AN EX-DUNFERMLINE HIGH pupil has walked more than 600 miles for Boards for Bairns - and he isn't stopping there.

Nathan Graham has encountered bears, rattlesnakes, and murderers on his travels, all in the name of the skateboarding charity.

The 23-year-old also spent six days trekking through the desert, where he says hallucinations made it feel like "everything was moving, like animals were everywhere."

"Last night (Sunday) there was spray paint on a sign warning about mountain lions," he said.

"That freaks me out, if you talk to anyone they say it's fine, bears are the only thing to worry about as they will come into the tent.

"I've seen mountain lions and jaguars, but last night was the first night I made sure to leave my bag of food 200 metres from the tent."

Currently, Nathan is around 100 miles from Flagstaff coming up for Winslow, Arizona.

He expects to be walking until the start of November, when he finally reaches New York after travelling the 3,000 miles from Los Angeles, where he started his journey.

As the Press previously reported, the coast to coast walk is all in aid of Boards for Bairns, a Dunfermline charity who give skateboards to children to help them pursue their interest in skating, or to develop an outlet.

"You meet so many people doing different things," he continued.

"I was in a motel and there were two guys chatting, one had walked 17,000 miles over the last six years.

"I was camping one night and this guy started telling me how he had murdered someone - he had got into an argument and hit them over the head with a rock.

"There was one guy who did the same walk in a bear costume - wearing a massive bear head.

"You get into so many weird situations - I've almost been bitten by a rattlesnake twice, one night I was walking and I just heard the rattle."

By his side Nathan has a buggy filled with gallons of water to keep him going between stops.

"I walked for six days, around 160 miles, through the desert, that was interesting.

"I was walking for about ten hours a day - you really do hallucinate out there.

"It was like everything was moving, like animals were everywhere, you feel like you are higher off the ground."

Nathan will return to the UK in June for a visa renewal interview for just two weeks after a huge 80 days of walking.

After that he will return to the states to complete his six month long challenge.

So far, he has raised more than £1,700 for the charity, though says he and its founder, Rory Fell, will be ramping up their push for donations in the coming months.

The PARS foundation have also pledged five skateboards in support.

You can follow Nathan's journey on his Instagram page @nathan.treks or through Boards for Bairns.

You can donate to his cause at: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/nathangrahamboardsforbairns?utm_term=vX2MPkZpV