Welcome to Hiking for a Cause

A little about me:

As a kid, I was a hiker, and a climber. I was also the only kid in town with a four-story treehouse fort with a balcony which sat above the trees. I loved hiking and climbing as a kid.

As I got older, my life's path took me on the normal route of most other people...having and raising kids, and working many long hours. Essentially, there was not enough time at that point in my life to really enjoy hiking.

Then, last summer, I had the opportunity to head out west for six weeks. I hiked the Grand Canyon and thirteen national parks. I spent a week hiking in the Grand Canyon and taking photos, which is my other passion. From the Grand Canyon, I hiked the back end of Lake Powell, crossed the Colorado River on a ferry, then drove through dirt roads into the back end of Capitol Reef National Park, where I was able to hike and also get in some rock-climbing. While hiking small sections and taking photos, it was on to Bryce Canyon for three days for more hiking and photo-taking. After that, I headed to Zion Canyon for five days for more hiking and photo-taking. It was quite an adventure! I also spent time taking in the sights in Las Vegas, as well as other popular tourist spots. While on this trip, I had the opportunity to take around 12,000 photos, several of which included awesome night shots of the Milky Way outside of Aspen, Colorado. During this trip, I became hooked on hiking. I became inspired to become an avid hiker, and to combine both my passion for hiking and photography, and, at the same time, be in a position to give something back, and hike for a worthy cause.

I've also had the opportunity to section hike the AT (Appalachian Trail) on three different occasions. The first trip out was for ten days. I began at Amicalola Falls in North Georgia, where I parked my car, and hiked in 140 miles and hiked back. I also hiked another 50 miles during this trip, on other trails. My second trip was seven days which began in Massachusetts on the Blue Hills trails where I hiked, and then hiked another 400 miles in New Hampshire, that included 250 miles on the AT and the rest on other trails in New Hampshire. And, finally, my most recent trip was in December to the Smoky Mountains. I began the hike from the NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center) located in Bryson City, North Carolina hiking 60 miles including the Fontana Dam, then hiked 88 miles through the Smoky Mountains National Park. I also had some time to hike an additional 30 miles on other trails during this trip. These trips included a total of 1,700 photos that were taken.

My next hike is a little more different in nature: I am hiking for a cause. My hike will be taking me across the country from Brooksville, Florida to San Diego, California. From there, I plan to hike northward to Seattle, Washington for a total of over 3,000+ miles. I am hiking to raise funds and awareness for various nonprofit health organizations across the country.  I plan to hike anywhere from 20-35 miles per day to reach my destination, which I anticipate to be about five months. I plan to camp out at night along my route. I will try to update my web site as often as time, and, of course, Internet access will permit. Please check my blog for regular updates of my journey, along with photos of the people and places along my route.

 

 

 

"Every journey in life always begins with a single step." ~Salvatore Pascarelli