100 Mile Wilderness Challenge is upon us!

Just a reminder to all that The 100 Mile Wilderness Challenge is soon to begin!  Hansel and Gretel are in their final stretch of the journey and of their mission to raise 10,000 for the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America.  Our family friends, The Hansen's are very generously proposing a final fundraising challenge in which they will match every donation that comes in up to $500.

To see proposal written in grater detail, you can click here.
To visit Hansel and Gretel's donation page at MSAA, you can click here.

We are so thankful to everyone who has already contributed to Hansel and Gretel's goal and for all of the support everyone has been giving throughout the entire AT experience.  You all have been truly wonderful!

Happy Trails!

A few shots from the top of Baldpate Mountain 

Hansel 

Gretel

Hansel at the edge of the world!

100 Mile Wilderness Challenge

Greetings to all!  For today’s entry I’m turning this blog posting over to two longtime family friends, The Hansen’s.  They are declaring a challenge to our readers to support the efforts of Hansel & Gretel on behalf of the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA).  Please read on and consider joining their matching fund challenge to support the millions of individuals living with M.S. through a donation to the Jabeccawalk.  

Hansel and Gretel are making their way towards the New Hampshire-Maine line and beyond that their final destination, the peak of Mt Katahdin and the end of the Appalachian Trail.  Between Monson, Maine and the final ascent up the mountain lies the 100 Mile Wilderness.  This section of the trail is known as the toughest and most challenging, both mentally and physically.  Careful preparation is required prior to completing this section of the trail.  Only a few gravel logging roads provide access in emergency and there are no supplies points along the way.  The terrain is rugged and the weather is known to be especially unpredictable in this region.  Their daily mileage will drop off as they begin to ford streams that can bring waist high cold water and some sections of the trail remain excessively muddy from the spring run-offs.  Despite these challenges, hikers still attest to the incredible beauty of this section.  Its remoteness lends to the stillness and pristine woods that make it so unique.  Beyond the Wilderness lies the final climb to Mt Katahdin the highest point in Maine and the end of the A.T.

Over 400,000 people in the United States have multiple sclerosis, and for each one of those individuals, there are family members and friends that are affected by their diagnosis as well. MSAA exists to enrich not only the quality of life for the individual with MS but for everyone who is affected by the disease. By providing direct support and services, MSSA helps to make life easier for individuals living with multiple sclerosis.  

We once hiked Mt Katahdin and are still entranced with its beauty and the memories of the hikers we met that day.  The experience of sharing the trail and their stories are a significant part of our wonderful memories from that day.  This experience and our shared concern for those dealing with the challenges M.S. provide a special connection to the JabeccaWalk and this final section of the trail.

So, we’re putting out a matching fund challenge to our Jabeccawalk community.  We will match your gifts, dollar for dollar up to $500 for every donation made as they make the final trek towards Mt Katahdin.  Your $25 instantly becomes $50.  The larger the donation the more we can give.  Our goal is to turn our $500 into $1000 of support for the MSAA and provide encouragement to Hansel & Gretel during this challenging final portion of their hike.  With Gretel back on the trail once again they are united in strength and commitment but, it won’t be easy. 

Please consider a first-time or additional online donation to their cause on the MSAA/JabeccaWalk page.  Checks payable to MSAA may also be mailed to MSAA, 706 Haddonfield Rd Cherry Hill, NJ 08002.  Please note “JabeccaWalk Wilderness Challenge” on your check. 

We thank you for your generous gift and vote of confidence in JabeccaWalk and their cause to support the MSAA and individuals and families living with M.S. 

1,000 Miles!

Big things are happening!  Today Hansel and Gretel passed the 

One Thousand Mile Mark!

If the average person's stride length is about 2.5 feet long, it takes just over 2,000 steps to walk one mile. This means that Hansel and Gretel have taken more than 2 million steps on the Appalachian Trail!  

Other big news: 

Tomorrow Hansel and Gretel will complete The Maryland Challenge!  Their goal is to walk the entire state of Maryland, which is 41 miles, in a single day.  Tonight they were met by our dad, Two Bad, in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.  Oh, I guess it is also worth mentioning that they have completed the state of Virginia as well as the state of West Virginia.  So tomorrow they will start bright and early.  Two Bad will hold onto their packs and equip them with smaller bags large enough to hold water for the day and some snacks to keep them going.  They will be able to cover more ground if they are not weighed down by their 40 pound packs.  They will meet Two Bad on the other side of Maryland at the end of the day so he can return their packs and they can continue on their way.  

They have deduced a plan to help with their fundraising efforts for Multiple Sclerosis.  They have asked people to pledge a monetary amount for each mile they complete in Maryland.  Two Bad has offered to match 50 cents to every dollar they raise up to $500.  We are hoping this will put them up to $5,000 for MS, which would be the halfway point for their fundraising goal.  

Wish them luck tomorrow!  It is going to be a long day!

Happy Trails!

Natural Trail Magic- Beautiful Butterflies!

Snack Time!

Green Tunnel 

Trail Maintenance 

Why did the deer cross the road?

Death March To Dad

"We are going to be killing ourselves!"  Hansel reported.  Until they meet up with Dad on May 2nd, they will be covering 20 plus miles every day!  The reason for this death march is that they are about 8 miles behind schedule and because there was some very ambitions planning for their resupply days.

Gretel did most to the grunt work when it came to planning out their entire hike.  She figured out how many miles they should cover per day and where they would be sleeping.  She was correct in assuming that they would be able to handle 20 mile days at this point in the excursion, but it might have been a little much to expect so many miles on a day when they also need to go into town, restock food, get a shower and do laundry.   I wonder if the excellent hygiene of Hansel and Gretel will suffer in these next 10 days?  One good thing about their upcoming challenge: the terrain is not as mountainous which will make it easier, though there is still no denying that 20 miles a day is going to be tough on their feet.

In other news, they will be reaching the 500 mile mark at the top of Pine Mountain tomorrow!  Also, Hansel was able to pick up a new backpack in Damascus since his old pack had a big hole in it.  The unfortunate thing is that the new pack is extremely uncomfortable and really hurts his back on the uphills.  When you are hiking the Trail, your gear is your life, and a comfortable, quality backpack is essential.  But don't worry, there is a plan in the making.  Hansel is going to order a new pack that is the same style as his old one, but in a bigger size.  He'll have it mailed to our home in New Jersey, and then Dad can bring it with him when he meets them at the end of the death march.

Finally, an update on Hansel and Gretel's MS fundraising mission.  So far, all of you have helped them raise $3,365.00!!  More than 50 people have contributed to their cause and we are all so appreciative of your generosity!  If you would still like to make a donation, just visit Hansel and Gretel's page at the MSAA website.  The link is always available in the site bar on the right, or you can just click right here. Thanks so much to everyone for following the story, for your continued support, and for your kind words of encouragement!  It means so much to our terrific Trail travelers!

Happy Trails!

Some pictures from the Virginia/Tennessee State Line:

Thank You!

To all of you who have been following Hansel and Gretel on their journey so far and who have been leaving kind words of encouragement and support, I would just like to say "Thank You!"  I have been passing along all of your wonderful comments to the hikers and they are always so excited when they hear that one of their friends is keeping track of them!

I also would like to recognize all of those who have made a donation to the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) to support Hansel and Gretel's efforts.  So far, you have helped them raise $1,370!  That is more than 10% of their goal ($10,000) and they are only a week into their trek!  That is wonderful! Thank you all so much for your generosity!  We all really appreciate it!  If anyone would like to donate, there is a link on the right side of the page under the tab that says "Help Our Cause."  Please feel free to visit it any time even if you just want to check it out and leave a message.

Here are a few pictures to accompany this post:

 A delicious concoction of condensed peanut butter and powered whole milk.  Yum!

Camp for the night. 

Gretel mixing together some Gatorade.

Spreading the Word

As the final days at home in Cranford NJ dwindle away, Jarrod and Becca are making every last effort to spread word about their adventure and about their goals to raise $10,000 for multiple sclerosis (MS).  Countless emails have been sent to friends, family, school mates, colleagues, and potentially interested acquaintances.  Both Seton Hall Prep School (Jarrod's high school) and Brown University (Jarrod's college) have kindly posted information about the adventure on their web pages!  


Jarrod and Becca have also sent several days meandering through the streets of town, in and out of public buildings, down the aisle of our very own church on a Sunday morning, through the line at the frozen yogurt shop, and on the treadmills at the gym wearing their 35 pound packs and dressed for the trail.  They figured no one would miss them if they were decked out in their complete backpacking ensamble.  They chatted with anyone one who expressed an interest and distributed slips of paper with links to the MS donation page and to this very blog. 


Wednesday afternoon was their excursion to the gym which is a few miles away from our house.  They loaded their packs with everything except food and set out at about 3:30pm.   Each packed weighed about 28 pounds.  Once their food is added, they are expecting their packs to weigh between 35 and 40 lbs, which is exactly what they were shooting for.  


Feeling good, they walked all the way into the center of town.  As they were going, some awesome guy on a bike named Jim yells out to them and asks, “Where you guys goin’?”  


So they yelled back, “To the Appalachian Trail!”

After a short chat, they continued to hike over to Style Street, the place our entire family has been going to get our hair cut since 1991.  Mr. J's, the best sandwich shop in town, was the next stop.  They talked with the owner for a bit who promises to hook them up with some sloppy joe sandwiches before they leave for the trail.  For anyone not from New Jersey, a "sloppy joe" is a three layered sandwich with meat, swiss, coleslaw, and dressing between rye bread.  This is definitely NOT the ground beef mess that comes on a hamberger bun.  Oh no!  And you better believe Jarrod and Becca will be stopping by Mr. J's once more for that oh-so-delicious sandwich!  


Once Jarrod and Becca made it to Gold Metal Fitness, they spent a few minutes speaking with owner Gary Patti. Shortly after, they hopped on the treadmill, walking at a 20-minute mile pace on a mild incline.  They found out that they would likely be burning about 100 calories for every mile they walked.  If we do a little math, we can conclude that if they hike 20 miles a day (which is their goal), they will be burning 2,000 calories per day!  This means that in order to sustain their energy, they are going to have to eat about 4,000 calories per day!  Talk about a diet plan!  Yikes!  


All of the people who saw them in the gym were very excited to hear about their upcoming journey and many offered suggestions and little pearls of wisdom to help them as they hike.  There were even suggestions of packing a shot gun and a machete!  


That's all for now!  Happy trails!  


ps. Jarrod and Becca have sent me more pictures than I can fit into this blog so I will attach a link to a separate flickr account where you can see all of their pictures as they send them to me.  The link can also be found on the right side of the page under "Links we think are important."

Preparations

For the past year and a half, Jarrod and Becca have been collecting supplies, reading books on the Appalachia Trail, and most importantly, finishing their undergraduate degrees.  With less than three months to go before their intended departure date in March, the final preparations are being made.

They have recently added a new mission to this rather extensive undertaking: they will be hiking to raise money for multiple sclerosis.  MS is an inflammatory disease that affects nerves cells in the brain and spinal chord resulting in a broad range of symptoms.  To make a donation and aid their efforts, you can visit the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America which will always be displayed on the right-hand side of the screen for your convenience.  OR you can just click on this link: http://support.msassociation.org/site/TR?pg=fund&fr_id=1030&pxfid=5981

Jarrod and Becca have asked me, their sister, to record their journey using this blog so that others may follow their progress.  Updates will come whenever possible, most likely via phone call and post cards that they acquire from towns along the Trail.  I will then transfer their correspondence into this blog for your reading pleasure.

Who knows what this wild adventure will entail!?