Being Bigger than Yourself

Bellingham, WA - Mile 0 - Aug 17_th, 2017

When my brother David suffered a brain injury this past December, the lives of our family would be forever changed.

David has always been a role model of mine. A father of two, financial manager, and loving husband, growing up close to him and his family has shaped my dreams, personality, and crafted my sense of humor. However, what him and I eye see eye to eye on the most is our need to embrace our passions: he's a die-hard Red Sox fan. David would travel for games, named his daughter Caroline, and would frequently be first in line to get season tickets. Most importantly, he shared this love with his family, friends, and co-workers.

I can relate to this from my love of music, which has brought me from the east to the west coast and so many places and experiences in between. When I moved to Seattle, I began to change, I began to replace the sounds of jazz and funk and bluegrass with the sound of silence in the woods. Hiking has brought me so many gifts, and the opportunity to hike the Pacific Crest Trail after working multiple jobs to support myself through business school will be the greatest reward of my life to date.

But hiking is not enough for me, with the curse of always needing to do more, experience more, and contribute more, I have landed here on HikeFor. This is why, coming full circle back to the person who inspired me to stay inspired, I am hiking to fundraise for the Mayfield Education & Research Foundation. 90% of your donations will go toward the advancement of neuroscience research, an element of science which can greatly improve upon the lives of future families who experience this trauma.

The additional 10% will go to the Pacific Crest Trail Association. So more people like myself can continue to have a trail to be a role model for others on. Because at the end of the day, at the end of your hike, or the end of your life, the most important aspect of living is the impact you make.