300 Miles For Chuck

End of the road...and looking ahead.

2009-08-23T18:58:00.001-07:00

I have been procrastinating horribly in getting this entry written. It has now been about three weeks since the end of our trip, and I suppose I've needed a break from it, mentally as well as physically. However, a recent email from Ethan at GiveForward has provided me with a needed kick in the butt. His recent coverage of the Chuck 300 on the Play City blog includes an interview with me which I provided shortly after coming home from the Hoe Down. I have copied some relevant excerpts below which serve to recap some of the highlights from our trip.

Q: What were some of the cool things you saw/people you met along the way?

We met so many people who were friendly and helpful, whether it was just people giving us directions or offering us something to drink. We stopped at a park in this small town in Pennsylvania and the park manager came by to see what we were up to. By the time we were done talking, he was offering to call over to some recreation center, or maybe it was a school, to get them to let us come in and take showers. We didn't take him up on it because we had miles to go, but the offer was impressive anyway. And at our last campground, the owners of the camp not only donated our $50 camping fee to the fundraiser, they gave us free firewood. Extremely nice folks.

As for sights, our walk started out by going through Arlington National Cemetery, then on through Georgetown which was very picturesque. There was a lot of beautiful countryside that we walked and rode our bikes through along the whole route. The scenic overlook on Pike's Peak outside of Williamsport was great. Not that it was all postcard material, we did some travelling along various highways that were not so scenic. And there were also times when we were, honestly, just too hot and exhausted to appreciate the scenery.

Q: 300 miles is quite a long way to hike in a week. Was there ever a point during the journey where you thought "what the heck am I doing?" and wanted to quit?

Well first, we didn't walk the whole thing. Pretty early on in our planning for this trip, we abandoned the idea that we would be able to make 300 miles in the time we had if we did it all on foot. So we decided we would bike parts of it. That's why, even though I was originally calling it the "Walk For Chuck," we soon started just calling it the "Chuck 300." I didn't know until we really got going on the trip itself just how much would be biking versus walking. Ultimately, we ended up walking only 50 miles and biking 250. However, lest anybody think that we were just making it easy on ourselves, I can assure you that we still suffered plenty!

There were two guys who had signed on from the beginning to bike the whole way, Todd and Greg. And those guys were serious bikers, so they were used to high mileage rides. But for Jenn and Zoe and I, we'd been focusing most of our training on walking. And most of the bike training that we did was on fairly flat ground when temperatures were relatively cool. So to suddenly go from that to peddling through the hills of central Pennsylvania with temperatures in the 80s and 90s, it was a real shock to the system. On one day in particular, I think we were all suffering from mild heat exhaustion. I wasn't eating enough because I was nauseous from exertion, and that lack of fuel compounded the problem. At the same time, I felt like I couldn't drink enough fluids to quench my thirst.

At the other extreme, we had lots of rain in the evening and morning hours. Toward the end of our first day of riding in Maryland, we ran into four roads that were closed because of downed trees from a severe thunderstorm that just missed us. And while we could get around the trees on our bikes, our support van couldn't. So there were a lot of detours. The rain always managed to slow us down, either in setting camp up and cooking dinner or taking camp down and preparing breakfast, pretty much every day. As a result, we had a lot of late nights and a lot of late starts in the morning. That meant less time for walking and more time that had to be made up on our bikes.

So to get back to your question, there were many times when I wished I could quit. But short of suffering some serious injury, I knew there was no way I would quit. We had come too far to let thunderstorms, heat or exhaustion get in our way. And whenever things got really tough, we would just think about what Chuck has gone through. Even before he started his ongoing battle with cancer, his three weeks saving pigs in Iowa were much harder than our one week of walking and riding bikes.

Q: Any funny stories from the trip?

it's hard to say. We laughed a lot along the way but it's hard to tell how much of it was from something that was genuinely funny and how much was from us just being exhausted to the point where anything is funny. However, our film crew took over 20 hours of video footage that they are now beginning to edit together into a documentary. So I look forward to seeing that and laughing at it all from a different perspective.

The bottom line is, I'm just grateful that we all made it through the trip without any serious injuries. I'm grateful to have had the chance to spend so much time with a truly amazing group of people. And I'm grateful we could do something to help Chuck, a great friend and a hero to me. In the grand scheme of things, the money we raised will probably only make a small difference in the course of his treatment and his life from here on out, but I hope that seeing the sincere love and good intentions that motivated all those miles and all those contributions is something that will give him hope well beyond the money alone.

Q: Anything else you want to add?

Well, I always have to give major credit first and foremost to the whole Chuck 300 team. Everybody brought something to the table. My mom in particular, as our support van, was invaluable. She took charge of getting camp set up and taken down, getting groceries, preparing meals, bringing us refreshments when we were dying from the heat. She even did our laundry a few times. And she did it all was such a positive attitude, even though she hates camping. Also, Hugh and Terri Norwood who gave us a place to stay on our first night. Their hospitality was amazing. And Ken Helm at Sheshequin Campground who donated our camping fee to the cause and gave us free firewood; that was hands down the best camp ground we stayed in too.

That concludes the interview. If you'd like to see some of the photo highlights, check out these pictures from Mike.

Pictures from Greg. (Note, these are not organized in a "Chuck 300" set, but you can flip through the pages to find where the trip pictures are all uploaded in a series.)

And here are some from my camera.

In closing, I want to say again how grateful I am to all involved, from my team-mates to our donors to those who provided other material support. This adventure may have been germinated in my brain, but it took scores of people to make it a success and I never would have made it to mile one without my truly inspiring co-adventurers. Thank you all so very much.

Also, I want to give a special thanks here to Mike and Bryce. They had the "easy" job of filming this journey, and those of us who were walking and biking may have envied the comfort of their air conditioned car. But while the rest of us will now be resting easy as summer fades into fond memories, these guys will be spending countless hours in the editing room, logging gigabytes of video files and putting it all together into what I'm sure will be an outstanding piece of film work. We are all eagerly awaiting the premier, and I wish them patience and fortitude as they get down to their labors.

Finally, I encourage everyone to continue following Chuck and Jen's journey on the Chuck Pappas Story blog. Most recently, they made the tough decision to take Chuck out of a clinical trial for the experimental drug that was supposed to be inhibiting the growth of blood vessels in the tumor. While it was not easy to give up on the prospect of a potentially valuable treatment, the side effects from that drug were just too severe. Now that he has stopped taking it, he is feeling more like his old self. And I have no doubt that other, better treatments will be coming down the pike. Please continue to offer your love, your optimism and whatever support you can provide as the continue on their path.

-Casey

Thank you!

2009-08-03T06:46:00.000-07:00

First, a note of clarification. I had thought that our GiveForward fundraiser was to expire at the end of the day today. Instead, it expired at the beginning of the day. So unfortunately, donations can no longer be made through that site. HOWEVER, it is definitely not to late to send in your contribution to the Chuck 300 fundraiser. Checks can still be made out to

Charles Pappas Supplemental Needs Trust

And they can be mailed to:

Charles & Jennifer Pappas
183 Mill Road
Chelmsford, MA 01824

While I will next be talking about the great success of our fundraiser overall, Chuck and Jen still need our support, and will continue to need our support for a long time. It is a tragic reality that getting sick in our society is enormously expensive, and the cost of adequate medical treatment for a serious illness is far beyond the means of most Americans. Let's not forget about Chuck and Jen in the days, months and years to come. Your love, your letters, your phone calls, your shoulders to lean on, and your generosity have been a light in their lives; please keep that alive.

With that preamble, I want to let everyone know that our GiveForward fundraiser was a smashing success. As of midnight last night, our total was $12,539! That is an extraordinary sum, and it could not have happened without the amazing generosity of so many people, including more than a hundred people who made donations of $50 or less. It really did add up!

We also had a LOT of people who donated $100, which really pushed the meter forward. In no particular order, I'd like to recognize those people. (Please note that the donation tranactions were usually completed by one person, but in many cases, that person was giving on behalf of a couple. When possible, I have tried to include the name of the spouse/partner):

John Martinson and Mary Day
Megan Daoust
Ari Solomon
Gail Martinson and Chuck Hodge
Dena Miller
Maya Gottfried
David Benzaquen
Ruth Santana
Celeste Donovan
Mariann Sullivan and Jasmin Singer
Debrah Schnackenberg
Michelle Waffner
Patricia Benton and Steve Stratton
Michael Frank
Nicola Leske
Stephanie Strangis
Amy Quinn
Nile Butta
Kendra Coppey
Molly Alissa Glen
Shannon Lynch
John M Mulcahy
Sean Owen
Anna Paternoster
Don Walker
Joan Gusic
Chelsea Peoples
Gene Baur
Mike and Melissa Reed
And more than one Anonymous

Next, we had ten extremely generous donations between $100 and $499:

Ian and Tricia Barry
Bradley Goldberg
Barb and Greg Lomow
JB Mulcahy and Diana Goodrich
Erin Howard
Jeannette Sepulveda
Monica Jain
Diane Miller
Kevin Hoffman
Penny and Gary Smith

Finally, I'd like to give special recognition to our six biggest donors, all of whom gave $500 or more.

Rory Freedman is one celebrity who is an amazing source of inspiration in the public eye, having co-written the revolutionary Skinny Bitch series of books, a series whose impact on the way people eat can not be overstated. But what really impresses me about Rory is how humble and genuine she is, even after selling millions of books. When I first started posting information about the Chuck 300 on Facebook, Rory was one of the first people to really push the story out there. She challenged her Facebook friends to donate $500 to Chuck, and then she matched that collective donation to generate $1,000 total. It was our first big break, and I remain incredibly grateful. I am a fan of Rory for life.

Amy Spagnole is an intellectual property rights attorney who attended middle school with Chuck. And while they had not been in contact for years, Amy clearly remembered Chuck as an amazing guy (who doesn't?) and was touched by his story. Her generous contribution was a truly heart warming surprise for Chuck and for all of us.

Scott James worked with Chuck and Jen at Lesley University when they all lived in the Boston area. Like Amy, he has not been in close contact with the them since their paths diverged years ago, but also like Amy, he is obviously someone whose charitable spirit transcends time and proximity.

Hugh and Terri Norwood... Where do I begin? As I wrote shortly after our Chuck 300 team spent the night at their home in Maryland, the depth of their support and the hospitality they showed to us was just amazing. I can't thank them enough, but I'll continue to try.

And finally, Dan D’Eramo and Jessica Parry are friends and former colleagues who worked closely with Chuck on Farm Sanctuary's Watkins Glen shelter. Dan was with Chuck last summer when the two of them spent three grueling weeks rescuing factory farm pigs from severe flooding in Iowa. And when all those pigs and piglets came home to Farm Sanctuary, Dan and Jess dedicated tireless hours of round-the-clock care to making sure their charges got everything they needed to recover fully. They brought that same level of dedication to their jobs every day, and their presence at the Farm is sorely missed now that they have moved on. But while they now live far away, their compassion continues to shine through. Their donation in the final hour of our fundraiser put us over the 50% mark and allowed us to finish with one hell of a bang. Dan and Jess, you guys rock!

I have a million other people to thank, and many people listed above to thank again, for support provided outside the confines of the GiveForward fundraiser itself, and those acknowledgements will take me a bit longer to compile. But I wanted to at least have the thanks above posted today, to mark the end of the fundraiser. To all of you who pulled out your wallets in the spirit of love, kindness and compassion, know that you have participated in something beautiful. I know that Chuck and Jen and their family, are extremely grateful to you.

Tomorrow is the deadline! Please give!

2009-08-02T05:01:00.000-07:00

Dear friends and supporters,

We survived! We made it! All the way from Washington DC to Watkins Glen on bikes and on foot! 300 miles! And we still, miraculously, had just a little energy left for the spectacular as always, Hoe Down festivities at Farm Sanctuary.

Wow.... I'm not even fully awake at this moment. But I am hoping and praying that a few more wonderful people who have just learned about our 300 Miles For Chuck will find their way to this website before the end of the day tomorrow and make a donation. As it stands right now, we have reached 45% of our goal. I don't expect that we'll reach 100% by tomorrow, but with your help, maybe we can push the meter a few more points for Chuck and Jen, two of the most amazing and compassionate and generous people you could ever hope to meet. If you can help, please go to www.giveforward.org/walkforchuck (see link above right) and make a secure, online donation. It is quick and easy, and you'll feel good about yourself all day long!

We made it!

2009-08-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

We made it! I promise to provide full details tomorrow, but now I have a Hoe Down to attend!

Sunday

2009-07-27T04:53:00.000-07:00

If I were going to give a full recount of everything that happened yesterday, we'd never get going today. But here were some of the highlights.

Left the hotel at around 8:30, Jenn, Zoe and I on foot while Greg and Todd rode their bikes.

Took a pedestrian/bike path near the hotel to get to Arlington National Cemetery. About a mile into the path, we ran into a fork in the road and had to stop and ask for directions from a gentleman passing by us on his bike. When we told him we were trying to get to Arlington National Cemetery, his expression became serious. "I gotta be honest with you, you've got a long walk ahead of you." Little did he know.

Had a pleasant walk through Arlington, Georgetown and Chevy Chase. At Chevy Chase Circle we stopped for a break. Inside the traffic circle there is a small park with a large fountain. Despite the rather gross and green looking water, I took of my shoes and socks to give my feet a soak. The cold water felt wonderful after 12ish miles of walking.

Met up with our support vehicle a few miles later in the parking lot of a library. (Somewhere around mile 15). We had PB&J for lunch, except for Greg who eats only raw food. He had a portobella mushroom cap with guacamole spread on top, which looked pretty good. We got on our bikes then - amazing what a difference it makes going from 3mph on foot to 10-20mph on the bikes.

We were making good time on the bikes but it suddenly was getting extremely hot. I felt like I was bordering on heat exhaustion more than once, and I think I wasn't alone. I was really grateful to have Todd leading the way as we pedaled through some fairly heavy traffic.

Near mile 35, we were approaching Sykesville and some of those scattered thunderstorms we'd seen in the forecast decided to visit the area. While the girls and I rode through a merely refreshing (and brief) downpour, things were much more severe north of us. We soon came upon a car accident, which we were able to walk around. Then after a long and exhilarating downhill ride, we were brought to a stop by two trees that had fallen across the road. We phoned back to the rest of the group, who had taken a shorter route toward Hugh and Terri's house, and they too had run into a tree on the road.

We turned around and walked our bikes back up that long hill. My quads were starting to cramp up from lack of fuel. By the time we got, back the accident had been cleared away. My mom came and picked us up. We drove in a third direction to try to get around the blocked roads and ran into another fallen tree. Turned around and navigated to a forth detour. That brought us within 0.3 miles of Hugh and Terri's house where ANOTHER tree was down, along with some power lines. So we backtracked again and finally, we made it to the house, where everyone was sitting around in the candle light.

Terri had prepared some amazing food for us; chips, salsa, guacamole, sweet potato black bean burritos, corn on the cob and Soy Delicious ice cream for dessert with fresh berries on top. Wow. We stayed up and talked till around 11, then unrolled our sleeping bags on the floor for some well deserved rest.

Power is back on this morning. 44 miles ahead of us today. I'm going to take a shower and grab some breakfast. Hugh and Terri have been fantastic hosts and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude. We won't see accommodations this nice again!

Driving Down To DC

2009-07-25T16:36:00.001-07:00

Left at 8:30 yesterday morning. The first 4 hours were winding through country roads, some little more than seasonal horse and buggy paths. Incredibly scenic, but we had to pay extremely close attention to the map as the turns seem to come every half mile. In several places, road signs did not match our directions and we had to improvise. The afternoon found us on more civilized roads, but again having to improvise where Google maps wanted to send us onto less pedestrian/bike friendly roads. Pennsylvania Bike Route J looks like a promising alternate route for several miles. Arrived at TAFA at 7:30. Went to Bus Boys for dinner. Outstanding vegan quesadillas. Slept til 10 AM, the first real sleep in two days, and it felt great. Staffed the Farm Sanctuary table in the exhibit hall from 12:30 to 3 today, and talked with many great activists. We're anxious to get started tomorrow and meeting in the hotel lobby around 7:45.

This message is transcribed from a voice mail message.

This is a test.

2009-07-23T19:55:00.000-07:00

This is a test of our mobile blogging system.

CrazySexyChuck!

2009-07-18T10:41:00.000-07:00

A big thank you to Michael Parrish and the CrazySexyLife blog for posting this very timely blog about our efforts! This just went up yesterday and already we've had $150 donated by CSL readers towards the matching funds challenge of $300, made possible by Farm Sanctuary's own Erin Howard!

T minus 10 Days! Yikes!

2009-07-17T06:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, breathe....[inhale... ... ... exhale....]

Dear Chuck 300 supporters, I'm freaking out a little. Just a little. This thing is really getting close.

The 10-day weather forecast now officially extends to the first day of our journey from TAFA. Good news: it's supposed to be partly cloudy, with a high of 84 degrees. I am really, really hoping for dry weather on our trip.

Jenn and I have started to draft a meal plan, which I will finalize with mi madre tomorrow.

We have all our campsites planned out and just need to make a few motel reservations in Corning for our last night out.

We can do this!

We need a bicycle pump! I think my mom has one in her house somewhere. Also, I need to get a few modifications done on my bike before she comes out on (Thursday?) to pick up our dogs, our bikes and our other gear.

Shirts! We need to make t-shirts! This weekend. Definitely, we'll make shirts this weekend. And fliers. I think Jenn is going to write some press releases.

The first leg of our journey goes right through Arlington National Cemetery, which opens at 8 a.m., so I guess we'll be starting our walk at that time.

It should take my mom about 6 hours to drive from Westfield to our rendezvous point in Maryland where we'll get on our bikes for the first time. I don't know where that rendezvous point will be yet. But if she leaves at 7 a.m., she should be catching up with us at around 1 p.m., at which point we'll have been walking for 5 hours, which means we'll be (hopefully) about 17 miles in, somewhere between Kensington and Olney.

Terrain: It looks like the hills of PA really don't start to loom until Harrisburg. We should start Tuesday off on the bikes and switch to walking mid-day as we get to those hills. On Wednesday, we walk the hills in the morning and get back on our bikes around Sunbury where the road follows the Susquehenna River. On Thursday there should be more river to follow to Ralston. After that, I think the terrain is going to be a lot more choppy, with shorter stretches of flat road. I'm glad we'll get a chance to see all this on our way down and take notes. Friday afternoon and Saturday may be the most challenging, terrain-wise.

It will all be okay. We can do this! Right?

Yes! Yes, we can!

I think we can.

10 days to go...

Weekend Update

2009-07-14T10:34:00.000-07:00

This was our first full weekend of training since Jenn and I left for vacation at the end of June, so I was hoping we'd all make the most of it. Things didn't quite turn out as I expected but I think it was a valuable training nonetheless.

On Saturday, Jenn, Zoe and I did an easy 10 mile

loop, hoping to ease ourselves back into the groove in preparation for a longer walk/bike on Sunday. Everything went well as far as that was concerned. We did our usual route up to the Cornell Plantations and back. Along the way we saw bird nests and adorable baby animals galore (baby raccoons, baby ducks, baby horse, baby donkey).

Also on the way, we happened across the makeshift outdoor stage for a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. With very little encouragement from me, Jenn and Zoe quickly got swept up in the dramatic possibilities of the setting.

Once all this adventure was finished, we ended up at Robyn and Zoe's for some chocolate chip cookies. Then we went home to do some odd chores around the house, then back to Robyn and Zoe's for a feast of vegan quiche and vegan white Russians - yum!

Finally, we finished our training by getting our groove on at the Chanticleer where a dance party benefit was being held on behalf of Planned Parenthood. I consider it excellent cross-training. Honestly, I was more sore the next day from the dancing than from the walking. Busting a move apparently works your muscles in a much different way than simple ambulation.

On Sunday, Robyn joined us as we hiked to Buttermilk Falls, which is quite a climb in itself from bottom to top. Fortunately for us, we were taking the opportunity to try out for the first time our new walking sticks. Undoubtedly if you've spent enough time on hiking trails, you've seen people going along with something like a ski pole in each hand. When I first saw these in action many years ago, I thought, "Huh?!" But as it turns out, they really do help distribute the load a little bit and spare your knees and feet from some of the strain.

Of course, the carbon fiber "hiking poles" you can buy at REI cost about $75 and up (way up) per pair. We picked up some nice bamboo sticks at Pier One for a fraction of the cost (about $3 per pair), and they worked great! Might need to get some cushy grip tape though, and I'm sure they'll wear out faster than the REI version.

Anyway, once at the top, we took the Bear Trail to the Lake Treman Trail, which loops around - you guessed it - Lake Treman. Only, to make things more interesting, we did the Bear Trail and Lake Treman trail barefoot. This is something Jenn and I used to do often when we first moved to Ithaca. If you've never gone hiking through the woods barefoot, I highly recommend it; you experience the trail in a whole new dimension. Actually, Zoe's first words on the subject, just a few feet into the barefoot segment was, "Oooh, it feels so - OW!"

Okay, so there are sharp rocks you have to watch out for, but it makes for a good practice in mindful walking. Making up for the painful sharp rocky parts are the soft cooling dirt parts, the luxurious squishy mud parts and the sensuous soft mossy parts, to name a few.

At the far end of Lake Treman, there's a small creak that feeds into it, and we went off the trail to follow that a ways. Not far back, we discovered a great natural swimming hole. Though the water felt a bit chilly on the toes, we were hot enough to jump in. Wow! Talk about refreshing! It was definitely the highlight of the day.

Unfortunately, between the dancing on Saturday night and the prolonged balancing on slippery rocks during our creek walk, Jenn's knees were pushed a little too far. Not three blocks from home, her right kneecap suffered a dislocation (see patellar dislocation). This is a recurring problem she's dealt with for years. Sometimes she can go almost a year without incident, sometimes less. The severity can range from mild soreness afterward to severe swelling and weeks of recovery time. This episode was somewhere in between and we're hoping she'll regain full mobility by the time we leave for TAFA. She's been very diligent about keeping it elevated with ice and periodic gentle massage. Keep your fingers crossed for her.

Due to that injury, we pretty much called it a day at that point. We probably only covered around 7 miles altogether, but up until Jenn's knee went out, it was probably one of the most fun days of training we'd had yet. We have only 9 days before we leave for TAFA and only one more weekend for serious long-distance training. I expect a lot of the time between now and then will be spend putting together all the last minute logistical details. But ready or not, here it comes!

Thanks, Sean!

2009-07-08T07:02:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Sean Owen for the latest $100 donation! That brings us within striking distance of 35%!

Back From Vacation

2009-07-06T04:14:00.000-07:00

Hello dear readers, walk supporters and fans of Chuck,

Jenn and I just returned from our week-long vacation in SC/NC/WesternNewYork. It was a bit of a whirlwind trip, and I'm not sure I feel entirely rested, but we had a great time nonetheless and got in plenty of walking and other exercise.

But now it's back to business and yikes, there are less than three weeks left before we start our 300 miles from DC! There are a lot of last minute logistical details still to be figured out and I have a feeling that the days between now and then are going to fly by like a freight train.

I have to also take a moment and give out some appreciations to new contributors.

First, a huge thank you to the fine folks at Roots Market in Clarksville, MD for their contribution of $300! If you live near Clarksville (or Olney), please pay them a visit and tell them how much you appreciate their philanthropy. With so many fabulous organic, fair-trade, and natural foodstuffs on their shelves, I have no doubt you'll come away a happy customer. If you're not hungry yet, just check out their delicious Website for inspiration.

Also, my Dad has challenged his Rotary Club to donate up to $1,000 to the Chuck 300 fund, which he will match with an in-kind donation to Rotary's Polio Plus campaign, a program to eradicate polio worldwide. After more than 20 years, this program is on the verge of finally stamping out a terrible disease that still creates so much suffering in developing countries. Now, Rotarians in my dad's club (and beyond) can help both Polio Plus and Chuck in one act of generosity, and so far we've had one member step up to the plate with a $100 donation. Thanks, Ben!

We've also had $100 donations from John M Mulcahy and Shannon Lynch - thank you both!

Pooch-a-Palooza Pushes Us Over the Top!

2009-06-24T06:55:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to give a quick shout-out to Jim Puccio and his wife Cyndy, who works with many of us at Farm Sanctuary. At Jim's recent 50th birthday party - Pooch-a-Palooza - they collected $77 from guests to help Chuck! That has brought our GiveForward total to just over the 32% mark for a total of $8008!

Thanks Jim and Cyndy!

Winter is coming!

2009-06-23T09:07:00.001-07:00

Okay, well it's not exactly around the corner. But as sure as we're sipping ice tea on the front porch today, we'll be scraping ice off our cars again before you know it. And if you think you'll be looking for a winter coat some months from now, here is a great opportunity to get ahead of the game, score some fashionable warmth and help Chuck!

Our friend Leanne Hilgart at Vaute Couture (fabulous high-fashion vegan threads) is now accepting pre-orders on her new line of winter coats, at discounts up to half off with maximum deposit (save up to $290 with pre-order). If that's not a chic deal, I don't know what is.

But wait, it gets even better! First, she donating all net profits on the sale of the Vaute style coat (pictured here) to Farm Sanctuary. And when you order ANY style, enter the promo code "Chuck" at checkout and $10 will be donated to Chuck through our Chuck 300 GiveForward account!

Visit VauteCouture.com to reserve yours now through June 30th and get up to half off, which means they start at $150. Wow! Coats are vegan, eco-conscious, inspired by artists, and constructed on a living wage in Chicago. How many different ways can we say "awesome?"

Coming Soon - Walk Training: OBX Edition

2009-06-22T12:52:00.000-07:00

That's right, Jenn and I are heading to South Carolina this weekend for the wedding of our friends Melissa and Shawn. And after the wedding, we'll be driving a couple hours north to the southern tip of North Carolina's Outer Banks. My mom and her husband Steve have rented a condo there for the week and were kind enough to invite us along for some much needed rest & relaxation.

Of course, what I'm really looking forward to is having the time to walk many miles, on the beach, every day! I'm imagining that we'll get up at around sunrise and walk six miles or so, then do the same thing again in the late afternoon. Of course, I expect we'll be going at a slower pace than usual to allow time for beach combing and body surfing, but getting plenty of exercise is definitely on the agenda. I'm really excited for this opportunity to recharge mentally and physically in preparation for our last three weeks leading up to the big event. In fact, when we get back to Ithaca on July 5, we'll only have two weekends left before TAFA! Yikes! It is definitely coming down to the wire.

Meanwhile, Zoe will be training solo here at home AND participating in the local chapter of the World Wide Vegan Bake Sale, the proceeds of which will also benefit Chuck. While I wouldn't miss the beach for anything, I am sad that we can't teleport ourselves back here for a few hours to participate in that deliciousness. Let me tell you, if our friends know anything, they know how to bake some outrageously fantastic cookies, cupcakes and other goodies.

Introducing Philanthroquest Ink

2009-06-18T16:30:00.000-07:00

I'd like to take a short moment here to cross promote something new that I'm working on. The (ongoing) experience of organizing the 300 Miles For Chuck event has sparked my interest in learning about similar efforts being made by other people for their own causes. Like fellow 300 Miles participant Greg Straight Edge, whose Exercise Compassion project has him biking all over the country to raise awareness about veganism, or Sarah Raskey, who recently made an art infused road-trip (Running on HeART) with her friends from Chicago, IL to Laguna, CA to help save a thriving open art studio that she founded.

And I just wouldn't be me if I didn't start a blog to explore that interest further. Philanthroquest Ink is that blog, and I hope you will all keep an eye on it in the coming months as we discuss adventures for charity, volunteer vacations, eco-travel and more. And if you know of any events taking place that might fit into that profile, please let me know. My hope is that this blog will help promote some really great causes and inspire people to launch projects of their own.

Thanks!

Now, stay tuned for more updates on the 300 Miles training. We're only 5 weeks away!

Ithaca Journal Features Walk & Vegan Bake Sale

2009-06-17T06:28:00.001-07:00

The Ithaca Journal posted an article yesterday announcing the first Ithaca installment of the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale, and proceeds from this bake sale will benefit Chuck. If you live in the area, your taste-buds will not forgive you for missing this event!

The same article also highlights the 300 Miles For Chuck effort, bringing us some much needed new publicity. A huge thanks to Natalie for this great media outreach!

Also, stay tuned for an exciting new video that Mike Mayer (1/2 of our film crew) is editing together from footage taken two weeks ago.

So long radiation!

2009-06-12T10:10:00.000-07:00

Chuck had his last radiation therapy session yesterday, so if you have a minute to spare, be sure to send him your congratulations!

It looks like there won't be any serious walk practice this weekend as I have a wedding to attend five hours away and Jenn will be working Saturday. I suppose it's possible we might do a shorter walk or bike ride on Sunday though.

Finally, it looks like we will be getting a little attention from another great blog very soon, and I will provide a link to that as soon as I have one. Stay tuned!

The Financial Impact of Cancer

2009-06-10T08:55:00.000-07:00

Why are we raising money for Chuck? Watch this:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

New Video!

2009-06-07T17:00:00.001-07:00

Excellent work by our film crew. Check it out!

Read below for details about our day.

Weekend training victory!

2009-06-07T15:40:00.000-07:00

I don't have a ton of time to write this evening - we have to walk the dogs and start making dinner. But I did want to log in briefly to report that Zoe, Jenn and I met our training goal for yesterday with energy to spare! Okay, not a lot of energy to spare, but we've come a long way since April. First we walked 21 miles and then biked 20 miles. As you can see below from our tentative walk itinerary, that is approximately the same distance we have to cross on our first, fourth and fifth days.

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

Actually, when we finished our walk, I think we all felt a little beat. But as soon as we got on our bikes, it was like we were almost fresh again. One, I think it felt good to be sitting, even on a bike seat. Two, we were using different muscles, and three, the speed at which the miles flew by was very refreshing! Granted, most of the road we covered on the bikes was relatively flat, a topographical gift that we won't enjoy climbing up through Pennsylvania. It's hard to train for this in Ithaca because all the terrain is either really flat or outrageously steep. But we do plan to optimize a bit during our trip from DC by choosing bike segments according to the terrain we expect. Part of our preparation for the trip, I hope, is that we're going to drive down along the actual route. That way, we'll be able to take notes about which sections of the road look good for riding vs. walking, among other things. ("Note: Don't stop for directions at country store with one-legged man playing banjo and drinking moonshine on front porch.")

This morning, Jenn's knees were bothering her a little bit, but we took our bikes out for another ride - which included walking them most of the way up to College Town - the mini-Ithaca that serves Cornell. Though a bit sore, we were both surprised that we were nonetheless able to go up those hills without too much trouble. And that, I think, is what really makes me feel optimistic about our actual trip. Going 40 to 50 miles in one day is one thing. But getting up the next day and hitting the road again... I think if we could do it today, we'll really be alright at the end of July. We ended up riding (just Jenn and I - Zoe had to work) another 12 miles today, and I think we could have easily done more if time and a pending rainstorm hadn't been obstacles.

Other notes from yesterday:

Bryce and Mike came out and taped a good portion of our walking. This was Mike's first time seeing us in action and I think they got some good footage. There should be a video posted soon.

We found another animal in distress. This time it was a lost dog, wandering around the other side of Beebe Lake. The traffic isn't too busy up there, but there are a lot of blind curves, and he could have easily been run over. Unfortunately, he wouldn't let us get close enough to grab his collar. So while I called Kate Walker to bring her SPCA expertise to the scene, we followed the dog as he wandered over roads and through yards. Eventually, we pursued him into a really big yard, where we made a three point circle around him, hoping to keep him in one place until help arrived.

Of course, being an agile dog, it wasn't long before he slipped through us. That's when I discovered he would chase me if I ran. So I started running around the yard, hoping that he would either tire out or eventually get close enough that I could snag him. But after about five minutes of this behavior, me running and him chasing and barking, the owner of the house came out to see what all the ruckus was about. He didn't even ask what we were doing, just kind of glowered at us. So we tried to explain that we were trying to catch the dog because he was lost. The man replied, still giving us an evil eye, "He's not lost. He lives here." Aha! Apparently we'd chased him home!

"Well," I said, "He was all the way down by Beebe Lake." I was expecting the man's mood to change at any moment. Something like, "Wow, really? Gosh! How'd that happen? Thanks for bringing him back!" But no. Mr Stick-up-his-ass just stood there, glowering at us like we were some trio of motley vagrants, on the brink on home invasion. I'm not sure exactly what any of us said next, but it must have been somewhere along the lines of, "Okay then. Well. Okay. Guess he's okay now." As we walked back down the driveway. And away we went, utterly disgusted and hoping that this man was married to somebody who cares a lot more about the family dog than he obviously does. If you're ever visiting Ithaca and you'd like to meet the most rude person in Forest Home - the historic and secluded wealthy enclave that borders Cornell Plantations - I'll be happy to give you his address.

On a more pleasant note, Zoe took Jenn and I too brunch on her earned food credit tab at ABC Cafe, where she's been volunteering. Thanks, Zoe!

Finally, have you seen the GiveForward page today? We're up to 30%! Several new people have made contributions, including some of our Canadian friends. And I want to give a special thanks for a major gift from Diane Miller. Thank you, Diane! Thank you, everyone!

New media hits

2009-06-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

I've been pleased to see that even after most of the buzz has died down after our splash on the Girlie Girl Army blog, some donations have continued to come in. Part of that is undoubtedly thanks to some friends out there in the world wide web who have kept the story going.

First, Candle Cafe in NYC - one of the most amazing vegan establishments ever - posted a link to the story in their e-newsletter.

And then, Chuck's tattoo was featured on vegantattoos.com, along with a link to this blog.

Thanks to these mentions and others, we've moved up to 29%!

Animals? Who gives a shit?

2009-06-03T04:28:00.000-07:00

Please excuse my profanity, but in the mood I'm in right now, it seems appropriate.

Last Sunday, Jenn and I headed out to do some walking in the late afternoon. After winding our way through Cayuga Heights, we arrived at Beebe Lake, which is part of the Cornell plantations. Originally, this area was a forested swamp, but to capture hydro-power, a dam was built on the downstream end, raising the water level by around 28 feet. At that end of the lake, Fall Creek cascades over the wall of the dam and the natural rock that the dam is built into before entering a short, relatively calm pool. At the end of that calm pool is another waterfall. Here is a satellite photo of the area; if you zoom in on the left side of the lake, you can see the layout pretty well:

View Larger Map

It's a beautiful area and home to abundant wildlife. In particular, there are several families of geese that have been living there over the spring.

As you can see in the photo, there is a foot bridge that crosses over the gorge between the dam cascade and the lower falls. Jenn and I were crossing over the bridge when we saw two people looking down into the gorge, one of them holding a cardboard box. Soon we saw what they were looking at: two goslings were paddling around below us in the short section of calm water. The couple with the box told us that these two goslings had gone over the wall of the dam from Beebe lake when a couple of dogs happened by, startling them away from their parents and siblings. And now, they were trapped below, between the two waterfalls. The walls of the gorge on either side were essentially sheer cliff.

The couple with the box thought perhaps that if the goslings went over the second falls, they might survive. And since the gorge below that waterfall was accessible by a footpath further downstream, they thought they might rescue the babies if they went over. After all, they had survived the first waterfall. But it was pretty clear to Jenn and me that while the first waterfall, was a series of short survivable bumps, the second waterfall was much too high. If they went over, that would be the end of them.

I considered trying to climb down from the Beebe Lake side, but I hesitated. First, I figured it was probably illegal, and second, scaling down even the one portion that was not sheer cliff looked pretty dangerous. I imagined myself getting stuck down there, or worse. I certainly didn't need to be billed thousands of dollars for an emergency rescue. And since the goslings did not seem to be in any immediate danger or distress - they actually looked fairly content where they were - it seemed wise to consider other options.

First I thought to call Cornell's wildlife clinic, but since their number is unlisted, I had to call the pet hospital's emergency line instead. After I described the situation to the receptionist, she told me that the wildlife clinic would not be able to help. They don't come out to get animals. But I insisted on talking to them, so she took my number and said she would ask them to call me.

I hung up and we waited, watching the goslings swim around, grooming themselves and snacking on whatever morsels happened to be down there. I again considered how I might climb down myself, but Jenn was afraid I would kill myself and the couple with the box thought it was too dangerous as well.

After ten minutes or so, the wildlife clinic called me back. No, they would not come out to rescue the goslings, and cautioned me not to try. I asked if they thought the fire department might send someone, and she thought it was worth a try. So I called the Ithaca Fire Department. The gentleman who answered the phone there said it wasn't his jurisdiction, but more importantly, the IFD was not allowed to do anything dangerous to save an animal. I tried to explain that it wasn't that dangerous, especially for someone with the right equipment, like some rope and climbing gear. Surely they had some of that lying around. He suggested I try calling the Cornell Police.

So I called the Cornell Police, and the dispatcher there told me basically the same thing. "We wouldn't waste manpower just to rescue two goslings." She said she would call the SPCA, who might come down to help, but in the same breath she told me they would advise the SPCA against going because it was too dangerous. When I asked if somebody from the SPCA would call me, she said, "No, we'll take care of it." Meaning of course that they wouldn't do a damn thing.

With all our options now exhausted, Jenn said that if I could get Don Walker, a fellow Farm Sanctuary staffer and avid gorge hiker, to go with me, we could try to rescue the goslings ourselves. When I called Don, he suggested that we call Kate Walker (no relation), who used to work for Farm Sanctuary before taking her current job as a Humane Officer for the SPCA. If Kate was willing to try a rescue, he would come help us out. Finally it seemed like a plan was coming together.

I called Kate, and she said she could be there in 20 or 30 minutes - she was finishing up another call. There was hope! Kate and Don and I would scale down into the gorge together and rescue those goslings!

But then, just as I was getting off the phone with Kate, the goslings went from contentedly swimming around in the pool below to walking out along a ledge toward the lower falls. We barely had time to gasp in horror as they walked out too far and toppled off the side of the cliff. It happened in just an instant.

Suddenly, the four of us were sprinting off the footbridge, up the hill toward Stewart Avenue where another bridge crossed the gorge. From that vantage, we could see two tiny specks floating lifelessly in the water. They looked dead. But then one of them began splashing about weakly. Maybe he was just stunned by the fall. So we took off again toward the footpath that led down to the water. I got to the bottom faster than I ever imagined possible, practically surfing down a mudslide shortcut between a long switchback on the trail. I ran over the rocks and through the water until, out of breath, I reached the pool below the waterfall. I could see both goslings clearly now, and neither one was moving.

The closest one was floating toward me, so I pulled it's fuzzy body from the water and laid it gingerly on a rock. Hoping against all reason, I felt for vital signs. But there were none.

I turned to walk back down stream just as Jenn was catching up, her legs being substantially shorter than mine. Our eyes met and I shook my head. We both made an effort not to cry.

Further back, the couple with the box was carefully making their way along. They were certainly discouraged to hear the news, but I could tell that it didn't touch them the way it did us. These two people, who had stuck with us through the whole 30 or 40 minute ordeal and were prepared to be inconvenienced for the sake of two goslings, probably cared more than most people would. But at the end of the day, it was just two goslings.

Just two goslings. That was the attitude of the wildlife clinic, the fire department and the police department, each one passing the problem off on somebody else, not wanting to be inconvenienced for the sake of mere wild animals. Maybe if it had been a puppy or a kitten trapped in the gorge, those people on the phone would have been more interested. But people who care about all animals, not because they're cute or cuddly, but because they are sentient beings like us, are few and far between.

As Jenn and I walked home, our eyes as wet as our soggy shoes, I kept hearing Chuck's voice in my head from the interview he gave after the pig rescue last summer. Asked what made the pigs so worth rescuing, he said "I don't think it mattered so much that it was 'just pigs...' It could have been chickens; it could have been rats; it could have been anything. I would have gone out there no matter what."

And while I debated whether or not to tell this sad story, those words echoing in my head made me realize again just how rare it is in our society to find people with so much compassion that they will endure real hardship and sacrifice for the sake of creatures that most people consider little more than animal-things. If someone like Chuck (or Don or Kate) had been working at the wildlife clinic, or the fire department, or the police station, we might have saved those goslings instead of wasting half an hour getting the run-around from people who would barely lift a finger. Jenn and I both regret that we didn't just take immediate action ourselves. Instead we held onto the false hope that somebody with better resources and equipment would actually give a shit.

So let's take a moment again to appreciate the people who give a shit. Here's to Don and Kate. Here's to everyone I work with at Farm Sanctuary. And most of all, here's to Chuck.

Thank you Amy!

2009-06-02T16:35:00.000-07:00

Wow! We just got a $500 donation from Amy Spagnole! Amy, I'm not sure who you are or what brought you to our aid, but if you're reading this, THANK YOU! We are now at 27%!

Girlie Girl Success! And Bike Upgrades!

2009-05-30T07:02:00.000-07:00

First, I have to tell you all what a huge success our story found on the Girlie Girl Army blog. We challenged GGA readers to contribute $600 that would be matched by close friends of Chuck and Jen, and the response was outstanding! Here are some numbers.

The total of the donations from GGA readers who commented "Girlie Girl Army is here for Chuck" as we requested in that blog was $585, bringing us within $15 of our goal. But we know that many readers just forgot to leave the comment, and analytics we received from Ethan at give forward show that while 18 GGA readers left comments, there were 32 donations from people clicking over from the GGA site! Counting those extra 14 donations, we easily surpassed the $600 mark.

Ethan also told me, "There were 133 people that visited from GGA with a 24% conversion rate. Remarkable!! I don't think I've ever seen such a high conversion rate for any of our users."

Since I'm not a techy type, I'm not sure what all that means, but it sounds impressive!

Finally, I think it's worth noting that before the GGA blog, we were stuck at around 12% or 13% for a number of days. Since that blog was posted, we've climbed to 24%!

So in summary, the Girlie Girl Army just kicked ass this week! Thank you to GGA creator Chloe Jo Berman for giving us a platform to reach new ears with our story. Thank you to J.B and Diana for generously contributing the first $300 donation match, and thank you to Gene, Tricia, Ian, Melissa and Mike, along with one donor who wishes to remain anonymous, for putting together the second $300 match. And once again, thank you to all the GGA readers who gave so generously in response to our challenge. You are all amazing!

I should also mention that Erin Howard, our audio/video person at Farm Sanctuary, has given me another $300 sum for yet another match challenge, yet to be announced. Please stay tuned for that and help us make the next challenge as successful as this one.

Now for a brief training update. Jenn and I picked up her new bike yesterday and it is super fast! (I'll have some pictures up soon but I'm waiting for my camera batteries to charge.) Now I need to work hard to keep up with her. To help myself a little bit, I put new tires on my mountain bike, switching wide and knobby for less wide and fairly smooth. Giles says they smell different too, but I'm not sure how that affects performance.

Today is going to be pretty busy as I have to meet somebody in one hour who might buy Chuck and Jen's composting toilet, and after that we have a surprise party to attend in Watkins Glen. But we got in a nice 9 mile ride this morning and plan to do more riding and/or walking this evening. Zoe is helping to table for Farm Sanctuary at Ithaca Festival but I think she's planning to join us for training later. And tomorrow I'm hoping that we can all get in at least 20 miles of walking and 15 on the bikes. We'll see how it goes.

Tune in to Go Vegan Radio!

2009-05-28T14:31:00.001-07:00

Exciting news! I just got an email from Bob Linden at Go Vegan Radio, and he said he would mention our Walk/Bikeathon for Chuck in his next broadcast! That broadcast will air the weekend of June 6/7. If you don't get Go Vegan Radio in your neighborhood, never fear! You can listen online, anytime!

Even aside from the fact that Bob is helping us spread the word about Chuck, I highly recommend his program. He always has something interesting to say and lots of great guest interviews, including the occasional Farm Sanctuary staffer. Thanks Bob!

Fundraiser Update

2009-05-28T06:35:00.000-07:00

For those of you who aren't checking our fundraiser page every 10 minutes, I'm psyched to tell you that as of right now (9:34am), we are at $5,196! J.B. and Diana have made their $300 match and we are only about $140 away from making our second match goal for Girlie Girl Army readers. Please spread the word so that we can really make it happen!

If you have a Facebook page, a Myspace page, a Plaxo page, or anything like that, you can post a link to the GGA blog right now, and that might be the thing that brings in our next donor to meet the challenge. Do that and we'll hit 22%! It's easy. All you have to do is reach out to the people in your world.

The Monday Report

2009-05-26T15:27:00.000-07:00

Well, after watching Jenn struggle along with her 30 lb tank of a bike and its malfunctioning components for another ten miles, I could not stand to see her suffer any longer. So we stopped into the Trek dealer in collegetown and ended up ordering a very pretty and fast looking aluminum frame hybrid bike, the Trek FX 7.3 WSD. It should be ready for her to pick up on Wednesday. Honestly, it was a bit out of our price range, but I have always been good at convincing myself that it's better to get the just-out-of-my-price-range thing because it will last for years. And that logic served us well yesterday. After another week of training on the tank-bike, Jenn will probably leave me in a trail of burnt rubber when she gets on her new fast bike.

But I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Yes, we started our day with riding, or more accurately, with pushing our bikes up the mile long hill to the top of Cornell - according to my GPS, it's about a 325 foot elevation gain. I don't know what other people consider a long, steep hill, but it is a pretty good workout for us. By the time we finished our ten mile loop, we both had sore butts, but it was not too bad.

After a quick lunch, we went out and walked about 7 miles, taking some trails we hadn't been on before. We were feeling fairly tired by the time we got home from that, especially since we'd gotten a late start to the whole day. So we decided to go out for some sesame tofu at our favorite Chinese diner. It's essentially a plate full of fried tofu triangles in sweet syrupy sauce, with a cup of white rice and some cold broccoli. In other words, a crap-load of simple sugars and just what we needed to power through the next 8.5 miles.

We finished our walk at around 10:30, and I think that in terms of actual walking biking time, the whole 25.5 miles took about six hours. I think with a little practice, we can cut down our biking time by a fair amount. We just have to get ourselves adjusted to being in the saddle for two hours.

In other news, I am thrilled to announce that our story has made it onto the Girlie Girl Army blog, which is operated by fellow Farm Sanctuary staffer Chloe Jo Berman. Girlie Girl Army has a huge readership, and after having no new donors for several days, we have seen the meter go up by more than $700 in less than 24 hours, including at least $200 that I know came from GGA readers, probably a lot more. So a huge round of virtual applause to Chloe!

Oh, and the monster yard sale at Natalie and Bryce's house was a huge success, netting (I think) about $1200! Awesome work guys! Thanks to everyone who helped make that happen!

Memorial Day Practice

2009-05-25T07:48:00.000-07:00

Everything has gone more or less according to plan so far this weekend, meaning that Chuck and Jen's things have been packed up and either driven back to Boston by Jim and Cheryl or taken to the monster yard sale at Natalie and Bryce's house. And my mom came yesterday with our bikes!

Last night we took a short ride around town that allowed us to test the waters. The GPS worked great, tracking us for 9 miles and roughly 90 minutes. Our average speed was only 6+ mph, but we pretty much walked our bikes all the way up the hill to Cornell, which was a workout in itself. And we took our time exploring the little footpaths that crisscross through the campus.

The bikes ran well, although I think both our shifters need to be adjusted because the chains tended to skip up and down occasionally, or simply not shift on command, especially at the high end. I'm not much of a bike geek so I'm probably describing the problem all wrong but, that's my amateur opinion. We also adjusted Jen's seat, and we discovered that bike gloves might not be a bad idea. But since we don't have bike gloves, we're going to try using these palm pads that we bought a few years ago for weight-lifting. They're basically palm-sized pads of neoprene that strap to your hands. It's hard to find exercise gloves for any sport that aren't made with leather.

And now we're about to head out for a ten mile loop. Our plan is to bike ten miles, then walk ten miles, then see how we feel. We may end up biking or walking a little further.

Wrist GPS

2009-05-22T04:09:00.000-07:00

The wrist GPS that my dad's wife donated to our walk arrived yesterday - thanks Mary! - and Jenn and I got a chance to test it out last night. It works great! We went out for a stroll up to Cornell and wandered everywhere. Over roads, sidewalks, trails and more. Whatever path looked interesting, we took it and gave no thought to our route. In the end, we did 4.5 miles in 1 hour 20 minutes, a perfect pace! I can't wait to try this thing out on our longer walks this weekend.

Of course, this weekend is going to be pretty action packed. Tomorrow we'll be spending most of the day helping Jen P's parents pack up most of what's left behind at Chuck and Jen's house in Newfield. Bryce and Natalie will be there too I think, gathering stuff for a monster yard-sale at their place on Sunday and Monday. (Again, if you live locally and want to do a little shopping for a good cause, this yard sale should not be missed!)

On Sunday, my mom is coming out for a visit and bringing our bikes with her from Westfield. We'll probably drag her out on a modest walk around town when she gets here - I promise, Mom, only 7 or 8 miles.

With Monday off, I'm looking forward to a long day of training, now with bikes! My goal is for us to walk 10 miles in the morning, then ride 20, and finally walk 10 more. If we can do that without killing ourselves, I'll have no fears about the main event in July. At least, I won't have any fears about the physical challenge. There are still plenty of logistical issues to work out, not to mention a LOT of fund raising to do.... It'll all work out somehow!

Weekend Update

2009-05-18T06:19:00.000-07:00

After almost a week with no updates, I wish I had more impressive training stories to share. But sometimes our crazy lives get in the way of training.

Jenn and I did walk on our own Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for a few miles each day. On Saturday, we spent the morning out at Chuck and Jen's helping Bryce and Natalie organize things for the yard sale next weekend - if you live in the area and enjoy going to yard sales, there will be some good stuff at this one so email me for more information.

After leaving Newfield, we spent most of the afternoon cleaning our apartment and rearranging some furniture, before going to a cookout that evening. While the cookout was a great time, it ended with somebody tearing a ligament in their knee and a trip to the emergency room. Since we didn't get home from that until well after midnight, we felt obliged to sleep in on Sunday.

We spent most of Sunday doing more chores around the house that we've been putting off for weeks. But finally at around 4:00 or so, we got our walking shoes on and headed out to meet Zoe and Robyn. I'm sorry to say that Robyn has decided to pull out of the walk from TAFA due to being over scheduled with other life needs, like finding a job and a place to live. But she'll still be joining us on some of our practice walks.

After having soymilk and cookies at Zoe's house, we started walking in earnest. After some meandering around, we settled on walking to Buttermilk Falls, which is located on the outskirts of town. We arrived just an hour or so before sunset. Included here is a picture of a natural rock tower that has been left behind by centuries of erosion.

Finally, lest people think that our walks are all waterfalls and idyllic garden paths, I'm including one shot from our stroll down Route 13. We walked along 13 for a mile or two on our way back to town. The sunset was gorgeous, even if it was just the backdrop to a long row of big box stores. These pictures looked a lot better on my Mac but somehow the images were shrunk down when I uploaded them to Flickr, so you're seeing the compressed versions here.

After the walk, Zoe and Robyn came over to our apartment where we made some pizza and watched a little Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Good times.

I calculated this morning that we walked about 8 or 9 miles altogether. Nothing compared to our previous weekends but it was a lovely walk and nobody got any blisters for a change. Jenn and I will be trying to do more 5 to 10 mile days throughout the rest of this week and then do 20 - 25 miles on Sunday. Zoe will be out of town from Wednesday till next week sometime.

Fundraiser Update!

2009-05-12T07:05:00.000-07:00

I'd also like to report that as of right now, we are only $69 away from the 12% mark on our GiveForward site! Thank you, generous donors!

10:49 a.m.: Update update! We're at 12%!

Morning Walk

2009-05-12T06:54:00.000-07:00

A few short notes:

Jenn and I walked three miles this morning, and we plan to do at least three more this evening. My dad has suggested that we create some kind of visual representation online to represent all the miles we've walked in training so far. I like the idea but haven't given too much thought yet on how to do that.

My right knee is still feeling sore from the 30 mile walk, but usually after I've warmed up a bit it isn't too noticeable. I need to be better about warming up and applying appropriate self-care techniques after training - massage, hot water bottles, ice packs, etc.

I still need to do more planning for our route. Hoping to get to that by the end of the week.

11 p.m. update: Jenn and I walked 1.5 miles after work, and then another 4 miles after dinner, for a grand total of 8.5 miles today.

Weekend Update

2009-05-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

After the 30 mile march of pain Team Chuck 300 endured last Sunday, this weekend was considerably more relaxed. With Jenn and Robyn out of town on Saturday, Zoe and I did an uncharted walk from about 8 till 12. We started off by hiking up the Cascadilla Gorge trail, which was filled with mist and gold morning sunshine.

We also took a tour through Cayuga Heights to see how the other half lives with their mansions and 10 acre lawns. Cutting back down the hill through the Lake View Cemetery, we stopped to investigate the Cornell family tomb (or at least, one of them). It was the epitome of tombness (tombitude?).

Finally, we arrived at the Ithaca Farmers Market where we enjoyed some fine macrobiotic cuisine. It was really, really good. Afterwards, we walked at a high speed back to town, just in time for me to meet the guy coming to hook up my cable Internet service.

On Sunday, Jenn came back from Rochester - she had been attending a conference with Jen Pappas on caring for people with brain tumors - and we joined Zoe for another day of walking at around 10:30. I had planned out 3 five mile loops that we could use interchangeably to mix things up a bit. Our plan was to do about 20 miles. Unfortunately for my plan, we took some wrong turns on our first loop and ended up off the course. On our second loop, we decided we wanted to go back to the farmer's market to visit Emmy's Organics, a new purveyor of raw, vegan, gluten-free food. If you are lucky enough to live within the proximity of the Ithaca Farmers Market and you want to have your mind blown by some incredible raw deliciousness, you must stop by their booth, which is open on Sundays only. The Chocolate Goji cheesecake (all raw, all vegan) was bliss. And the owners are super nice.

Where was I? Oh yeah, training!

So we left the IFM and ended up going approximately 4.5 miles before coming back to Jenn's and my apartment. Unfortunately, Zoe was called away from practice by some family concerns, and after taking a short break at home, Jenn and I went back out alone.

For our last loop, we took a modified version of the 10 mile loop we've been using. It ended up being about 8.5 miles, bringing our total for the day to about 18 miles. Like I said, it was a pretty mild training this weekend, but I was happy to notice that despite doing almost 20 miles, Jenn and I both felt pretty good when we were done. We were still tired of course, but I remember feeling fairly crippled after our first 20 miler just two weeks ago. And now 20 miles is the "mild workout."

The only semi-pain-in-the-ass is having to track mileage either by staying on a pre-determined route or by re-tracing the route on Google maps when we get home. And soon, we'll have a solution for that! My dad and his wife Mary are sending us a wristwatch GPS. It doesn't have the same level of navigational technology that you see in a car GPS, but it will tell us how far we've gone, what our pace has been and even when our pace is falling below a set rate of speed. Once we have this handy James Bond tool, we can kiss the maps goodbye and walk wherever we want, even going off road. Should be great.

Also, I'm pleased to announce that our online fundraiser has reached 11% of its goal so far. And we have 11 weeks left!

Chuck talks about the flood

2009-05-09T13:57:00.000-07:00

I posted Farm Sanctuary's video on the pig rescue from last summer some days ago. This is a shorter video using much of the same footage that I put together last night. Still working on a longer piece.

Music by Thomas Newman.

Checks!

2009-05-08T10:45:00.000-07:00

I just wanted my fellow walkers and walk supporters to know that in addition to the funds we've raised online ($2,211 as of right now), our efforts have helped to generate an additional $925 in checks that have come through the mail. I'm not counting that towards our 300 Miles goal because I really want to see the meter on our GiveForward site hit 100%. We've been stuck at 8% since Tuesday, but I have hope things will pick up soon. We can do it!

Amendment: I should also point out that a lot of wonderful people have sent much needed items - camera, water filter, gift cards, and so on. I did not mean to diminish or discount the value of any such donations, or the donations made by check. But since there is no way for me to know which of these acts of generosity were specifically inspired by the 300 Miles effort, I am leaving them out of the "funds-raised-by-supporters-of-300-Miles" total. If anybody who sent a check wishes to be included in that total, please send me an email and I will gladly count it toward our goal! A million thanks!

Video Treat

2009-05-06T06:41:00.001-07:00

Here's a fun little montage of clips from our 30 mile walk on Sunday - before the pain ;)

Music by the Ting Tings!

Time to start digging

2009-05-05T07:58:00.000-07:00

Hello fearless readers,

The good news is that Jenn can still walk. In fact, we may even do a few miles this evening as we celebrate our 9th anniversary of the day we met! It's been a long and amazing journey leading to right here and now.

The bad news is that our fundraising page has not moved one inch in the last 24 hours. We are working on appeals to other media outlets that can spread the word to new readers, but that alone will not be enough. If you care about the success of this effort, I'd like to challenge you to get out there and make some personal appeals.

Send an email to one friend today, and I mean one friend, not everyone in your address book. Your friend needs to know you are talking specifically to them. Tell them why this cause is important to you, and ask them for their help.

Tomorrow, send one email to another friend. Do this every day until you have personally contacted every friend. Studies have shown that personal appeals are at least five times more effective at inspiring action when compared to appeals directed at a large audience. In just five to ten minutes a day, you could make a huge contribution to Chuck and Jen. This blog has over thirty followers now. If we all do this, we can move mountains for two people who have done so much to make this world a kinder place. Thank you!

30 Miles

2009-05-04T07:18:00.000-07:00

So our intrepid team - Zoe, Robyn, Jenn and me - walked 30 miles yesterday, and I must say, it was pretty brutal.

By the time we finished our third 10 mile loop, Jenn's feet hurt so much she was hyperventilating. In fact, that's how it was for her the last two miles, which were all downhill. A lot of people might think that going down is the easy part - as in, "it's all downhill from here!" I'm here to tell you, it just isn't so. Sure, walking uphill requires a bit more cardiovascular effort, but going down hill is just as tough on your quads, and the impact on your joints and feet is compounded substantially. I learned that many years ago when I hiked 9 miles to the bottom of the Grand Canyon carrying a 50+ pound pack (all down all the time), and that torturous experience was brought back to me yesterday evening as I watched Jenn do those last two miles. Her face was a mask of agony and grim determination.

Just after Zoe and Robyn broke off the loop to head home, with about half a mile left, Jenn sat down and could go no further. On top of the physical pain was serious disappointment at not being able to finish the last half mile. Having struggled most of her life with two bad knees that like to dislocate themselves, often without warning, Jenn is no stranger to pain. She's built up a pretty high threshold over the years. So when she told me she couldn't go any further, even though home was just five blocks away, I knew it was bad.

We decided I should go home, get the Jeep and come back for her. Unfortunately, when I got to the Jeep, I discovered that I had left the headlights on that morning. I've done this on many occasions now, because our Jeep, being a rather primitive vehicle, does not have a warning alarm that sounds when you open the door with the lights on. But unlike previous occasions, the battery was really dead this time. And our other car was parked at the five mile mark with our support supplies. Fortunately, after calling around to a few friends, I got in touch with Robyn who was able to come pick us up. She drove us up to get our car and we came home. Jenn immediately hobbled into the bathroom for a long soak in the tub as I limped around the kitchen getting dinner ready. We ate and went to bed, and that's how the day ended.

Earlier that morning, we'd gotten off to a bit of a late start as I underestimated the time it would take to get the food and water and first aid supplies gathered into the car and dropped off at the halfway point. But by about 8:30 or so, we were on our way up the first hill. Our friend Bryce had come along to do a bit of filming, and the weather was perfect. Cool and overcast, it never got about 70 degrees the entire day. When we got to the Cornell Plantations arboretum, we discovered that there was a March of Dimes event going on, and passing vehicles kept asking us where the registration table was.

After our first loop, Bryce went home and we began again, feeling pretty good all around. At fifteen miles, we stopped for a picnic lunch at the car, just inside the arboretum. After a very leisurely meal - hummus, pita, yogurt, Zoe's home-made granola bars, some organic bananas and apple sauce, we laced up our shoes and continued on. The March of Dimes folks had apparently cleared out. It must have been a short march.

I'm happy to say that after our second loop, we still felt well enough that a third loop did not seem completely insane. At 25 miles, we took another long break - 15 or 20 minutes. We were all feeling a lot more pain by then, and I suggested to Jenn that she might be well advised to take the car home and meet us there. But she was too determined to finish the last loop, and you know the ending.

So, looking at the whole day, here are my thoughts.

1) I am incredibly impressed with Jenn for persevering as long as she did. Most people in her shoes would have sat down miles before she did. And while Zoe and Robyn and I were still able to walk at the end, we're all considerably taller than Jenn. Her shorter stride probably requires her to take three steps for every two of mine, and even if she only walked 10% more paces than the rest of us, 10% of 30 miles is an extra three miles in "tall-person-strides."

2) Considering that this was only our second day of serious training, I think 30 miles is an amazing accomplishment. Granted, we had cooler weather this time around, but we were also much better prepared in terms of food, hydration, proper clothing and so on. After 20 miles last week, I felt almost crippled, and I don't think I was alone. This week, we all felt pretty okay after 20 miles. That's progress.

3) I think we are all giving more serious consideration to the idea of making this a walk/bike event, where we bike for a couple hours a day, and then walk the rest of the day. Given that we have 3 months to train, I think it may well be possible for us to walk the whole way. But that would still mean walking 15 hours a day. If we biked for a couple hours, we could probably shorten our travel time each day to 10 hours, which would give us time to take reasonable breaks for lunch, resting, figuring out our route, taking a few pictures and so on. I think we would still find plenty of challenge in the journey with this bike/walk format. Still, nothing is set in stone yet.

4) I think we all realize that we need to do a lot more training during the week, and we all intend to do just that. Even two hours a day squeezed in to our busy schedules would make a big difference.

In closing, I consider yesterday a success. We learned a lot more about what could help or hinder us and I look forward to our next big practice next weekend. Stay tuned!

30 Miles on Sunday?

2009-05-01T12:07:00.001-07:00

So the weekend is fast approaching, and the 300 Miles team (at least the portion of it that lives in Ithaca) is excited to hit the roads and trails for more practice walking. Unfortunately, Zoe has to work tomorrow, but Jenn and I (and hopefully Robyn) will be doing our non-specific walk tomorrow. That means we'll be starting at 8 o'clock and walking till we run out of gas. The goal is just to log time on our feet, so we won't be keeping track of time or mileage. On the plus side, that means we can walk in any direction we want, and maybe even work in a few errands along the way. On Sunday, with Zoe back on board, we'll be aiming to do our ten mile loop three times - i.e. 30 miles! I don't know if our feet can take it, but stay tuned for the gorey details on Monday!

Also, I have an appeal. Please, keep spreading the word loyal readers! As of this moment, our fundraiser has reached $1526, not counting the $500 match that has been generously put up by Rory Freedman (thank you Rory!). That's huge progress! But don't let the ball drop with your own donation. Tell your friends! Tell your family! If we are going to really meet our goal and make a difference for Chuck and Jen, it has to be a team effort. Not a team of 4 or 5 or 20 or 50, but a team of hundreds! Friends of friends of friends! If you are reading this, I officially deputize you as a member of the 300 Miles Fundraiser Team; go forth and help your team succeed!

Chuck is blogging!

2009-05-01T07:22:00.000-07:00

Chuck posted his first blog entry last night on The Chuck Pappas Story. Blood samples, stitches, chemo and radiation therapy - Check it out!

Thank you, Hugh and Terri!

2009-04-30T14:33:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-30T10:29:00.001-07:00

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

2009-04-30T08:29:00.000-07:00

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

Ecorazzi and VEGDaily spread the word!

2009-04-29T13:07:00.000-07:00

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!

Thank you, Rory!

2009-04-29T06:18:00.000-07:00

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!

Donate online!

2009-04-28T09:37:00.000-07:00

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:

Charles Pappas Supplemental Needs Trust

And mail them to:

Charles & Jennifer Pappas
183 Mill Road
Chelmsford, MA 01824

Thank you so much!

20 Miles? Piece of cake!

2009-04-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

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?

New Blog Template

2009-04-27T07:58:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-27T07:36:00.001-07:00

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!

Hoe Down Registration

2009-04-24T15:52:00.000-07:00

I believe the Hoe Down registration should be around $100 for the whole weekend.

Registration for TAFA and the Hoe Down

2009-04-24T15:35:00.000-07:00

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.

First practice, tomorrow morning!

2009-04-24T06:34:00.000-07:00

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!

Support Vehicle? Check!

2009-04-23T07:01:00.000-07:00

The fourth member of our team, Patty Benton (my mom!), has officially signed on to be our support vehicle! Things are coming together!

Welcome to the 300 Miles For Chuck Team: Zoë Zuschlag!

2009-04-22T14:41:00.001-07:00

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.

300 Miles Introduction

2009-04-22T05:44:00.000-07:00

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!