Thursday, April 30, 2009
Thank you, Hugh and Terri!
We officially have a place to stay at the end of our first day. Hugh and Terri Norwood of Sykesville, MD have opened their home to us for that night, and they're only about five miles from our first stop in Barrett. Hugh and Terri became good friends with Chuck and Jen when Hugh and Jen both worked at Lesley University. And now fate is bringing us all together on this amazing journey. Thanks guys!
Why we love Chuck
This is a short YouTube video Farm Sanctuary released last year after the pig rescue. The first and last narrator that you hear is Chuck. Check it out:
Possible Route Plan
Now that the GiveForward page is set up, the next task on my to-do list is getting down to the nitty gritty logistical details of planning the walk itself. I have come up with a very tentative route plan that goes as follows (see map below):
Sunday - Arlinton, VA to Barrett, MD - 41.5 Miles
Monday - Barrett, MD to York Springs, PA - 45.6 Miles
Tuesday - York Springs, PA to Liverpool, PA - 49.5 Miles
Wednesday - Liverpool, PA to Watsontown, PA - 42.2 Miles
Thursday - Watsontown, PA to Ralston, PA - 38.4 Miles
Friday - Ralston, PA to Caton, NY - 45.4 Miles
Saturday - Caton, NY to FARM SANCTUARY - 29.1 Miles
Total: 292
If anyone has any input to share, please send me an email. If you live along the route or within 10 miles of it and you have a place for us to stay or a yard in which we can pitch a tent, I am all ears! The towns above are loose goals; depending on how things go from day to day, we could end up walking a little more or a little less on any given day. If we have to stop where there is no camping area, motel or volunteer house, we may take the van to the nearest possible rest location and then return to where we left the following morning.
View Larger Map
Sunday - Arlinton, VA to Barrett, MD - 41.5 Miles
Monday - Barrett, MD to York Springs, PA - 45.6 Miles
Tuesday - York Springs, PA to Liverpool, PA - 49.5 Miles
Wednesday - Liverpool, PA to Watsontown, PA - 42.2 Miles
Thursday - Watsontown, PA to Ralston, PA - 38.4 Miles
Friday - Ralston, PA to Caton, NY - 45.4 Miles
Saturday - Caton, NY to FARM SANCTUARY - 29.1 Miles
Total: 292
If anyone has any input to share, please send me an email. If you live along the route or within 10 miles of it and you have a place for us to stay or a yard in which we can pitch a tent, I am all ears! The towns above are loose goals; depending on how things go from day to day, we could end up walking a little more or a little less on any given day. If we have to stop where there is no camping area, motel or volunteer house, we may take the van to the nearest possible rest location and then return to where we left the following morning.
View Larger Map
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Ecorazzi and VEGDaily spread the word!
I'm thrilled to report that Michael Parrish DuDell, senior editor at Ecorazzi and co-creator of VEGDaily is the first person to donate online in response to Rory's $500 match incentive.
AND even more cool, he's just posted the story on both of these excellent websites! Thanks, Michael!
And thanks to everyone who has made contributions today online and by mail. We are making this happen!
AND even more cool, he's just posted the story on both of these excellent websites! Thanks, Michael!
And thanks to everyone who has made contributions today online and by mail. We are making this happen!
Thank you, Rory!
Rory Freedman, one of our favorite best-selling authors, has posted a note about our walk on Facebook, and she'll be matching $500 in donations! If you're a friend of Rory's on Facebook--as you obviously should be--just make a donation through our fundraising site and then post the amount on Rory's wall. Once the $500 mark is crossed, she'll match it!
Thank you, Rory!
Thank you, Rory!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Donate online!
You can now donate online to the 300 Miles For Chuck walkathon! Just click the link or go to:
http://www.giveforward.org/walkforchuck
For those who prefer the old fashioned method, you can now write checks to:
http://www.giveforward.org/walkforchuck
For those who prefer the old fashioned method, you can now write checks to:
Charles Pappas Supplemental Needs Trust
And mail them to:
Charles & Jennifer Pappas
183 Mill Road
Chelmsford, MA 01824
Thank you so much!
183 Mill Road
Chelmsford, MA 01824
Thank you so much!
Monday, April 27, 2009
20 Miles? Piece of cake!
Okay, well maybe our first practice wasn't exactly a piece of cake, but I am happy to report that we made it twenty miles and we could all walk the next day.
Starting off at around 8 o'clock on Saturday morning, Jenn and I met Zoe and Robyn at the bottom of Cascadilla Falls. The first mile or so from that starting point goes uphill without stopping to arrive at the top of the Cornell campus. In the cool of the morning, we made it up without much complaint.
We made it to the 7 mile mark in just 1 hour and 55 minutes, which is just about the right pace. By the time we got to mile 8, we were all lamenting that we hadn't brought snacks and Zoe somehow talked us all into stopping for breakfast at ABC Cafe. We won't have such leisurely meals on the real walk of course, but considering it was our first day out, I won't be too hard on us.
Having fully re-fueled, we continued on to finish the first loop, ending at Jenn's and my house. We all still had some water left in our water bottles, but Jenn took them inside and filled them back up. Then we were on our way once again.
This time around, the cool of the morning was but a pleasant memory as the thermometer climbed toward 90+ degrees. While our water stores had lasted the whole ten miles on our first loop, it was completely gone by the time we got to the top of Cornell the second time. That sun was fierce!
We ducked into one of the library's up there to refill, and there was some talk of calling it a day. The last 11 miles were suddenly catching up to us in a hurry. But after about ten minutes in the air conditioned library and with our water full again, we decided to go a little further.
By the time we hit the 16 mile mark, even I was starting to feel pretty abused, and with my long legs, I only have to take about half as many strides as Jenn. Everyone was starting to fantasize about various foods again and we realized this was likely to be a fairly constant topic of conversation.
But despite sore feed, tightening hamstrings, growing blisters and general fatigue, we continued on to complete our second loop just before four o'clock. Yes, that's 8 hours for just twenty miles, and we'll need move faster than that in July. For our first time out though, I am proud of our little group. We survived 20 miles, and with a little more training, I think our goal is within reach. Next time I intend to leave a car parked half way along our route where we can resupply ourselves with food and water, sort of a simulation of our support van. Better sunblock would be in order as well as I think we were all a bit pink by the end.
Next weekend, 30 miles!
Right, guys?
Starting off at around 8 o'clock on Saturday morning, Jenn and I met Zoe and Robyn at the bottom of Cascadilla Falls. The first mile or so from that starting point goes uphill without stopping to arrive at the top of the Cornell campus. In the cool of the morning, we made it up without much complaint.
We made it to the 7 mile mark in just 1 hour and 55 minutes, which is just about the right pace. By the time we got to mile 8, we were all lamenting that we hadn't brought snacks and Zoe somehow talked us all into stopping for breakfast at ABC Cafe. We won't have such leisurely meals on the real walk of course, but considering it was our first day out, I won't be too hard on us.
Having fully re-fueled, we continued on to finish the first loop, ending at Jenn's and my house. We all still had some water left in our water bottles, but Jenn took them inside and filled them back up. Then we were on our way once again.
This time around, the cool of the morning was but a pleasant memory as the thermometer climbed toward 90+ degrees. While our water stores had lasted the whole ten miles on our first loop, it was completely gone by the time we got to the top of Cornell the second time. That sun was fierce!
We ducked into one of the library's up there to refill, and there was some talk of calling it a day. The last 11 miles were suddenly catching up to us in a hurry. But after about ten minutes in the air conditioned library and with our water full again, we decided to go a little further.
By the time we hit the 16 mile mark, even I was starting to feel pretty abused, and with my long legs, I only have to take about half as many strides as Jenn. Everyone was starting to fantasize about various foods again and we realized this was likely to be a fairly constant topic of conversation.
But despite sore feed, tightening hamstrings, growing blisters and general fatigue, we continued on to complete our second loop just before four o'clock. Yes, that's 8 hours for just twenty miles, and we'll need move faster than that in July. For our first time out though, I am proud of our little group. We survived 20 miles, and with a little more training, I think our goal is within reach. Next time I intend to leave a car parked half way along our route where we can resupply ourselves with food and water, sort of a simulation of our support van. Better sunblock would be in order as well as I think we were all a bit pink by the end.
Next weekend, 30 miles!
Right, guys?
New Blog Template
I decided to change the template for this blog because I ended up using the first template for Chuck's Story blog as well, and I thought a different look here might avoid some confusion when people are navigating back and forth. I hope the new look meets everyone's approval! :)
The Chuck Pappas Story Blog
The Chuck Pappas Story is now officially online! Read about Chuck's story and follow along on his journey through cancer treatment.
And for anyone who wishes to make a donation or send a gift, that information now lives here. Note, if you are sending a pledge in response to our 300 Miles For Chuck, please write "300 Miles" in the memo line so we can track our progress. Thank you so much!
And for anyone who wishes to make a donation or send a gift, that information now lives here. Note, if you are sending a pledge in response to our 300 Miles For Chuck, please write "300 Miles" in the memo line so we can track our progress. Thank you so much!
Friday, April 24, 2009
Hoe Down Registration
I believe the Hoe Down registration should be around $100 for the whole weekend.
Registration for TAFA and the Hoe Down
Just a reminder for anyone who is planning on going to TAFA or the Hoe Down - particularly members of the Walk For Chuck team:
Here is the registration schedule for TAFA (keep in mind that the walk will be leaving mid-morning on Sunday):
On or before June 19:
Saturday OR Sunday only- $90
Both days - $140
On or after June 20:
Saturday OR Sunday only - $115
Both days - $165
Additional fees are associated with banquets, Friday workshops, etc. And lodging is not included, but you can get a room at the Hyatt where the event is being held for $99 per night.
For more info, go to:
http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Fees.aspx?e=a6491bac-2f92-450c-bba9-b7e4723a6fbd
There is no information yet on the Hoe Down registration, but I'll post it as soon as I know. The good news is that lodging IS included at the Hoe Down if you don't mind sleeping in a tent and having no shower. Otherwise, there are a number of options in Watkins Glen.
Here is the registration schedule for TAFA (keep in mind that the walk will be leaving mid-morning on Sunday):
On or before June 19:
Saturday OR Sunday only- $90
Both days - $140
On or after June 20:
Saturday OR Sunday only - $115
Both days - $165
Additional fees are associated with banquets, Friday workshops, etc. And lodging is not included, but you can get a room at the Hyatt where the event is being held for $99 per night.
For more info, go to:
http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Fees.aspx?e=a6491bac-2f92-450c-bba9-b7e4723a6fbd
There is no information yet on the Hoe Down registration, but I'll post it as soon as I know. The good news is that lodging IS included at the Hoe Down if you don't mind sleeping in a tent and having no shower. Otherwise, there are a number of options in Watkins Glen.
First practice, tomorrow morning!
Jenn, Zoe and I are going to do our first practice walk tomorrow morning. We've marked out a ten mile loop that starts from where Jenn and I live, goes up around Cornell, through the plantations and back down. I'm hoping that we can make the whole loop in 3 hours or less. If we still have energy after that, we'll do another loop. Having done 20 miles, I think we'll have a better idea of how it would feel to do 50.
For those of you who are thinking of coming with us, I strongly encourage you to make a similar practice walk this weekend. We only have 14 weeks to get into shape, and since most of us won't have time to do 10 mile hikes during the work week, let alone 20+ miles, we need to make the weekends count!
Also, I want to note that our support van is going to have a limited capacity in terms of how many people it can safely and effectively support. So far, we potentially have 6 thru-hikers, although only three are for sure (Me, Jenn and Zoe) as far as I know. The support van can seat 7 passengers. I don't plan on us ever needing to put all the hikers in the van, but I don't want to have more passengers than we have seats in case of emergency. So, if you are definitely coming with us, let me know as soon as possible. I will hold spaces for the three people that Jenn or I have heard from so far (Clarissa, Krysta, and Robyn). If you want to be our lucky #7, now is the time to speak up. After I hear from the seventh person, I'll put other interested parties on a waiting list in case someone drops out.
To be honest, until yesterday, I never would have imagined that 7 people would all want to come on this 300 mile walk. Chuck is even more popular than I thought! Or maybe he just has more crazy friends than most people :) In any case, I would love to open this up for more than 7 thru-hikers, so if there is anyone who wants to provide an additional support vehicle, please email me!
For those of you who are thinking of coming with us, I strongly encourage you to make a similar practice walk this weekend. We only have 14 weeks to get into shape, and since most of us won't have time to do 10 mile hikes during the work week, let alone 20+ miles, we need to make the weekends count!
Also, I want to note that our support van is going to have a limited capacity in terms of how many people it can safely and effectively support. So far, we potentially have 6 thru-hikers, although only three are for sure (Me, Jenn and Zoe) as far as I know. The support van can seat 7 passengers. I don't plan on us ever needing to put all the hikers in the van, but I don't want to have more passengers than we have seats in case of emergency. So, if you are definitely coming with us, let me know as soon as possible. I will hold spaces for the three people that Jenn or I have heard from so far (Clarissa, Krysta, and Robyn). If you want to be our lucky #7, now is the time to speak up. After I hear from the seventh person, I'll put other interested parties on a waiting list in case someone drops out.
To be honest, until yesterday, I never would have imagined that 7 people would all want to come on this 300 mile walk. Chuck is even more popular than I thought! Or maybe he just has more crazy friends than most people :) In any case, I would love to open this up for more than 7 thru-hikers, so if there is anyone who wants to provide an additional support vehicle, please email me!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Support Vehicle? Check!
The fourth member of our team, Patty Benton (my mom!), has officially signed on to be our support vehicle! Things are coming together!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Welcome to the 300 Miles For Chuck Team: Zoë Zuschlag!
Farm Sanctuary Development Coordinator Zoë Zuschlag has agreed to walk (or bike, TBA) the entire 300 miles with us! We are now 3 thru-hikers strong! Welcome to the team Zoë!
Our first practice will be Saturday morning.
Our first practice will be Saturday morning.
300 Miles Introduction
Hello Internet,
My friend Chuck was recently diagnosed with brain cancer. I won't go into the heavy medical details, because there will probably be another blog to handle that soon enough. Let it suffice to say that this cancer is no pushover. It is serious business.
The good news is that Chuck is one of the toughest people I know, and he has an amazing collection of family and friends who are ready to help him kick cancer's butt.
The bad news is that between the cancer and the treatment, Chuck has had to leave his job at Farm Sanctuary. That means that he and his wife, Jen - and their two little dogs Hank and Rocco - are down to one income, and enormous medical expenses are accruing daily. For example, when the tumor in Chuck's skull first made itself known by swelling to the size of a softball, he had to be flown to Rochester by helicopter to save his life. The bill for that helicopter ride is about $10,000, and it isn't covered by his insurance. That's just the beginning.
So the bottom line is that Chuck needs a lifeline, big time. To those of you who know Chuck, there's no need for me to convince you that he is a man worth helping. For those who don't know him, we'll soon have a web page to show you in detail what an amazing guy he is and how much he's done to make the world a more compassionate place - like last summer when he spent more than a week slogging through the toxic-waste laden flood waters of Iowa saving stranded pigs who were on the ragged edge of life and death.
With that preface, I arrive at the point of this blog. My wife Jenn (two "n"s) and I are planning an extreme walkathon to raise money for Chuck and offset some of the financial strain he and his family are under. The walk will go from the Taking Action For Animals (TAFA) conference in Washington DC to the Farm Sanctuary Hoe Down in Watkins Glen, NY. TAFA is the biggest all-around animal rights conference in the country - probably in the world - and the Hoe Down is the biggest (and most fun) animal rights shindig focusing solely on farm animals. TAFA is the last weekend in July, and the Hoe Down is the following weekend. So that gives us about 6 days to cover roughly 300 miles. And our goal is to raise $25,000. I know that is a steep goal, but we like to aim high, and we know there are some amazing people in our extended community who will help us make it happen. If you can help us reach that goal, please donate here!
We'd like to walk the distance but we may end up making it a bikeathon instead, depending on how abused we feel after doing some trial walks of 40-50 miles around Ithaca. We've got three months to get ready. In the meantime, we are looking for other walkers (part way or all the way), support volunteers, fund-raisers/pledge-collectors, and basically anybody who wants to help in any way. This blog will chronicle the preparations and the eventual walk from DC to Watkins Glen. If you want to get involved, send me an email! We'd love to hear from you.
Again, if you would like to make a monetary donation to our walk, please visit
http://www.giveforward.org/fundraiser.html
Or you can send a check or money order to:
Chuck Pappas
c/o Jim and Cheryl Ortolf
183 Mill RoadChelmsford, MA 01824
Checks can be made payable to "Chuck or Jen Pappas" and please write "300 Miles" in the memo line so we can track our progress. Thank you so much!
My friend Chuck was recently diagnosed with brain cancer. I won't go into the heavy medical details, because there will probably be another blog to handle that soon enough. Let it suffice to say that this cancer is no pushover. It is serious business.
The good news is that Chuck is one of the toughest people I know, and he has an amazing collection of family and friends who are ready to help him kick cancer's butt.
The bad news is that between the cancer and the treatment, Chuck has had to leave his job at Farm Sanctuary. That means that he and his wife, Jen - and their two little dogs Hank and Rocco - are down to one income, and enormous medical expenses are accruing daily. For example, when the tumor in Chuck's skull first made itself known by swelling to the size of a softball, he had to be flown to Rochester by helicopter to save his life. The bill for that helicopter ride is about $10,000, and it isn't covered by his insurance. That's just the beginning.
So the bottom line is that Chuck needs a lifeline, big time. To those of you who know Chuck, there's no need for me to convince you that he is a man worth helping. For those who don't know him, we'll soon have a web page to show you in detail what an amazing guy he is and how much he's done to make the world a more compassionate place - like last summer when he spent more than a week slogging through the toxic-waste laden flood waters of Iowa saving stranded pigs who were on the ragged edge of life and death.
With that preface, I arrive at the point of this blog. My wife Jenn (two "n"s) and I are planning an extreme walkathon to raise money for Chuck and offset some of the financial strain he and his family are under. The walk will go from the Taking Action For Animals (TAFA) conference in Washington DC to the Farm Sanctuary Hoe Down in Watkins Glen, NY. TAFA is the biggest all-around animal rights conference in the country - probably in the world - and the Hoe Down is the biggest (and most fun) animal rights shindig focusing solely on farm animals. TAFA is the last weekend in July, and the Hoe Down is the following weekend. So that gives us about 6 days to cover roughly 300 miles. And our goal is to raise $25,000. I know that is a steep goal, but we like to aim high, and we know there are some amazing people in our extended community who will help us make it happen. If you can help us reach that goal, please donate here!
We'd like to walk the distance but we may end up making it a bikeathon instead, depending on how abused we feel after doing some trial walks of 40-50 miles around Ithaca. We've got three months to get ready. In the meantime, we are looking for other walkers (part way or all the way), support volunteers, fund-raisers/pledge-collectors, and basically anybody who wants to help in any way. This blog will chronicle the preparations and the eventual walk from DC to Watkins Glen. If you want to get involved, send me an email! We'd love to hear from you.
Again, if you would like to make a monetary donation to our walk, please visit
http://www.giveforward.org/fundraiser.html
Or you can send a check or money order to:
Chuck Pappas
c/o Jim and Cheryl Ortolf
183 Mill RoadChelmsford, MA 01824
Checks can be made payable to "Chuck or Jen Pappas" and please write "300 Miles" in the memo line so we can track our progress. Thank you so much!
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