Hike of a lifetime

Having hiked roughly 6,000 miles over the past six months, Ray Goodman, a 38-year-old man from Philadelphia, is attempting to log 13,000 miles in a truly incredible journey that will take him back and forth across the United States.

At some point during those first 6,000 miles, the last several hundred of which have been spent in Utah, Goodman came to a bone-chilling conclusion: There's probably at least a 30 percent chance that he'll be killed before he finishes in Everglades National Park next July.

"Coming as far as I have, I am sure there is no way that I will not dance with death several more times before this journey is over. It's a virtual certainty, especially this winter," says Goodman, whose biggest fear is dying of starvation, followed by being run over by a car, followed by being killed by a wild animal.

"I was and am prepared for it and take every possible precaution I can to reduce the likelihood. But in a weak moment, when I may be tired, cold or hungry (or all three), I will make a mistake that may end it all. It's just that simple."

So what could possibly motivate someone to do what Goodman is doing? He's doing it for a cause he believes in.

Goodman, who will shatter what's believed to be the American record for the longest continuous hike if he's successful, has undertaken the daunting journey because he wanted to, in his own words, "cleanse" himself from his former life as a judgment enforcement officer while promoting awareness for the environment and the Sierra Club.

In his former life, Goodman was widely known as the Grim Reaper.

Holding the title of a "judgment enforcement officer," Goodman spent his days seizing the assets of people who had had legal judgments issued against them.

"In essence," says Goodman, "my job was to take from the poor."

Over time, Goodman says it became increasingly difficult to reconcile his professional life with his Christian beliefs.

At a Bible study last February, Goodman read Mark 10:17-31, which tells the story of a rich man who was instructed by Jesus to give away all of his possessions.

Goodman took those words to heart — literally.

"I decided to take Jesus at his word and gave everything I owned to the poor," he says. "I cashed in my 401(k), all my stocks, bank accounts, house, cars, trucks and boats. Gave it all to the poor. It was without a doubt the most difficult and freeing decision of my life."

After making that decision and subsequently giving away everything, Goodman decided to undertake the unbelievable journey of hiking continuously back and forth across the United States.