Matt Gregory doesn’t carry much baggage in addition to his walking sticks and the pack and clothes on his back.

But the Bellingham, Wash., resident hopes to gain much more in a bare-bones trip walking across America to raise money – and awareness – to benefit cancer research.

Gregory, 27, started his walk in Bellingham Sept. 1. He reached Astoria Tuesday and expects to finish the journey at Miami Beach, Fla., in about one year.

Pacing Wednesday along U.S. Highway 101 south of Warrenton, Gregory said he hopes to increase donations toward cancer research because his mother died of the disease in 1999. At that point, it was melanoma. But she had leukemia when he was born.

“That was a big motivator for me,” said Gregory. “This is the journey I’ve chosen. As I go, people may look at my Web site more. They might say, ‘If that guy is dumb enough to walk that … I might have $20 to donate.'”

In a black cap, green shirt, khaki shorts and thick, black sunglasses, he said he’s trying to avoid the appearance of a drifter with his gear: a 45-pound backpack holding a tent, water and food, a couple of walking sticks and a camera. He’s growing out his facial hair, a la Abe Lincoln or Forrest Gump.

He sold his truck to support the trip, and is OK hitchhiking a stretch or two. So far, the Astoria Bridge offered the only portion of the route he couldn’t walk.

“It’s illegal … there’s only one day a year you can do that,” said Gregory. Although that day is coming up with the Great Columbia Crossing in October, he couldn’t wait. An uncle in South Bend, Wash., made the drive to help him. “Other than that I’m flying solo,” he said.

The trip also allowed him to escape a menial job and work on being “a starving artist.” He’s filming the adventure and plans to create a documentary.

Growing up between Elma, Wash., and Coos Bay, Gregory graduated from Western Oregon University before moving to Bellingham in 2006, according to his Web site, mywalkingadventure.com

He has spent summers working as a factory trawler on the Bering Sea, fishing for albacore tuna off the Oregon Coast and working as a caddy at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, where he plans to make some extra cash on his way south.

He also hopes to stop at hospices, urging people to contribute to their local centers for terminally ill patients. He’s working on setting up his Web site so people can visit it to donate to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, a research institute and comprehensive cancer center in Seattle.

“I’m still mapping out the details,” said Gregory. “I still have a long way to go.”

For more information about Gregory’s trip or to help, visit his Web site, www.mywalkingadventure.com, which he updates every two or three days. For more information about the organization he wants to benefit, visit the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center site at www.fhcrc.org

Or, spot him along his route, south on Highway 101, then Highway 1 in California, cutting east at some point to head through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi before reaching his destination in Florida.