My dream of hiking the PCT started long before I even realized that I could do it. In the Boy Scouts one summer, we saw what I now realize was a thru-hiker headed north. I knew that the trail went all the way from Mexico to Canada, but I didn't realize until that moment that people could actually do it, let alone in one go. He didn't stop to talk, but he gave me the idea that it would be an amazing thing to do, and the next thing I knew, I was in college, and the plan was moving forward.

In preparation for the trip, I did everything I could think of. I sewed, I studied the internet, I read books, I hiked, I trained. I even worked at an outdoor gear shop for a while. My theory was, the more I did to make the hike a part of my very being, the less ability I would have to turn back either on the trail or off. In the end, all this preparation paid off.

As for why I decided to hike for a cause, that came later. I was already planning my trip when somebody asked me what I was doing it for, and I didn't understand. "To do it" was my answer, but that wasn't good enough. I realized then that if I had the time and energy, I should use my hike to raise money. I had the time and energy, and next thing I knew, I was raising money for the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.

After doing a ton of work, I managed to raise about five thousand dollars for them, and for that I am very glad, as it made my hike even more meaningful than it would have been otherwise.

In 2007, I plan to hike for a cause once again. This time, on the AT, probably for the same cause, as I have found IAVI to be a great organization, both on the small and the grand scale.