Matt Gregory is walking from Bellingham to Los Angeles with a goat named Vickie.

Gregory’s journey began Sept. 1 with two goals: To raise $11,000 for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and to sell his screenplay, titled “Alpha Female.”

Gregory, 31, is no stranger to cross country hikes. From September 2006 to November 2007, he walked from Bellingham to Key West, Fla., logging nearly 5,000 miles.

His mother, Carolyn, is the inspiration behind these long walks. She died of cancer in 1999 and had been battling the disease for 20 years.

Gregory and his goat passed through Federal Way on Sept. 24, fresh off Vickie’s weeklong recovery in SeaTac, where she got sick after eating berries and oats.

Gregory initially wanted to take his cat on the journey, he said, but decided on Vickie upon the suggestion of a friend. Gregory and Vickie walk about 8 miles a day, staying overnight in hotels or with kind strangers. The duo is also fully prepared for roadside camping as the trip unfolds.

“You’ve got everything you need in your backpack, which is freeing,” he said, noting the liberating feeling of traveling without keys. “A lot of days, we wake up and don’t know where we’re going to stay, but something always works out.”

Gregory plans to donate 51 percent of the proceeds from the sale of his screenplay, if he sells it, to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. The center provided care for his mother, who suffered from both leukemia and melanoma.

“Finishing is the goal,” he said while walking along Pacific Highway South. “But I feel like if somehow it stopped right now, it’s already a success.”

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To learn more or donate, visit www.creativecancerwalk.com