In June of 2014, Leo Jenkins and I took off from Denver with nothing but backpacks and one hundred dollars. We had a twenty-one-day time cap to get as far as possible, by any means necessary. What for? To raise awareness for veterans transition issues and money for GallantFew, Inc. (which assists transitioning veterans). Many of you may have heard of this already, but below are some of the top pictures of the trip. Oh, and we made an award-winning documentary about the trip that you can watch here!
Leo in a fierce debate with one of the extremely generous supporters of our trip who was putting us up for the night in Indiana.
Leo and I on the final foot movement up into the Italian/Slovenian border. We moved 13 miles on no sleep (and immediately following a 14 miler a few hours prior) and 1,400 feet of elevation gain.
Leo moving through a small fishing village on the Denmark coast.
Leo and I the morning after the conclusion of the trip on the Italian/Slovenian border. Even though we got some sleep, we were still feeling the toll of the 21 day trip.
Leo working the beer tent at the Mid Summers Festival in Denmark. The locals were very supportive of our cause, and donated generously.
Leo relaxing in a park shortly after we made it in to Bergen, Norway. The small coastal town was beautiful, as were the people in it.
Marty and Leo on the David Webb Show in New York City.
Leo and I taking a selfie on the locomotive we hopped in Kansas.
Leo in the hide site waiting for the train to come in rural Kansas.
Leo immediately after jumping off a moving train.
You can watch the documentary about this trip on Amazon Video On Demand, and be sure to check out Leo’s book First Train Out Of Denver to read about the trip in even greater detail!
Also, if you are looking to donate to a reputable Veteran focused non-profit donate to GallantFew, Inc.
Marty Skovlund, Jr. is a veteran of the 1st Ranger Battalion and Syracuse Recruiting Battalion, a former small business owner, the author of Violence of Action: The Untold Stories of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the War on Terror (Blackside Publishing) as well as Ranger Knowledge: The Complete Study Guide (St. Martins Press). He is also the executive producer of the award-winning documentary Nomadic Veterans, and the award winning short-narrative Prisoner of War. He is currently working on his third book as well as pursuing a career in film and television.
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