2663 Miles for AmeriKids

After dreaming about the idea of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail since I was a young punk, I finally am making it a reality this summer with my closer than normal friend Adam Houzner. Conversations with my dad and early hiking and backpacking adventures with my family initially sparked my interest in thru-hiking the PCT. Without my family's influence in my life, I probably never would have any interest in doing such a thing. From the moment I popped out of the womb, my mom and dad have taught me how to appreciate, respect, and love Mother Nature. The past three summers I have spent commercial salmon fishing in the Prince William Sound, AK. After falling in love with both the fishing gig and Alaska as a whole, it was a tough decision to walk away from the last frontier temporarily.

So, what about this Adam dude? Well, most people believe he is either my life partner or fraternal twin---one of us is a blonde, blue-eyed lady slayer with the nickname Hulk. In reality, Adam is also taking a break from Alaska after fishing the last two summers. We met my sophomore year of college after an intramural basketball game. Despite me being the little nerd in botany class that Adam always questioned, we hit it off to say the least. As two bums with wandering souls, we felt that we would need a little motivation and purpose to keep our feet on the ground for 2663 miles.

Camp AmeriKids is a camp that is designed to enhance the lives of inner-city kids that are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS in the New York Tri-State Area. My sister Kestrel, who has worked at the camp the past two summers, has been trying to get me out to New York to work a session in the near future. Kes has told me what an amazing experience it has been for her and how it is such an escape for the youth coming to the camp where they can fully concentrate on the enjoyment of just being a kid. My sister has repeatedly said to me after each session that she feels the reward that she gets as a program staff member has to be greater than the satisfaction the kids take home with them. It is not that the kids are not getting a great deal out of Camp AmeriKids, but rather that the kids give so much back to every one around them. As Adam and I have not yet had the opportunity to work at Camp AmeriKids, we will walk 2663 miles up the West Coast for the kids on the East Coast.