CINCINNATI — A Cincinnati man is kayaking the "Great Loop" for a great cause. On Monday morning, Joseph Solomon took off from Cincinnati’s Riverside Park for a kayak trip that’ll take him over a year to complete.
It’s a nearly 7,000-mile journey Solomon is starting here on the Ohio River. He'll then go east to the Mississippi, down to New Orleans, through Alabama, into the panhandle of Florida and around the entire state. Then, he will go up the entire East Coast seaboard towards the Great Lakes, down the Illinois River and finally back to the Ohio River.
Hear about Solomon's 7,000-mile trip and why he's advocating for mental health:
But it’s not just for fun or exercise. Solomon is doing the entire trip to raise awareness for mental health.
"Mental health is something that we all have to deal with at this point, since COVID happened," said Solomon. "You know, so I’m just out there representing the man that can’t speak for himself."
I asked Solomon why he chose to spread awareness for mental health through kayaking.
"The reason why I do it is to increase my mental health, and also, people see me struggling out there and it shows them that, you know, that there is hope in this world, and that’s why I do what I do," said Solomon.
Solomon had a medical accident back in 2012, which caused him to no longer be able to work as a nurse. He says this is when his mental health struggles started, and when he hit the water and began kayaking.
"I wanna inspire others to seek help if they need it," said Solomon.
This trip is Solomon’s third long-distance trip. He told me that along his route, he connects with people and talks to them about mental health. Whether that be in person, on social media, or on the news.
"I’ve had people contact me like, you know, I’ve been very down lately, and they tell me, ‘You know, I saw you on the news this morning, and it gave me hope for what I’m going through’," said Solomon.
Solomon will be documenting his journey online, and says anyone is welcome to reach out to him through Facebook at any time. If you wish to follow along on Solomon’s journey or donate to his cause, you can click here.
