 Denise Bogert, dedicated KTA member since 2011, will be hiking the Appalachian Trail in Maine to increase homelessness awareness. She says, "I will do my best to complete the hike, but the goal is always homelessness awareness. I'm asking sponsors for a penny a mile (282) as I believe anyone can squeeze that in their budget." Denise has requested that sponsorships be sent to any of the following charities:
Denise's hike will be published in the Huntingdon Daily News and on statecollege.com. KTA will post updates of her progress below and on our Facebook page as we receive them. UPDATE 1 - 6/12/2018 I'm on the road heading for Route 80. I'm planning to arrive in Monson, park my car, and get a shuttle up to Katahdin Stream Campground, then head south from there back to Monson. I will keep you updated. I am hiking for the homeless, and we hikers, and backpackers in particular, are sort of homeless when we choose to hike the trails. I plan on meeting Scot in 2 and a 1/2 weeks in Gorham and we will hike together through the Whites for as far as we can until he has to go back to work. If I still have miles to complete in Maine, I will go back and try to complete those. Scot hiked the Appalachian Trail in Maine last year, and I supported him while staying and volunteering at a homeless shelter in Skowhegan, Maine. UPDATE 2 - 7/27/2018 Hi and hello, I am back home with my tail between my legs! I should be feeling like a miserable failure, and I did before receiving pep talks from friends and spiritual leaders who have helped me along the way. To quote Dale Carnegie, "Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success." I ended up yellow blazing through Maine, ending up in Gorham N.H. where I met Scot and continued to yellow blaze the White Mountains all the way down to Rt. 9 in Vermont as I supported him on the trail. I only managed to get in a few day hikes as I realized that I don’t like to hike alone (actually I think I am just a chicken). I met many wonderful people, experienced hikers included, along the way who said it just wasn't my time... your time will come... hike your own hike. “Let's face it,” I said to myself. I went for all the right reasons, but I didn't prepare my mind or body for the task. I didn’t waste my time. I stopped at local churches along the way and spoke of my failure. They were very interested and when I mentioned trail angels, hiker feeds and hostels, as well as homeless shelters, they became excited. I like to think that they might have caught trail magic fever! The real credit goes to Scot! He actually did the hiking and offered to replace my lost miles with his. “Heck,” he said, “you supported me last year as I thru-hiked Maine. I couldn't have done it without you.” He hiked the whole 100 Mile Wilderness and all the way to Caratunk without resupply as he hiked southbound. I did bag Katahdin, Saddleback, and Mahoosic Notch and Arm with him as he passed through. So Scot said, “Count my miles for the cause! You were there, you get credit too!” That's why I love him! The new plan (to save face): We will return together to Rt. 9 and continue his hike south hoping to get at least 100 miles in between August 2nd and 10th. He will sacrifice speed as I hike along. Please send in your sponsorship to the charities listed as we plan our hike together. Thank you for your support!
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