One step at a time

             

Amicalola Falls

                                           
                                                                One Step  AT a Time

                                                                           Where to start?  

                                                                           One step at a time

                                                                          46 steps per minute

                                                                           2760 steps per hour

                                                                            27,600 steps per day.

                                                                                     180 Days 

As I sit here looking at 14’’ of snow in our back yard I find it hard to believe that I will soon be starting to thru hike the Appalachian Trial (AT). I have decided to do what is called a flip flop. I will be starting on April 10, 2017 (flip) at Rock Fish Gap in Waynesboro, VA (intersection of I-64 and the southern end of the Skyline Drive). This point is 861 miles from the Southern terminus of the AT at Springer Mt., GA. I will hike north through VA, W VA, MD, DE, PA, NJ., NY, CT, MA, VT, NH, ME, and ending the first part of my hike in ME at Katahdin, Baxter Peak (elevation 5,268) 1,328 miles later. I will then catch a ride from Betty and drive back to Rockfish Gap in Waynesboro, VA and continue (flop) South 861 mile through VA, NC, TN, and GA, ending at Springer Mt., GA elevation 3,782 ft. In the process I will have walked 2,190 miles through 14 states and gone up and down approximately 464,500 ft. in elevation.

In the process I will carry approximately 30 lbs. of gear, food, and water on my back, sleeping at night on the trail in a tent or shelter. I will need to resupply every 4-5 days by walking into the nearest town to wash my clothes, get a hot meal or 2, take a hot shower, and pick up needed supplies. Depending on what is available, I may spend the night at a hostel or other lodging facility, getting a ride back to the trail early the next morning.

That’s what I will be doing for the next 6 months and I will need some help. My goal is to raise funds for the youth of the communities I minister to and live in: the parishes of St. Paul and St. Augustine in Glastonbury in which I have ministered for 17 years, and the community of Cromwell where my wife and I have called home for 33 years. I am asking that you donate a penny per mile to either or both of these causes which are of great importance to not only me, but my wife, Betty, as well.

Pledges can be made mail to the following. Please also include your email and mailing addresses.

                

                  A Penny a Mile Pledge                  

St. Augustine / St. Paul Churches

Melissa LaCafta

2577 Main Street

Glastonbury, CT 06033

Education Association of Cromwell

Kristina Matuskiewicz

Edna C. Stevens School

25 Court Street

Cromwell, CT 06416