Hidalgo, Texas - After walking about 2,800 miles across the United States in 184 days, New Jersey resident Thomas Turcich passed by the Rio Grande Valley before crossing into Mexico on Sunday. This marks the second country in his planned seven-continent, five-year-long, 25,000-mile solo World Walk.

When 26-year-old Turcich was 17, his friend, Anne Marie Lynch, died in a skiing accident, according to his website's "About Me" page. The sudden realization of life's fragility left him shaken for years until his grief fueled him to "seize the day." He wanted to see the world and decided walking was the cheapest way to do it.

"It's just me, my dog and my cart," Thomas Turcich said in an interview with The Monitor on Saturday morning.

Starting in Philadelphia April 2, Turcich pushed a rickshaw-styled cart holding his tent and a few necessities for about 20 miles a day through several states such as Virginia, Georgia and, of course, Texas. Four months into his trip, he adopted a dog named Savannah in Austin for companionship and protection.

He arrived in Edinburg on Friday night via U.S. 281. He took his last steps on American soil on Sunday before crossing into Tamaulipas, his muscles sore but his mind resilient. If all goes according to plan, he won't return to the States until 2020.

"It's really exciting. The 'World Walk' will actually begin," Turcich said. "I'm just really excited to get out of the country. It's a big step and it's pretty surreal. I'm sure my first night in Mexico I'm gonna be like, 'What the hell? How did I end up here?'"

Armed with only mace, a knife and sand-colored Savannah, he said his first visit to Mexico doesn't intimidate him.

"I did some research and looked at the most dangerous states in Mexico," Turcich said. "It looks like … Tamaulipas is decent. It seems that anywhere that you cross, the border is gonna seem pretty sketchy so it's just a matter of getting past the border."

Although walking is cheap, Turcich said he's spent about $6,000 so far – most of it on food. However, he isn't alone when it comes to financing his journey. Bob Mehmet, CEO of branding and signage company Philadelphia Signs, lives in the same town as Turcich just outside of Philadelphia. When he heard about the impending expedition, he wanted to help.

Their partnership will fund two scholarships through the World Walk; one named for Lynch and the other named for Shannon Newell, another friend who died two years later. Mehmet will donate $1 for every mile Turcich walks. He plans to travel roughly 25,000 miles.

Philadelphia Signs also funds Turcich so he can have basic necessities or in case of a medical emergency. For Mehmet, it's an opportunity to help fund scholarships for future students as well as support Turcich.

"He's a brave individual, he's a go-getter and he's pretty independent," Mehmet said. "I know he knows what not to get into and where not to go."

The day before his trip turned international, Turcich inhaled the reality that his dream was coming true.

"The month before I left I used to lie in bed and think, 'A year from now I'm going to be in the middle of El Salvador on my own.' I have the same thing about Mexico," he said. "I'm gonna wake up and be in Mexico."