Josh West will spend the next two months hiking the 1200km Heysen Trail to fundraise for mental health
Two years ago, Josh West began to prioritise his mental health. And now he’s paying it forward by supporting those in regional communities.
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BEING forced to stop at a red light during a morning commute to work has proven to be a green light moment for Josh West.
From Monday, Mr West, 30, will walk the length of the Heysen Trail – all 1200km of it – to raise money for mental health group Black Dog Institute.
It is a cause close to Mr West’s heart and the motivation he needed to tackle the gruelling walk from Parachilna Gorge in the Flinders Ranges to Cape Jervis.
Mental health became a priority two years ago after a breakup with a long-term girlfriend.
He packed up his home, sold and donated most of his belongings and started house-sitting, most recently in Stepney.
“I wouldn’t say I was as deep as depressed, but without acknowledging it or without changing something, I wouldn’t be surprised,” says Mr West, who adds he has wanted to walk the trail since he was a child.
“I remember driving to work and getting a red light and getting really angry, going ‘this is ridiculous’, and to be that upset at a red light, there’s obviously something going on.
“For years and years I had a mindset of working, getting a house, doing things a certain way to appease others.
“And when things with my girlfriend fizzled out, my mindset was ‘I don’t have a girlfriend anymore, I don’t really want to be at my job, I’ve got all this money for a house deposit and I don’t want to buy a house anymore’.”
He admits he still has “no idea” what he wants to do with his life, but says he is “extraordinarily happier”.
Over the next two months, Mr West plans to walk between 20km and 25km a day and give talks in towns along the way about the importance of good mental health.
“In the country there’s a lot less exposure, it’s a lot more taboo, there’s less support,” says Mr West, who grew up in Tanunda.
“The more remote, rural countries areas I’m walking through will be the exact cases that pop up in these damning statistics.”
He says while the walk is going to be physically demanding, the hardest part will be doing it alone.
“I’ll have no one to talk to, I’ll end up with a beach ball or something by the end as a friend,” he laughs.
He has been preparing by building up his fitness on a treadmill and researching tips, such as how to keep the weight of his backpack – complete with cameras, a tent, clothes and food – as light as possible.
For more details see trekkingwest.com