For those who may not know, we met through a local hiking club back in 2021 and quickly became friends and adventure buddies! From countless miles on our local trails, to epic western mountain hikes like Grandfather Mountain and Mount Mitchell, and even cross country to Montana(!), we’ve hiked HUNDREDS of miles together!

When we heard about the Make-A-Wish Trailblaze Challenge back in 2022, we knew we had to do it! Not only because we’re trail-dwellers who love a good challenge, but because of the amazing opportunity it presented to help give back to the community. You see, the proceeds go directly towards granting Wishes to kids right here in North Carolina! But doing it once wasn’t enough for us, so we’re back at it again in 2024!

So what is the Trailblaze Challenge? It’s a 27.4 mile hike which participants, such as ourselves, will complete within 10 hours. It starts at Hanging Rock State Park and ends at Pilot Mountain, which if you look at that on a map, is pretty wild!

The Trailblaze Challenge offers a unique experience to its participants. It’s not a race, but it’s still an endurance challenge. A challenge that is centered around the aw-inspiring children and their families, who endure endless days and nights in hospitals, painful procedures, and countless tears. With every mile, every hour, and every step, we remember that the aches and pains of the challenge are temporary, whereas these incredibly brave children battling critical illnesses have endured SO much more. Enduring these challenging miles and fundraising $5,000 truly is the LEAST we can do to help grant wishes to these deserving children!

Make-A-Wish grants thousands of unique wishes to critically ill children each year! It sounds like a lot, but it’s only 50% of eligible kids, and now more than ever every child needs something positive to look forward to. We’re fundraising so that more deserving kids and their families may know the true happiness, relief, and renewal a wish can bring!

With that said, we’re asking for YOUR help! No donation is too big or too small! Together, I know that we can hit our fundraising goal of $5,000!

Can’t make a donation? Share the link on social media and tell a friend, family member, or coworkers about it!