Hello Everyone,

For as long as I can remember, I have been captivated by the natural world. Thus, it has been a decade-long goal of mine to hike the Appalachian Trail, and I am finally doing it this year. While this will be a personal journey for me, I am also hiking for a cause. I will be hiking in solidarity with people and the planet, and to accomplish this, I am launching this fundraiser to raise money for the Indigenous communities whose land the trail is on, the Black Power Blueprint (a St. Louis-based organization focused on the economic and political empowerment of the Black community, https://blackpowerblueprint.org/), and to Justice Outside (https://justiceoutside.org/about/), an organization that strives to create safe, accessible, and inclusive experiences in nature for marginalized communities.

The Appalachian Trail runs through the stolen historic and current lands of 22 Indigenous communities including the Cherokee, S'atsoyaha (Yuchi), Tutelo, Moneton, Monacan, Manahoac, Massawomeck, Piscataway, Susquehannock, Lenni-Lenape, Munsee Lenape, Wappinger, Paugussett, Mohican, Pocumtuc, Nipmuc, Abenaki, Pequawket, Arosaguntacook, Nanrantsouak, Penobscot, and Wabanaki Confederacy (https://appalachiantrail.org/official-blog/native-lands/; https://native-land.ca/). These tribes have fought for recognition, sovereignty, and to protect their land and cultural practices. Thus, some of the money from this campaign will be donated directly to the participating Indigenous communities to support their efforts to preserve, restore, and reconnect to their land, language, and/or culture. I will share more about each of the Indigenous communities in future posts.

My initial goal will be to raise $2,198.40, a dollar for every mile hiked, from friends, family, and folks I meet on the trail. I am asking for support through following and sharing the campaign on social media, donating to the fundraiser, and talking about what you learn along the journey with others as I will be posting land acknowledgements, fundraising updates, and hiking updates to @SolidarityHike23 on Instagram and TikTok. All Solidarity Hike links can be found on my LinkTree (https://linktr.ee/solidarityhike). If everyone donated 1 penny per mile, just $21.98, I could reach my goal with just 100 donations.

Thank you for your time and support. I truly believe that together, we can make a positive impact for people and the planet.

Cristina