By Jack Day

After he came back from war, Sean Gobin needed a way to ease his mind from all that he had experienced. He decided to hike the Appalachian Trial, all 2,200 miles of it. It was a way for him to “walk off the war,” as he says and while doing it he realized how much it helped in uncorking all the inner emotions that had been haunting him.

Sean then realized that if it helped him this much, it might help other veterans as well. That’s when he started Warrior Hike, a nonprofit organization that helps to purchase the needed equipment to go on long hikes for veterans who can’t afford it.

“It’s just like a deployment, except instead of going to fight a war, your mission is to be a civilian again,” Gobin says of the program. By providing the necessities for veterans looking to stay a few months in the wilderness, it helps them to take their mind off financial burdens and just heal.

Sean’s efforts are the reason he was recently nominated for CNN’s Top Ten Heroes of 2015. Watch the video to hear from Sean and other veterans in the Warrior Hike on how this idea has come to mean so much.

What do you think about Sean’s efforts? Do you believe in the healing power that nature has? Please share your stories and comments and share this great video with your friends, family, and any veterans you might know!