GREENFIELD – To passersby he may have looked like any other bearded guy walking the Pennsy Trail on Tuesday, albeit barefoot.
But Anton Nootenboom is a man with a mission.
The 37-year-old Army veteran – known as The Barefoot Dutchman – is on a 3,100-mile-long journey across the United States to shine a light on men’s mental health through his Brave Men Talk Foundation.
On Tuesday, the long-distance walker was spotted on the Pennsy Trail in Greenfield, pushing a dog stroller with to carry a few necessities rather than being weighed down by a backpack. Attached is both a U.S. and Netherlands flag.
Indianapolis marked roughly the three-quarters mark in his cross-country adventure, which started in Los Angeles on Feb. 17 and will end in New York City. The entire trip is expected to take about 240 days.
Nootenboom, who lives in the Netherlands, is no stranger to extreme barefoot adventures.
He was the first person ever known to walk barefoot to the base camp of Mount Everest, and he once set the Guinness World Record for the longest barefoot hike, walking more than 1,800 miles along the east coast of Australia. After someone else broke that record, Nootenboom reclaimed the Guinness World Record when he reached the 2,169-mile point on his current trek in St. Louis on Aug. 13.
His social media followers can watch as Nootenboom walks his way across 13 states, accompanied by his girlfriend Merel and their puppy Oreo, a stray “ball of fluff” they found shortly after the start of the journey.
From Death Valley to the Rocky Mountains to the paved Pennsy Trail, Merel follows along on nearby roads and manages the trip from the couple’s camper van.
They’ve made a number of stops along the way, like the U.S. Nationals drag racing event held in Brownsburg last weekend.
On Wednesday, the Dutch couple chatted with locals as they ate lunch at the Love’s Travel Stop in Knightstown, where Nootenboom grabbed a hot shower before once again hitting the road.
The people he meets have been the best part of the journey, he said, while the most challenging part has been the extreme heat.
Nootenboom was able to avoid the most extreme heat out west by setting out from Santa Monica Beach in Los Angeles in mid-February, although he did contend with some cold and snow.
He often takes a “siesta” during the day to avoid the hottest parts of the day, then resumes walking in the cooler evening hours.
“Out there from Eastern Colorado into Kansas, Illinois and Indiana the heat has been relentless,” said Nootenboom, who admits his feet are paying the price.
“My feet aren’t loving life at the moment,” he joked on Wednesday.
Nootenboom said walking barefoot more than 3,000 miles is worth it to draw awareness to the men’s mental health.
“If I was walking in shoes it wouldn’t catch as much attention,” said the avid walker, who is passionate about the cause.
Personal battle
It was his own struggles with mental health that led Nootenboom to become an advocate for men’s mental health after serving 10 years in the Dutch army, including three missions to Afghanistan.
In his journey to overcoming depression and suicidal tendencies, he discovered how essential it was to ask for help.
“I learned the hard way that if you don’t speak up it makes things even worse, but once you do speak up there are so many tools out there to help you,” said Nootenboom, who said speaking up is a sign of courage, not weakness.
“Brave men speak up,” he said. “What I learned in the army is to always lead by example, so the hope is I can create a safe space for someone else to get help when they need it in their own journey.”
Throughout his cross-country walk, Nootenboom has raised nearly $30,000 for men’s mental health through his website, BraveMenTalk.com.
The funds will be divided between three separate mental health foundations: Movember, MIND, and the Brave Men Talk Foundation.
Movember strives to significantly decrease male suicide rates by funding community-driven early intervention programs tailored to men’s mental health needs.
MIND advocates for mental health and offers free anonymous 30-minute counseling sessions with trained professionals.
The Brave Men Talk Foundation illuminates the shadows of men’s mental health struggles, said Nootenboom, who will continue to raise awareness even after his current long-distance journey is done.
Nootenboom’s current trip is sponsored in part by Barbarics, a maker of what’s known as barefoot sneakers, which emulate barefoot walking thanks to a flexible sole.
Nootenboom said he adopted a “barefoot lifestyle” as a means to cope with the depression and suicidal thoughts he was facing.
This will be his last cross-country barefoot journey, he said.
“I’ll do shorter barefoot walks – there are 24-hour records I want to focus on – but I’ll never do a big challenge like this again. This was the great finale, as big as it gets,” said Nootenboom, who said he and his girlfriend don’t wish to be away from their home this long again.
For now, he’s focused on the next 800 miles or so to New York City, despite the fact the pain in his feet often keeps him up at night.
“During the day they do the trick,” he said. “I know after this journey they’ll heal and be perfectly fine.”
To learn more about Nootenboom’s journey, or to donate to his cause, visit BraveMenTalk.com.
