Sunday, April 17, 2016

Seeking Less, Gaining More

"In every walk with nature one recieves far more than he seeks"- John Muir

It's official! I am hiking the Appalachian Trail this summer!

What's that?


Glad you asked! It's one of the oldest long distance hiking trails in the world, stretching from Georgia to Maine, 2189 miles. That is equal to taking 5 million steps over the course of 5-6 months.


I will be hiking the trail in one season, which means that upon completion I will gain the boasting rights of being a thru-hiker. It's a crazy idea right?


I know. It is an idea that I was first introduce to about 5 years ago. I never thought I would be one to tackle this sort of challenge. I am not in the best shape and before about 3 years ago had virtually no outdoor skills.

Since getting into the outdoor field as a career path, I have slowly been building my outdoor repertoire, and testing and growing my self-confidence. Two years ago I got the idea in my head to start saving towards one day stepping foot on the trail. At the time I didn't know when that would be, or how long I would hike. MUCH research, saving, planning and exercising later, that crazy idea has become a dream and in just 30 days will be a reality!!!

I will be leaving from Harper's Ferry, WV May 15th to start my Northbound journey to Maine. After reaching the terminus of the north at Mt. Katadhin, I will come back to WV and then start hiking Southbound to Springer Mountain to complete the trail.

I am incredibly excited to be so close to such an adventure. It is a scary, daunting, exhilarating opportunity. I know I will be learning much about myself, nature and outdoor living along the way.

While my goal this summer is to hike the entire Appalachian Trail, I also am trying to raise money for two separate charities. I understand that there will be moments when I will be tired, hungry, wet, dirty and I'm sure smelly. When the initial infatuation of the trail starts to wane, I do not want my passion for finishing to disappear. I have many reasons for doing the trail (details in a coming post), but I know that working towards these charities will be an additional source of motivation.

I have chosen to raise money for Feed My Starving Children and The Shoe That Grows. Both charities provide much needed items to impoverished people. I hope to raise $1000 (or more!) which would provide 2,000 meals and 33 pairs of shoes. Please check out the link below for more information.

Slideshow image

Growing shoe

1 comment:

  1. This is SO exciting!!!!! and it's nearing the time for you to go!!! your friends back in the midwest are PRAYING for you, and so super excited for you….

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