Some stories are so powerful they demand to be told. The story of Josh and Liz Moughan and their son, Ty, is one of them. It’s a story that begins with a shared love for the outdoors, is marked by immeasurable loss, and has grown into a movement that is changing the conversation around mental health awareness in communities across Massachusetts.

At Reel Quest Films, we had the honor of documenting Hike for a Change, Josh’s journey along the 230-mile Bay Circuit Trail in Massachusetts to raise money for his and Liz’s nonprofit, Dirty Hands Project, and have open conversations about mental health. This summer, 2026 Reel Quest Films Production Intern Jalen Howarth sat down with Josh to talk about the making of the film, and how it has allowed him to bolster his efforts advocating for mental health.

The Spark: A Promise Made in Grief

For Josh, the idea for the hike was deeply personal. “I wanted to do the Bay Circuit Trail (BCT) with Ty when he was alive,” he says. “Ty loved the outdoors, and it felt like a great thing to do together.” But after Ty’s death by suicide in August 2023 at the age of 18, that shared dream felt lost.

Then, a few nights after Ty passed, something shifted. Josh woke up in the middle of the night with a singular thought: I’m going to do this. I’m going to walk the BCT.

What started as an individual journey to honor and grieve Ty soon transformed. “I started telling people about my plan, and sure enough, people wanted to do it with me,” he recalls. That’s when the idea of Hike for a Change evolved from a personal journey into a collective mission. “That’s when I started thinking about how we could turn this into a fundraiser and add real impact. It started as simply as asking friends to raise some money for mental health.”

The transformation of grief into purpose was organic but profound. “At first, I was just planning on walking it alone,” Josh explains. “But what that turned into was something that helped me with the grieving process, somewhere to talk and remember Ty, while raising awareness about mental health.”

Building a Community, One Step at a Time

As the word spread, the hike grew beyond anything Josh had imagined. The planning shifted from a solo trek to coordinating a community event. “It started with just me and then grew from ten to thirty to fifty people coming out,” he notes. This required practical logistics, such as organizing school buses and accommodating the growing crowd. 

This growth fostered a powerful sense of community. “Some people have participated in all three Hike for a Change events, and each time they bring more people with them,” Josh says. “This brought a strong sense of community to the hike, where you got to know people on the trail while walking.”

The Trust to Tell a Personal Story

When Reel Quest Films first approached Josh about making a documentary, he was unsure. It’s one thing to walk for a cause, it’s another to invite cameras into a story so deeply personal. But a meeting with Ryan changed his mind. 

“The first time Ryan reached out, I didn’t know what to expect and I was unsure,” Josh admits. “That was until I met with him and Jerry, heard their story, and noticed how deeply they cared about the topic and how genuinely important it was to them.”

Josh remembers the specific moment that cemented his trust while planning to film the first year hiking the BCT. “Something Ryan said that stuck with me was, ‘There will be special moments made this year that will be worth capturing that won’t be there next year.’ And he was right.” The understanding of this unique moment and collection of people showed Josh that the team grasped the gravity and uniqueness of his project.

He notes Ryan and Jerry were dedicated, down-to-earth, and very easy to work with. “I got to know them well on the trail during the shooting process,” Josh says. “In no time, I had great trust in the film they were creating.”

The Film’s Evolution and a Powerful Reaction

Seeing the finished documentary for the first time was an emotional experience for Josh. “I felt like it captured who Ty was really well,” Josh reflects. He noted that the film’s focus evolved organically. “It started with the plan of highlighting the BCT and using my story to tell that story. However, it evolved into a focus on advocating for mental health, which was incredible.”

That advocacy is now reaching young people in a powerful way. Josh and his team are showing the film in schools, including at Worcester Polytechnical Institute and UMass Lowell, and the impact is tangible. After every screening, Josh spends time answering questions and providing more information about how students can promote wellness on campus and beyond—some students even ask how they can join the hike next year.

In April 2026, at the Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School, where Ty attended high school, 1,300 students watched the film in the school’s auditorium as part of their end-of-the-year Kindness Week. “You could hear a pin drop, it was so quiet,” Josh says. Teachers later reported having to set aside extra time after the presentation for discussion.

“It was incredible to hear that this documentary is starting real conversations about mental health and how students were proactively engaging with it,” he adds. This success has led to more school presentations and the establishment of Dirty Hands Clubs at local high schools.

A Mission for the Future

The core message of Josh’s journey is simple but urgent: “The main takeaway is that we are doing this so other families don’t experience this kind of loss.” He and Liz struggled for years managing Ty’s mental illness, often in silence. “There are resources for both the one’s suffering and their loved ones,” he emphasizes, “but stigma often prevents people from seeking them.”

“We wanted to share our story because it sucks to be in the situation we were,” Josh says plainly. “The main takeaway is that you can’t blow off mental health. When someone says they’re struggling, help them out.”

The documentary, aptly titled Hike for a Change, premiered a month before Josh set off for the third year of the hiking event. Now, as Josh prepares for his fourth year hiking the Bay Circuit Trail, the film was selected to screen at the Monadnock International Film Festival on October 2, 2026, in Keene, N.H. No doubt, Josh’s mission will be more amplified than ever. The film is not just a record of the past; it’s a tool for changing the future. It highlights how someone’s grief can be turned into purpose and create the effect of hope and action.

Reel Quest Films is incredibly proud to have been a part of this story. Josh’s journey is a testament to the power of planning, persistence, and human spirit. We hope it inspires you to start your own important conversations with friends and family and, like Josh, spend more time in nature.