Please Support my Hike for a Cure!

I have been on one backpacking trip in my life -- that was this past September with my hike leader, Jon. We did a 2-day (1 night) trip to Shenandoah National Park. It rained pretty steadily for most of the hike, but we still had a great time. It inspired me to take on this challenge of a 3-day (2-night) backpacking trip as my next fundraising event.

This year’s event is a little different from years past. Not only are we targeting a local destination, but we are funding our own trip (including food and gear). The local chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has decided to restructure the hike program, so we will not be “Hike for Discovery” anymore. Instead, a loyal group of hike alumni and adventurous newcomers, known as “The Trailblazers,” will be hiking on our own to benefit LLS. The best part is that because we have no overhead or admin expenses, 100% of every dollar you donate will go to benefit this terrific cause!

My goal is to raise $6,000 for this event, but I need your help. You can make a tax-deductible donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society one of three ways:

1) Make a donation online at the Trailblazers’ group donation page. Be sure to email me after you have donated so that I can track your donation and thank you properly.

http://nca.lls.llsevent.org/pledge/index.cfm?mid=TRAILBLAZERS

2) Write a check, payable to "The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society" and send it to my home address.

3) Give me cash or a check the next time you see me.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks in advance for all of your support!

Little Stony Man - Shenandoah National Park

Between my work schedule and traveling, I haven't made it to as many of the training hikes as I would have liked, unfortunately. This past Friday night, as I was leaving the office, exhausted, at 9pm, I decided that there was no way I was going to make it to Shenandoah by 8am the next day. Instead of bailing on a training hike completely, I called my friend Patrick. We decided to meet up at 10am instead so I could sleep in a little and still have plenty of time to get out to the trail.

Patrick and I decided to hike Little Stony Man, a moderate trail whose trailhead is right on Skyline Drive. It's not a particularly difficult hike, but it is pretty much straight uphill for half a mile, then it levels out and the woods open up to a stunning panorama of Luray and the Shenandoah Valley.

It was much colder than I expected it to be. I didn't have a windproof jacket, only a long-sleeved shirt and a fleece vest. It was nice in the sun, until the wind whipped up. We reached the cliffs and took picture after picture of the scenic valley. It was so blustery, with the wind trying to carry my camera away, I had a hard time getting a single non-blurry photograph. We started up the rest of the trail toward the summit of Stony Man mountain when a frigid gust of wind whipped across my body. I said to Patrick, "I'm done. Are you done?" He concurred and we got the heck off that ledge as fast as we could.

So I didn't get in an all-day training hike, but at least I got outside and made it up and down one good hill. I still have a ways to go before I am prepared for a 2-night backpacking trip...

Training Hike - Billy Goat Trail

I've probably hiked the Billy Goat Trail at Great Falls a dozen times, but it never gets old for me. My favorite parts are the rock scrambles and the places where you have to hop from rock to rock. I love taking people on this trail for the first time so that I can see them really enjoy it. The best part is the feeling of accomplishment they experience when they get up that one really steep climb (it looks harder than it actually is). I've never lost anyone yet!

Most of the trail follows the Potomac River, and there's usually all kinds of wildlife, including a large blue heron who is always hanging out at the same spot along the canal. I've also seen owls, water snakes, turtles, deer, and hawks. We had beautiful weather and a fun group for our first official training hike. 

More photos are available here.

Training Hike Schedule

This is what our training hike schedule looks like for the season: 

Date	Hike	Duration
3/1	Kick-off Party Burke, VA
3/7	Billy Goat Trail Potomac, MD	4 hours
3/14	Prince William Forest Park Prince William, VA	Orienteering course
3/21	Little Devils Stairs Shenandoah National Park, VA	4 hours
3/28	Sugarloaf Mountain Comus, MD	5 hours
4/4	Jeremy's Run Shenandoah National Park, VA	6 hours
4/11	Plan your own
4/18	Old Rag Mountain Shenandoah National Park, VA	6 hours - strenuous
4/25	Overall Run Falls (long & short routes)* Shenandoah National Park, VA	6/7 hours
5/2	White Oak Canyon (long & short routes) Shenandoah National Park, VA	6/8 hours
5/8 - 5/10	Final event - Overnight backpacking
5/16 or 5/23	Final event - Day hike

 * Overnighter

Hikers Wanted

I am currently recruiting volunteers for this year's hiking and fundraising event to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This year's event is a little different in that we are reducing administrative costs by staying close to home (the Washington, DC area) and offering an overnight backpacking option.

The season officially kicks off March 1, but you can decide to join at any time. You can even come on a couple of training hikes with us before signing up. We train as a group on Saturdays between March 7 and the event date, but there is no requirement to participate in these training hikes.

There are two final event dates:

May 8-10 for the overnight

May 16 or 23 for the day hike (exact date to be determined)

Your commitment is to raise at least $1,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by the hike event date. Even if you've never done a fundraiser before, this is not as hard as it sounds! You will have plenty of support and guidance along the way. 

If you choose to participate, you will get to meet some incredible (and fun) people, spend a lot of time outdoors (Shenandoah in the spring is gorgeous), and raise money for an incredibly worthy cause that has saved countless lives and helped patients undergoing treatment for blood cancers (and raise your karma factor). What's not to like?

If you are interested in finding out more, want to sign up, or know someone else who might be interested, please email me directly. 

Thank you for helping out!