I can’t believe it’s my fourth Trailblaze season!  I began hiking to raise money for Make-A-Wish Alabama in 2022.  Raising funds to help grant wishes was meaningful but not the primary reason I was motivated to accept the challenge to hike 26.3 miles in one day. I committed as a personal challenge to get in shape and pursue a a life-long dream of hiking.

Training for my first Trailblaze season gave me the confidence to choose to do hard things every single day. Running or walking is now as much a part of my daily routine as eating.  Hiking and backpacking are full time pursuits. I will do the next “big hike” whether I accept the Trailblaze Challenge or not as long as I am healthy.  

This year, I accepted the challenge for the kids. The ones who would love to pursue their own dreams but aren’t in a place to do that, YET! They don’t get to choose their hard but they do get to choose a WISH and with your help, we can Make-A-Wish come true for some precious kids and their families!