Pack To Purpose
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Pack to Purpose is a vet-led program service through 5th Squad, dedicated to helping vets rediscover purpose through hiking.
06/18/2026
🇺🇸✌🏼Good morning, beautiful humans.😵💫🇺🇸
It’s been almost a week since I’ve posted here, and I owe y’all an explanation.
The truth is, PTSD doesn’t disappear just because you’re doing better. Sometimes it shows up in ways people don’t expect. For me, one of those ways is detachment. Sometimes I disconnect from the very things I care about the most.
Between work, family, life, and a brain that never seems to shut off, I found myself pulling back. Not because I stopped caring. Not because Pack to Purpose stopped mattering. Quite the opposite.
The mission is still moving. WitchDoctor & LongShot are still out there getting after it every single day. They’re somewhere deep in the Virginia mountains now, pushing past 800 miles and proving what resilience looks like one step at a time.
Behind the scenes, the work never stopped. The calls, the planning, the support, the care packages, the conversations—they’re all still happening.
But this mission has always been about something bigger than hiking. It’s about healing. And sometimes healing means taking a hard look at yourself and asking why.
Why do I detach?
Why do I get angry?
Why do I get depressed?
Why do I shut down?
Understanding your “why” is where the real work starts.
So if you’ve been wondering where I’ve been, I’m here. I’m healthy. I’m fighting my battles just like every other veteran trying to figure this thing out.
Thank you for sticking around. Thank you for supporting these men. Thank you for believing in this mission.
Keep sending your love to the boys. Keep following their journey. And if you’re a veteran who’s struggling, reach out. You don’t have to carry it alone.
Our voices are stronger than our silence.
✌🏼🇺🇸
Hey beautiful people! These two hikers have made their way out of Virginia this morning! They had a wonderful break of respite and community with other hikers and local communities that support these hikers!
Pack to Purpose is taking on the challenge of hiking the Appalachian Trail to raise awareness for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the invisible wounds many veterans carry. With every mile, these veterans are turning physical endurance into a powerful message of resilience, healing, and hope. The journey symbolizes more than just crossing mountains—it represents overcoming personal battles, building camaraderie, and breaking the stigma surrounding mental health in the veteran community. Through this hike, Pack to Purpose aims to spark meaningful conversations about PTSD, encourage veterans to seek support, and remind others that healing is possible when no one has to walk the path alone. As these two men fight their own battles by hiking this trail, they are inspiring other vets to reach out to them. The community of hikers has a high percentage of vets that are seeking the same support and outreach. Through sharing his journey, Aaron is touching the lives of so many other vets on the trail and across social media.
You can help support the veterans of Pack to Purpose as they continue their journey along the Appalachian Trail to raise awareness for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and veteran su***de prevention and to help WitchDoctor continue on his own healing journey. Every donation and purchased supply directly helps provide essential gear, food, and resources needed for the trail. Your support not only helps sustain their mission physically but also strengthens their effort to spark life-saving conversations around mental health in the veteran community. Whether through a monetary donation or by purchasing items from the Amazon wish list below, every contribution makes a meaningful difference in helping these veterans continue their powerful journey of resilience, healing, and hope!
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/177J0PR79G9ZM?ref_=wl_share&fbclid=IwdGRjcASf4xNhZmRrCUVaMkNra3ZsOXB0aWQAJB6byEhYhGV4dG4DYWVtATEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQKNjYyODU2ODM3OQABHkzVen-bmxx9bghYLQ8jPskeM_1ieVxs1l9V_NEfwASvEN3ixjaT7P2QEe0K_aem_1p0Pe-OXXH4HC7ERQQ1huw&content_source=fb&fb_content_id=Q9-wBQHzMGkyM8zNAK_IZcjV7lvy1SXFLwRtWDQ9JocimzK6Rkz6iGbgMs-7aTqycvU&channel_type=fb
Or
1. Go to https://www.5thsquad.org
2. Donate
3. Add “Pack to Purpose” in comments
Every dollar helps keep veterans on trail instead of becoming another statistic.
Thank y’all for believing in this mission. Seriously.
06/09/2026
Both of these men are 6’7”.
The mountain doesn’t care.
720+ miles in. Virginia has humbled them, beaten them up, and kept them coming back for more.
That’s the thing about the trail — it puts everything in perspective real fast. Whatever you’re carrying in your head, the mountain carries more weight. And somehow that helps.
WitchDoctor and LongShot are out here finding out what they’re made of one mile at a time.
Go where you feel small. Come back knowing you’re stronger than you thought.
Support the mission 👇
🌐 5thsquad.org → Donate → type “Pack to Purpose” in the comment box
$300 keeps a veteran on trail. $75 owns a resupply. Every dollar moves them forward.
🥾
06/08/2026
🇺🇸✌🏼726 miles into the Appalachian Trail.✌🏼🇺🇸
Virginia mountains. Sore feet. Burning legs. High morale.
WitchDoctor and LongShot aren’t out here for a hike. They’re out here because the trail does something that nothing else has.
PTSD awareness isn’t a ribbon or a month on a calendar for these two. It’s the conversation at camp after a hard day. It’s pushing through when the brain says stop. It’s choosing to still be here.
726 miles of choosing to still be here.
That smile says everything.
Support the mission 👇
🌐 5thsquad.org → Donate → type “Pack to Purpose” in the comment box
$300 keeps a veteran on trail for another week. $75 owns a resupply. Whatever you’ve got — it all moves them forward.
🥾
06/05/2026
🇺🇸✌🏼Good Morning, Beautiful Humans. ☕🇺🇸
Almost 700 miles into the Appalachian Trail and apparently we’ve entered the phase of the mission called: 2 Vets, 1 Tarp.😂
If you’ve never seen PTSD recovery in action, it looks a lot like this. Two grown-ass combat veterans living under a piece of fabric held up by trekking poles, eating gas station snacks, talking about life, and somehow finding peace in the middle of the woods.
The funny part? Most people would call this suffering.
The truth? A year ago, one of these men was fighting battles a whole lot heavier than a backpack.
Almost 700 miles later, they’re still walking.
PTSD doesn’t always look like what people think. Sometimes it looks like laughter under a tarp. Sometimes it looks like miles. Sometimes it looks like finding a reason to get up and keep moving.
Keep stepping, boys.
🇺🇸🥾
✌🏼🇺🇸Good morning, beautiful humans.🇺🇸✌🏼
One thing I’ve learned through my own struggles and watching others fight theirs is this:
Our voices are stronger than our silence.
Pack to Purpose was built to help veterans find another path forward, but it’s also about helping others understand what PTSD, mental health struggles, and recovery actually look like.
The likes, shares, comments, messages, and support matter more than you know. Every time you engage with these stories, you’re helping another veteran see that they’re not alone and that resources do exist.
We’re just trying to make those resources easier to find, easier to navigate, and show people that healing can look different for everyone.
Thank y’all for walking alongside us. We couldn’t do this without you.
06/03/2026
🇺🇸✌🏼PTSD Awareness Month✌🏼🇺🇸
Two veterans. One trail. One step at a time.
A year ago, WitchDoctor “Aaron” was fighting a battle most people never saw. Today, he’s over 650 miles into the Appalachian Trail, proving that healing doesn’t always happen in a therapist’s office. Sometimes it happens on a mountain, in the rain, through the pain, one mile at a time.
Alongside him is LongShot, a veteran, trail mentor, and brother who’s spent thousands of miles helping others find their way forward.
This isn’t a vacation. This is work. The kind that saves lives.
PTSD can make you feel alone. The trail reminds you that you aren’t.
For every veteran out there carrying weight nobody can see: keep moving. One more mile. One more day. One more chance.
Pack to Purpose
Hike Far. Live Free. Leave Good.
06/01/2026
✌🏼🇺🇸Happy Monday, Beautiful Humans! ☀️🇺🇸
The boys rolled into Pearisburg, Virginia with 600+ miles behind them.
This isn’t a vacation.
This is veterans doing the hard work of healing.
A year ago, Aaron wasn’t sure he wanted another day. Today he’s walking across America with his brothers, proving that purpose can be found one step at a time.
The trail doesn’t fix everything.
But it gives you the space to face it.
600+ miles down. Still moving north.
‼️Get em while they last!‼️
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