He speaks from the treads of his soles, worn-in tennis shoes with almost 800 miles of previous experience.

Like a disciple following his leader, Jon Meier plans to plod from coast to coast carrying the campaign message of Democratic candidate, Dennis Kucinich.

“He’s become one of my heroes and that doesn’t happen very often with politicians,” Meier said.

Meier said he doesn’t plan on taking the short route in his trek across America. He plans on traveling from Maine to Washington, D.C., to Iowa, and then south to Oklahoma, Texas and ultimately through New Mexico, Arizona and California. His journey will take him though more than 3,000 miles of asphalt or, for the average person, over five million strides.

Meier begins Friday in Portland Maine at the Portland Public Library. He will be sent off with a rally and group of walkers who will accompany him through the weekend on his opening leg to Washington, D.C.

Meier will then look west and retrace the journey he made only a year ago.

In the winter of 2002, Meier walked more than 800 miles from Ames to Washington, D.C. to participate in a peace rally.

“To me, walking represents a lot of the change I wish America and the rest of the world would go through,” Meier said.

While he feels he is walking for the same cause as before, Meier said he knows this time will be different.

“I was thinking before I left Iowa my first day would be nostalgic, but now I’m not sure, he said.

“My heart is calling me toward this venture and I know deep inside why I’m walking, but I don’t know if I can express that accurately.”

The voyage began when Meier pitched the idea to the Kucinich campaign.

“What Dennis needs for his campaign is something new, something daring … something that would demonstrate the faith that his supporters have in him and his policies,” Meier wrote on the National Discussion Forum for Kucinich Campaign Supporters.

Iowa Administrative Director for Kucinich for President David Rogers said the Kucinich campaign had been asking for suggestions on how to get its message out.

“It started as just a guy making a suggestion on a message board,” Rogers said.

Rogers said he was shocked at the amount of support Meier received almost immediately. It was enough to make members of the campaign take Meier up on his offer.

Amy Kaplan, an intern for the National Kucinich campaign, was so impressed by Meier she immediately hopped on board the project.

“He’s acting with his feet and his self and not just going to a voting booth,” Kaplan said.

Meier learned from his last trip to pack light.

He prepared himself for the bitter Midwestern chill with a wool shirt and socks, polypropylene long underwear, knit caps and gloves, as well as a baseball cap and jeans for the sandy shoulders in the South. He will also carry a note from his mother, Sally Meier.

“It was just a note telling him I love him,” Sally said.

Meier had the chance to say good-bye to her son the day before he left for Maine.

“I knew it would probably be a while before I would see him. As a mother, it’s always difficult,” Sally said. “I just have to kind of let him go.”

Sally Meier has as much confidence in Jon as he does in Kucinich.

While Kucinich has not yet drawn huge amounts of support, Meier doesn’t consider the possibility of him dropping out of the race.

“I feel like I have enough hope and faith in humanity. Maybe I’m just being na‹ve, but I feel like he can win this.”

For now, Meier travels through the falling maroon and golden leaves of the East Coast.

“Nature is going through its cycle, making its transition to another stage, and I’m making that same transition.”