A little less mud … maybe …

It was rightly pointed out to me in begging plea for assistance yesterday that not everyone will really have a clue what I am talking about … especially with regards to the charity donations thang. Not that many people often have a clue what I am talking about (including me). Maybe some came along later and never saw the posts explaining, and did not find the blog THAT interesting to explore more than the most recent posts. Not to worry boys and girls, I am here now to make the water (a little) less muddy, and explain all.

The original plan, proposed by THE Idiot was for two middle-aged man who have found themselves adrift in the world for different reasons to reclaim both a sense of self and a connection with nature by taking on an unusual challenge … namely hiking all 2200 miles of the famed Appalachian Trail. When he asked if I would like to do this, I hesitated about 3 seconds … roughly the amount of time it took me to type yes. Both of us being bloggers (that is how we know each other) we decided to create this blog to track the whole process, training and all, and maybe eventually coauthor a book. To make it more interesting for our followers, as well as help motivate us and, frankly actually increase the worth of the project, I suggested we treat it as kind of a really LOOOOOOOOONG walk-a-thon, and have people make donations to charities of their choice based on our activities. Mark was all for it, so we created a way of doing it.

The process is pretty simple. We would track how much weight we lose, how many miles we walk in training, and how many miles we will walk on the actual hike. Then people can pledge to any charity (or charities) they choose, based on whatever criteria they choose. For instance some pledged a flat fee presuming we achieved a certain goal by a certain time. Or some might pledge an amount per mile over a period of time. It is totally an honor based system, we would never touch ANY of the money. All we wanted to do was track the pledges, so we could get an idea of how much we potentially managed to raise. And maybe even get some backing from individual charities as well. The idea was pretty well received at first … until we ran out of friends and family to bully.

We then found ourselves another crazy person  driven idealist to join us, increasing the excitement and focus.

When Mark came to his sad realization that his body was not going to cooperate, life seemed to draw Michelle away too, but I am too stubborn to let minor inconveniences like losing my partners in crime stop me, so I am keeping the project alive. For me, for Mark and Michelle, and for the good we can do. I may be the only one of us actually hiking at this point, but that does not mean they are not there in spirit, nor that they are no longer part of the project as a whole. For that is what this is, not just a crazy hike, but a project to make a difference … even if only a small one. So I am hoping to get more pledges. I am hoping that those who have already pledged will honor their pledges. I am hoping that with all the darkness going on in the world we can provide a little island of light, a little proof the people from all over can come together and make a bit of a difference.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcskckuosxQ]

The form for making a pledge can be found here. Like I said, this is only tracking an intent. Whether you honor the pledge is entirely up to you. I am NOT asking for money for myself. That said, if someone chooses to help me on the resources side, I will not turn it away. But I make no claim to be a charitable institution, I m NOT tax-deductible, and I am neither asking or expecting any such arrangement. The main thing is that maybe some others can benefit from this.

I hope this clarifies the confusion a bit. I am not trying to guilt anyone into anything. The hike will go on even if this results in nothing. But if it CAN become something more, why not aim for it? If you can’t offer money or other resources, maybe you can just share the concept. Or maybe even offer suggestion on how to improve it, make it into something even more worthwhile. It could even be as simple as visiting me at a town to say hello and give me a boost. Or joining me on part of the trail. Or helping ensure I get needed supplies. I will take ANYTHING offered, even if it is just a cheer when I am lagging.

Thanks ALL. I hope I am not just spinning my wheels here … but even if I am … spinning wheels are needed to make the vehicle go! 🙂