hard to really come out of it. So, I hope it may inspire people to keep living and to acknowledge that they are having a hard time," he said.

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There will be fundraiser on Saturday night to support McKeeman's effort, which he is calling "Footsteps for Mental Health." It starts at 6 p.m. at First Unitarian Universalist Church in Rochester and will feature live music from the Nodding Wild Onions, a light supper and an Appalachian Trail trivia contest. All money raised will go to the nonprofit HIKE for Mental Health . That organization sends 80 percent of donations it receives to the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation and the remaining 20 percent to support preservation of wilderness trails.

McKeeman got his first taste of hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2009. He and a friend spent four months hiking the trail in New England the summer after his freshman year in college. He was struggling and had not yet been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

"My issues with mental health started in high school, for the most part. So when I went to college, it just kind of got worse. More stress, using drugs and alcohol and stuff like that," he said.

In November 2009, everything came to a head. He got sick with swine flu, fell into a deep depression and felt like ending his life. He returned home to Rochester and sought treatment at Mayo Clinic. That's when he received his diagnosis.

McKeeman graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2012 and has been working as a forester in Prince George, British Columbia. Last spring, McKeeman started thinking about finishing what he and his friend had started so many years earlier on the Appalachian Trail.

"I felt like I should finish what I started but also mark what I went through in the time between. It just felt right," he said.

Phil Wheeler is a good friend of McKeeman, having known the avid outdoorsman nearly all his life. He said he is not surprised that McKeeman would take on such a challenge.

"He is obviously a determined guy. This is a daunting prospect to walk 2,189 miles, but we've got every confidence that he'll make it," Wheeler said.

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Wheeler, who is a member of the Nodding Wild Onions, said the band will perform a new song at the upcoming fundraiser in McKeeman's honor.

Also planning to attend the fundraiser is Mayo Clinic Dr. Paul Croarkin, an assistant professor of child and adolescent psychiatry. Croarkin said he has received grants from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. He said those dollars help fill a critical gap in funding for mental health research. He said he is inspired by McKeeman's actions.

"What he's doing is tremendous in that we as physicians, we're always glad to see that people can make these positive steps forward and be comfortable telling their story and let others know there is hope, there are options. I really respect what he is doing," Croarkin said.

McKeeman will set off on his hiking adventure on March 17. In the meantime, he said he'll be doing some training walking around town wearing a backpack. He'll also continue sharing his story.

"The support I've had is pretty amazing," he said. "I've had so many people come forward and say how much it means to them. And I also hear about their mental health stories, as well as people who have mothers, sisters, brothers, father who are going through it as well."

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