Mighty is the defining word that we use that encapsulates the children, families, and volunteers in the OAK and CR4TS Family. Each and everyone of us can say, “I Am Mighty!” and together, “We Are Mighty!” So when I was thinking of a name for this adventure I knew I wanted to incorporate the word “Mighty.” As far as the 10,000 goes, I had originally found 10 hikes around the world that totaled 10,000 miles. These hikes included the Triple Crown of hiking in the US(AT, CDT, PCT). So I decided that the first hike I would do would be the Appalachian Trail.

 

I started by summiting Mount Katahdin in Maine, and then made my way through the 100 Mile Wilderness. After finishing this grueling section of hiking, everything changed for me both physically and mentally. I woke up one morning, and noticed that both of my feet were swollen, and black and blue....and both of my shins were on fire. I had edema in both of my feet and a really bad case of shin splints. I knew I couldn't continue on, so I made my way back to my parents' house in New Hampshire. I spent 3 weeks recovering and healing at the home I grew up in, and during this time I did a lot of reading, researching, and soul searching. It didn't take me long to realize that I'm not the kind of hiker who is going to enjoy thru-hiking for months at a time. I could also tell that it was going to take longer than expected for my shins to fully heal. So I made the decision to pack up and head back to San Diego, to rethink this adventure.

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When I got back to San Diego, I actually felt more invigorated than when I left for the East Coast. The changes that are being made are so much better than my original plans, and it all starts with not having this whole adventure planned out! I'm going to be hiking 10,000 miles, and it's going to take many years for me to achieve that goal. I don't want it to be just 10 hikes. This needs to be much more spontaneous, as there are so many hikes around the US and the world that I want to check out. ​​​

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I also need to take advantage of where I live....San Diego! We have beautiful weather year round, and there's plenty of hiking trails throughout the area and across Southern California. So I can get a big chunk of the mileage done right here where I live. I can also get more people involved with this project as well. I've had a lot of people express interest in coming out and hiking with me, and now that I'm going to be doing a lot of hiking close to home, I'm hoping to create my own "tramily"(trail family). So I hope that many of my friends will join me, and I also hope to make new friends with people that love hiking and want to be a part of this adventure!

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There are many goals for the Mighty 10,000. Of course I’m hoping that my health will allow me to finish all 10,000 miles. But I’m also greatly hoping to spread awareness and raise funding for the quality of life programs that are provided by Oncology and Kids. It would shock most of you to know that there is little to no funding for pediatric cancer quality of life programs. In fact, only 4% of federal funding for all cancers goes toward pediatric cancer, and most of this is allocated to research and the hospitals. And of course the hospitals and research are of utmost importance, but so is quality of life for these children and their families. I have seen firsthand what programs like Camp Reach for the Sky do for these families. These camps provide so much joy, fun, and laughter for everyone involved. They provide a safe space for children to just be kids, make lifelong friends, and leave the cancer stigma at home….even if just for a week. A sense of normalcy and a quality of life is something that every child should have the right to, but that simply isn’t the case when cancer is involved. 

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The Mighty 10,000 isn’t about one man going on an adventure. It’s about a community of people coming together to support children and families whose lives have been altered by pediatric cancer. I hope that many of you will help by spreading awareness, making a donation, buying some merch, or coming out and meeting me on the trails. I would absolutely love to meet people and listen to their stories, and of course do some hiking together!