A Florida man is traveling from the northernmost point in Minnesota to the southernmost point of Key West, Fla., in a kayak.

Daniel Alvarez, who won a $10,000 adventure grant from Outdoor Magazine for his 4,000-mile kayak trip, said his "heart of America paddling journey" serves both as an adventure for himself and a chance to promote environmental organizations Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, American Rivers, Gulf Restoration Network and the Florida Wildlife Federation, the Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat reported Wednesday.

"I want this trip to be more than just my fun adventure," he said. "The wilderness has already given me so much. I want to give back."

Alvarez, who is currently making his way through Minnesota's Boundary Waters Wilderness, said he will head from Lake Superior to the Mississippi River and then to the Gulf of Mexico for the last leg of his journey. (c) UPI