- A
- G
This year I will be giving it my all, participating in the Rachel Carson Trail Challenge. This 37 mile challenge is exactly that...challenging. One day - 15 hours - and well over 8000 ft of elevation up and 8000 ft of elevation down. Two years ago I barely got through the half version of this. Now it is time to try the full!
More important than the actual trail event, last event (Homestead Challenge) I was able to raise over $1800 which was doubled through Thermo Fisher's 100% matching program. Those donations were split among 3 very worthy cancer research charities and in honor of three amazing people.
I want to turn this year into a full focus giving to Alzheimer's care, support, and research. All proceeds will go to the Alzheimer's Association, and I commit to being as transparent as I was with the last fundraiser showing exactly what was donated!
About this Cause:
Alzheimer's Association
Our Vision: A world without Alzheimer's and all other dementia.™
Our Mission: The Alzheimer's Association leads the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support."
Care and Support: We work on a national and local level to provide care and support for all those affected by Alzheimer's and other dementias.
Research: As the largest nonprofit funder of Alzheimer's research, the Association is committed to advancing vital research toward methods of treatment, prevention and, ultimately, a cure.
Advocacy: The Association is the leading voice for Alzheimer's disease advocacy, fighting for critical Alzheimer’s research and care initiatives at the state and federal level.
Cause Website
About the Rachel Carson Trail Challenge:
The twenty-ninth annual Rachel Carson Trail Challenge will take place on June 20, 2026, the Saturday nearest the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. The Challenge is a 37-mile long, one-day, sunrise to sunset endurance hike on nearly the entire rugged Rachel Carson Trail. Unlike a footrace, the "challenge" is not to win, but to endure, to finish the hike in one day. This time, the Challenge starts in North Park at sunrise and ends 37 miles later in Harrison Hills Park. The deadline for finishing is sunset, 8:54 PM or 15 hours 4 minutes, whichever comes first.
The Challenge has two dimensions: the first is to endure mile upon mile of tortuous hill climbing and descent in unpredictable weather conditions; the second is to stay on the trail without getting lost. Obviously, those who have hiked the trail before will have some advantage in maintaining the proper route.
The Rachel Carson Trail is a "primitive" trail in the sense that no special grading or surfacing materials are used. While the trail is blazed with yellow blazes, there will be an occasional missing blaze where a tree has fallen or when you are following a logging road, a power line or gas line; there will be blow downs, washouts, poison ivy, nettles, bugs, loose gravel and rocks, gullies, and wet stream crossings. There are few switchbacks on the trail; many hills are quite steep and are traversed directly up and down. You must be prepared to expect the unexpected and think the unthinkable.
Video Showcasing the trail: https://vimeo.com/289534244?fl=pl&fe=vl
2026 Challenge Link: https://www.rachelcarsontrails.org/events/challenge/rctc26
Rachel Carson Trail Conservancy Link: https://www.rachelcarsontrails.org/