Hiking The Great Western Loop For NAMI NH

My name is Erica, and this year I am taking on the incredible physical challenge of hiking the 7,000 mile Great Western Loop with a team called The Push Beyond. It is our goal to raise money for non profit organizations that hold an importance to each hiker on the team. My organization is the National Alliance on Mental Illness, NH. Mental health plays a huge factor in the happiness and well being of our communities, yet many still neglect it. Mental health issues are something we cannot see, and so they often get brushed aside and invalidated, making the problem worse. In my short life, I have had countless friends of all demographics who struggle with mental health. I have worked with teenagers who have attempted suicide. I have fought with my own mind, and often felt like I didn’t deserve to be happy. Thankfully, I found thru hiking. In 2017, I hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. It was the hardest thing I’d ever done, but it was also the most valuable. Hiking taught me how to fight for myself, that I deserve every bit of happiness and love that comes my way, that I am worthy. When I hike the Great Western Loop this year, I want to do so in a way that I can help others manage their mental health. There is no better way to do this than by supporting NAMI NH. 100% of donations to this cause will go to NAMI so they can further fund programs to support and advocate for those with a mental illness. Check them out at this website: https://www.naminh.org