“Strangely, walking makes one feel one has had a fuller life”

-Rory Stewart The Places In Between

     This quote truly captures my imagination. The world is incredibly high paced; humans easily travel hundreds of miles in a single day with minimum thought and effort. We have evolved past foot paced traveling, but some still enjoy it. Every year thousands of people embark on the Appalachian Mountain Trail and the Pacific Northwest trail. Why do they do it?

     I believe something about traveling through the wilderness at walking pace brings us closer to the world and ourselves. This is the spirit on the Adirondack Traverse. To travel through one of the greatest protected parks from south to north in a single 200+ mile adventure. Although not all of the journey will be on foot, a large majority of it will. The canoeing sections will show the beauty of other simplistic travel methods and how diverse the Adirondack park really is. The biking sections are, in my opinion, only to avoid walking on roads and get off them quickly so we can get back in beautiful the woods.

It is going to be EPIC!

Ryan and I are so lucky to have grown up exploring the wilderness. Our friendship is based on an adventurous spirit and growing up so close to the Adirondacks, we have always had a place to channel that energy. Unfortunately, some kids are not as lucky. Many inner city kids all over the country have the same spirit and friendship as Ryan and I, but some have no where to channel that energy. Instead of hiking and camping, often these kids can express their adventurous energy negatively and get themselves into real trouble.  The kids are labeled “at risk youth”, referring to their potential to wind up in a position no one would want to be in.  The problem is these children rarely even have an option to get out of their county of residence, let alone into the wilderness. They are trapped.  Along with poverty, bad education, and the lack family structure, it often seems there is little hope for “at risk youth”. There is hope. A charity called Big City Mountaineers is tackling this problem head on the only way a true outdoorsmen knows how: adventure in the wilderness. Help change these kids lives. Please watch the BCM video on our “The Cause” page and donate. You’ll help Ryan and I climb Mt. Rainier and support an amazing charity!