Joe Cook's Hike for Life
Donation protected
Did you know that
* Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US for all ages. (CDC)
*Every day, approximately 105 Americans die by suicide. (CDC)
*Depression affects 20-25% of Americans ages 18+ every year. (CDC)
*Only half of all Americans experiencing an episode of major depression receive treatment. (NAMI)
My name is Sarah and I think a lot of you know my younger brother, Joe Cook. He's a pretty amazing guy. And I've been very fortunate to spend these last three years in Seattle with him, watching him grow into the strongest and best of men. It hasn't been easy for him, especially these last two years.
The Cook family is no stranger to grief - we tragically lost my Aunt Mary (in 1989) and Uncle Tim (in 2006) to suicide. But sadly Joe's own experience goes further and is more recent after losing two of his best friends Philip (in 2014) and Zach (in 2015). They were friends he had grown up with since middle school - the friends that he knew and loved the best. Their deaths left an enormous hole - one we couldn't fully understand or ever really heal.
I've watched Joe struggle with his own depression as he's tried to come to terms with their absence. It slowly became evident to me that the harder it got, the more he turned to the outdoors and to hiking. I don't know if it was the idea of an escape or the clarity and seclusion that only a sunlit forest can offer, but it's become his rock.
Anxious to challenge both body and spirit, he's constantly exploring. He's completed strenuous backpacking trips to Mt Hood, Mt Rainier, Big Bend National Park, the Olympic National Park... the list goes on and on. With each new place, he finds beauty and peace in the most troubling of times.
Joe has decided to simultaneously honor Zach Hoyle, Philip Page, Mary Cook, and Tim Cook by embarking on his most challenging hike yet:
The Pacific Crest Trail (http://www.pcta.org/).
It's a daunting 2600-mile hike that spans from Mexico to Canada and takes an average of six months to complete. He's hoping to raise at least $7500 - a small portion of which would help fund his trip and the remaning bulk of the funds would be donated to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (http://afsp.org/) and the Mental Health Awareness Foundation (http://www.mhafmaldives.org/). His plan is to leave mid-May (so very soon!) and finish whenever he finishes.
In an email, Joe wrote:
"The hike will undoubtedly be the hardest thing I have ever done, but I think—I know—that I will learn a great deal about myself, my life, my purpose. Most important, I will honor my two good friends and contribute to foundations which strive to understand and prevent suicide."
"Thank you" doesn't really cover it. Know that Joe is beyond grateful.
Updates and pictures will be posted as Joe sends them to me from the trail (whenever and wherever he can get Internet access!). Please feel free to share. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Padre Island National Seashore scattering Philip's ashes with (left to right) Carl Allen, Joe, Zach Hoyle, and Michael Moseley
"I was amazed that what I needed to survive could be carried on my back. And, most surprisingly of all, that I could carry it." - Cheryl Strayed
* Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US for all ages. (CDC)
*Every day, approximately 105 Americans die by suicide. (CDC)
*Depression affects 20-25% of Americans ages 18+ every year. (CDC)
*Only half of all Americans experiencing an episode of major depression receive treatment. (NAMI)
My name is Sarah and I think a lot of you know my younger brother, Joe Cook. He's a pretty amazing guy. And I've been very fortunate to spend these last three years in Seattle with him, watching him grow into the strongest and best of men. It hasn't been easy for him, especially these last two years.
The Cook family is no stranger to grief - we tragically lost my Aunt Mary (in 1989) and Uncle Tim (in 2006) to suicide. But sadly Joe's own experience goes further and is more recent after losing two of his best friends Philip (in 2014) and Zach (in 2015). They were friends he had grown up with since middle school - the friends that he knew and loved the best. Their deaths left an enormous hole - one we couldn't fully understand or ever really heal.
I've watched Joe struggle with his own depression as he's tried to come to terms with their absence. It slowly became evident to me that the harder it got, the more he turned to the outdoors and to hiking. I don't know if it was the idea of an escape or the clarity and seclusion that only a sunlit forest can offer, but it's become his rock.
Anxious to challenge both body and spirit, he's constantly exploring. He's completed strenuous backpacking trips to Mt Hood, Mt Rainier, Big Bend National Park, the Olympic National Park... the list goes on and on. With each new place, he finds beauty and peace in the most troubling of times.
Joe has decided to simultaneously honor Zach Hoyle, Philip Page, Mary Cook, and Tim Cook by embarking on his most challenging hike yet:
The Pacific Crest Trail (http://www.pcta.org/).
It's a daunting 2600-mile hike that spans from Mexico to Canada and takes an average of six months to complete. He's hoping to raise at least $7500 - a small portion of which would help fund his trip and the remaning bulk of the funds would be donated to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (http://afsp.org/) and the Mental Health Awareness Foundation (http://www.mhafmaldives.org/). His plan is to leave mid-May (so very soon!) and finish whenever he finishes.
In an email, Joe wrote:
"The hike will undoubtedly be the hardest thing I have ever done, but I think—I know—that I will learn a great deal about myself, my life, my purpose. Most important, I will honor my two good friends and contribute to foundations which strive to understand and prevent suicide."
"Thank you" doesn't really cover it. Know that Joe is beyond grateful.
Updates and pictures will be posted as Joe sends them to me from the trail (whenever and wherever he can get Internet access!). Please feel free to share. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Padre Island National Seashore scattering Philip's ashes with (left to right) Carl Allen, Joe, Zach Hoyle, and Michael Moseley"I was amazed that what I needed to survive could be carried on my back. And, most surprisingly of all, that I could carry it." - Cheryl Strayed
Organizer and beneficiary
Sarah Hinds
Organizer
Seattle, WA
Joe Cook
Beneficiary