Walking "1000 miles to Start"!

"That's completely crazy!"; "You can't do that!"; "How are you possibly going to do that?"; or my favorite: "Ha ha ha! Yeah right!" I've heard these and many more when I've told people of my plans. What plans you ask? My name is Joshua Marshall, 37 years old, veteran and artist, and I am packing up a backpack and road marching 1000 miles (1350 to be more accurate) to New York City, from my current home in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, in order to finally live my life and pursue my dreams of a career in photography! "Yep, it's crazy!"; "I won't know if I can do it until I try."; and to those that laugh, well I say: "Just watch me!" (downtown Fort Atkinson, WI) (funny, Google maps has some unrealistic idea of how quickly the average person can walk...) About ten years ago, I got a wild idea: I wanted to live in New York City; it was just a pipe dream at that time. Then, six years ago I met, and to be honest fell madly in love with an amazing woman. She was a dancer/choreographer/director on and off Broadway, working on a musical in Fort Atkinson. She lived in New York, and shortly after we met she suggested I move to New York to pursue my dreams and a career in the arts. This reminded me of my dream from years prior, and I promised her I would. I worked hard for many years to be able to do just that, but time after time, just as I thought I could grasp my dreams, I would stumble in life and be further from attaining them. She moved on with her life, but the promise I made to her and my dreams remain, and now it's time I make good on both of them! Now I could easily get a plane ticket, bus ticket, hitch a ride from a friend, or any number of ways to get to New York that wouldn't be nearly as extreme, but where's the fun; where's the adventure; where's the challenge; where's the possible danger; and where's the living? I'll admit I'm not as spry as I once was, and my military conditioning won't do me as much good as when I was younger, but I'm still aware of the challenges and risks that I might come across, and am certain I can overcome them as they arise. I realize an adventure like this is quite selfish, after all my main motivation is to move to New York, but I believe I can still do some good along the way. I have contacted various Veteran's organizations in order to setup fundraising events at cities I plan on stopping at, and 1/3 of the funds will go towards recouping the cost of the trip, 1/3 will go towards Mission 22, an organization dedicated to fighting veteran suicide, and 1/3 will be donated to DV Farm, in Gilsum, NH, to aid in veteran addiction treatments. (yep, it's as heavy as it is big looking, but it's my workhorse!) All along the trip my trusty companions will be my Mamiya RZ67 medium format camera, and two Lomography instant cameras (after all, it would be silly to chase my dreams of a career in photography without my camera!), to document every leg of the adventure. Throughout the two and half month long (maybe longer) trip, I will also be updating an adventure blog (soon to be setup) with pictures, stories, and insights into my adventure. On top of that I'll also be taking a notebook and keep a journal of the trip. Who knows, maybe afterwards I'll decide to publish a coffee table book of my odyssey. I've plotted my route, over the next eight months I will gather the gear I need, work to condition my body to take on such an endeavour as this, and prepaid myself mentally and emotionally for what lies ahead. I would be honored if you "came" along and helped me out! Thank you!