About Hikeformentalhealth.org

   I teamed up with hikeformentalhealth.org in July 2012 before taking off on my MST thru hike. I heard of them thru Facebook and after checking out the site i knew this was something i want to be a part of. I have lived with someone who suffers from severe bipolar disorder and know not only what affect it has on them but also on the one's who love them and see the way that some people look at them or act toward them because of it. I also myself have adhd and have learned to live with it and hiking seems to be the key to my personal sanity, if that's what you'd call it :)   I hope to bring attention to the site and help raise some funds... below is the mission statement -

Our Mission

Hiking on backcountry trails helps many people re-connect with nature and with places within themselves that get obscured in the daily hustle and bustle. A few days in the solitude of the trail re-grounds them and helps preserve their mental health.
For people battling mental illness, however, the path to mental health is rarely so simple. Mental illness affects 1 out of 4 families in the United States, leaving those who suffer from it and their families searching for answers, cures and treatments that will allow them to experience the simple joy of living.
The mission of HIKE for Mental Health is to

1. Increase public awareness of the challenges and suffering faced by those afflicted by mental illness and their families.
2. Increase public appreciation for and responsible use of wilderness trails.
3. Raise funds, principally by coordinating fundraising wilderness hikes, for distribution to nonprofit organizations committed to (a) preventing and alleviating the pain caused by mental illness or (b) maintaining and preserving wilderness trails.

In distributing its net proceeds, HIKE for Mental Health will direct

• Eighty percent to scientific research to prevent, cure, or treat mental illness and
• Twenty percent to help preserve wilderness trails.

                                             hikeformentalhealth.org

Plans for 2013

 My plans for 2013 are coming together and i am ready to finally announce that i will be hiking the A.T. again. This time i will be starting in March and will also be doing the L.T. when i get to Vermont.  I will be teaming up with hikeformentalhealth.org and will be doing a blog on the hike starting with my preparation and updating it as i can along the way. I am also currently working to secure sponsorship and will include the progress in the blog.



past hikes -  2011 A.T. SoBo thru hike
                    2012 BMT thru hike
                    2012 MST thru hike


   

MST BLOG

Finally finished my MST blog - http://sowaymst2012.blogspot.com/

What's been going on with So Way?

 Well folks lots has been going on with So Way the past few months... I'll be doing a blog on my latest trail the MST within the next few days. I'm also going to do a blog on peak bagging the east coast and another on my future plans for the rest of the year and next years big deal. There are big exciting things coming!

 I recently teamed up with a charity and did my last hike for them and plan to do future hikes for them.They can be found at hikeformentalhealth.org and look under sponsor hiker to find me.

"Hiking on backcountry trails helps many people re-connect with nature and with places within themselves that get obscured in the daily hustle and bustle. A few days in the solitude of the trail re-grounds them and helps preserve their mental health.
For people battling mental illness, however, the path to mental health is rarely so simple. Mental illness affects 1 out of 4 families in the United States, leaving those who suffer from it and their families searching for answers, cures and treatments that will allow them to experience the simple joy of living."
 quoted from - hikeformentalhealth.org

Check out my blogs

  here's the links to my completed hikes -

 AT thru hike - 2011 - http://soway2011atsobo.blogspot.com/

BMT thru hike - 2012 -  http://soway2012bmt.blogspot.com/

Trails I'm planning to hike in 2012

                                    Trails I'm planning to hike in 2012

                 This year I'm going to be hiking several smaller trails. Last years A.T. thru hike was awesome and i have my sights on more long distance thru hikes soon. But this year I'll be sticking to trails i can hike in weeks at a time between other things i have planned for my life. I'll be going lite to ultralite for these trails & be using them to fine tune my hiking for my 2013 plans so with a few exceptions most of them will be done in a high daily mileage fashion. I'm also going to try to gain some sponsorship this year because the fact is I'm not rich and not all trails are as easy to acquire things on as the A.T. ( If you know any companies who'd sponsor me let me know)  Below is a list of the trails I'm planning in no real order of when yet. As i know the dates and get more into the planning of each trail I'll blog about them each in more detail and may add or cancel some.

 Check out my blog on my A.T. thru hike here -  http://soway2011atsobo.blogspot.com/ 

   Great Smoky Mountain Nation park section of the A.T. - This is a 71.6 mile section i skipped during my thru hike but plan to do with Wiggles & Ava this spring when it's nice and we can enjoy it.

   Benton MacKaye Trail - The Benton MacKaye Trail or BMT is 300 miles in length and runs from Springer Mountain in Georgia  (sharing the southern terminus of the A.T.) to Davenport Gap in Tennessee. 

  More info on the BMT can be found here -- http://www.bmta.org/

   Mountains-to-Sea Trail -The Mountains to Sea Trail is over 900 miles long and spans from Clingman's Dome (the highest point in Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park) to Jockey's Ridge State Park in NC (the highest sand dune on the East Coast). About 500 miles of footpath & a little over 400 miles of road walks and bike paths. I have something special in mind for this trail that I'll blog in length about once i have a plan in place.

   More info on the Mountains to Sea Trail can be found here -- http://www.ncmst.org/

   Want to help me hike? Donate below :)