Hike With A Cause - 2174 miles in 100 days
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I will spend this summer on the The Appalachian Trail, backpacking 2,174 miles from Georgia to Maine, in just over 100 days.
I am using this trip as a means of raising awareness and funding for Gilda's Club. A $5,000 goal has been set. FirstGiving.com is providing the collection service, to ensure that all donations are managed appropriately. Donating online is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to support my fundraising efforts.
Throughout the duration of the trek, I will keep a journal with me at all times. I will attempt to meet many people and log their stories and their reasons for hiking, alongside my own narration of the trail. If you would like a copy at the completion of the trek, please send an email to hikewithacause@gmail.com with your name and mailing address, and I will send more information to you in August.
Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!
Hike With A Cause - 2174 miles in 100 days [FAQ]
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Q: Are you serious/crazy/ready?
A: Yes.
Q: Are you training for the hike?
A: Due to school, I've only been able to do weekend day hikes here and there, rarely over 20 miles. For spring break I am doing a 5-day 100-mile trip to break in some new gear.
Q: How many days do you plan to go between food stops?
A: Looking at the trail guide, it looks like most stores and post offices are 2.5 to 15 miles off trail. That is way too far to go in one day just for food. I threw out all of those stops while making the itinerary, so it ends up being 6 to 8 days without food if I only restock within 2 or 3 miles of the trail.
Q: Do you need anything else?
A: Socks and nutrition-packed bar-shaped foods like Clif Bar, Power Bar, etc.
Hike With A Cause - 2174 miles in 100 days [WHY?]
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I was introduced to backpacking at a very young age in Boy Scouting. Through scouting, I've completed two 12-day, 55-mile treks in New Mexico's Philmont Scout Ranch, and a handful of 5- to 7-day trips in various trails throughout western Pennsylvania. It was not until the Fall of 2006 when I transferred to the University of Pittsburgh's main campus and joined the Pitt Outdoors Club that I gain a new outlook on demanding, high-adventure, long-distance treks. A fellow trip leader and club member, Moss (AT northbound '06), told me about his thru-hike, and I was hooked. I began leading backpacking and hiking trips for the club, and here I am now as a senior, holding an officer position, planning and leading trips. I believe this thru-hike is the ultimate culmination of my experiences in Boy Scouting and with the Outdoors Club. It seems like such a natural consequence of such experience to want to thru-hike; the trail is there to hike so we hike it. If somebody would ask me why I was hiking, I would just stare, looking like I couldn't understand what they were saying. There really was no reason.
A $5000 goal has been set, and I am spending nearly all of my free time, between two jobs and an 18-credit schedule, looking for donors and sponsors. If you would care to show your support, please contact me at hikewithacause@gmail.com or donate directly at www.firstgiving.com/hikewithacause.
Purpose
I want to relax, kick back, and enjoy life. Laugh with the good times and roll with the punches.
The 3 Golden Rules of Joe Frambach, by Justin Zaborowski
Save money
Do your homework
And don't drive on dangerous roads
School
University of Pittsburgh '08
Pitt Computer Science
Pitt Mathematics
Clubs
Pitt Outdoors Club
Pitt Circle K
PittGeeks
Student Alumni Association
Work