KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A professor of religion from Indiana has come through Kansas City on a 700-mile hike.

Keith Drury's trek traces the route Pottawatomie Indians were forced to walk as they were being relocated from Indiana to Kansas in 1838.

"Everybody can't do this. I'm a college professor. I have summers off. I can kind of do this for other people," Drury told KMBC's Martin Augustine.

Many in the tribe died during the long walk.

"This was wrong. In a way, being able to travel this time is almost like a sense of penance," Drury said.

Augustine reported that Drury has so far used up three pairs of shoes, lost 10 pounds, has sore feet and a sunburn. But he said he won't stop because none of his hardships can compare to the hardships of the Pottawatomie nation.

Drury is keeping a blog of his journey, charting the so-called Trail of Death, trying to follow as closely as he can the original route. But Drury records his own observations of the old journals, including his shock at one entry that some Pottwatomies were given shoes only after walking 500 miles barefoot.

On The Internet:

To follow Drury's adventure, read his online blog.