Preparation, Challenges, and Adventure – Zachariah Nagy on Thru Hiking
First, the Pacific Crest Trail, then the Tahoe Rim Trail, the Benton Mackaye Trail, and others. Now, Zachariah Nagy’s sights are set on the Continental … Read more…
Congratulations to our newest Board member, Brayden Donnelly!
I am pleased to announce that, at our annual Board of Directors meeting earlier this week, Brayden Donnelly was elected as a new member of the Board. He joins co-founders Leo Walker, Tom Kennedy and Nancy Kozanecki who will continue their service on the Board.
Read more...Pearland Veterans Day Walk supports vets battling PTSD at Camp Home
Last evening, the Pearland Veterans Day Walk planning team was honored to present Texas Outreach Manager Zack Alexander from Camp Hope & the PTSD Foundation … Read more…
$14,000 for the Pacific Crest Trail Association
HIKE for Mental Health is pleased to announce the donation of $14,000 to the Pacific Crest Trail Association. The donation is made possible by the … Read more…
Pearland honors vets, funds support
On Saturday, November 9, the community of Pearland, TX, came together to honor veterans and to raise funds to support vets and the families of vets battling PTSD. Thanks to a record number of business sponsors, the sixth annual Pearland Veterans Day Walk netted more than $16,000, which will be distributed to local organizations that provide counseling, direct care, emergency aid and fund research to alleviate suffering from Post Traumatic Stress.
Read more...Are you ready to #hikeOctober?
2,500 miles in 31 days! Together, we can #hikeOctober! Wherever you live, whatever your ability, you can join HIKE for Mental Health to #hikeOctober. Add your miles to the effort and together we can reach the goal. October is the perfect month to get moving outside – not too hot, not too cold. Climb a mountain, stroll along a stream, go to the park, or take a walking tour of your city – wherever you are, whether you cover 1 mile or 100, you can join #hikeOctober. (Yes, it’s free.) Click to learn how.
Read more...Soaring Above the Clouds with Summit Mt. Washington
Our Eighth Annual Summit Mt. Washington hike surpassed all expectations, creating friendships and memories that will last a lifetime! More than 120 hikers joined us for our largest ever group trek to the summit of the highest peak in the Northeast. Click to see amazing photos and learn about the new fundraising record our hikers reached!
Read more...McDowell Nature Preserve hike makes memories and raises funds
Last month, thirteen hikers led by volunteer hike organizer Sharon McCarthy, completed a hike for mental health in McDowell Nature Preserve near Charlotte, NC. Here is Sharon’s post-hike report, along with the final fundraising tally – did they make it to their $2,000 goal?
Read more...Perfect weather for Gertrude’s Nose hike!
Hikers earlier this month were treated to perfect weather and magnificent views on their round-trip hike to the aptly-named Gertrude’s Nose. Thanks to volunteer hike organizer Matt Erickson for planning and leading this hike in Minnewaska State Park Preserve in upstate New York. Thanks also to the hikers who joined the hike and enjoyed panoramic views of the Hudson River valley.
Read more...Mountains for Mental Health
Since I was 14 I have struggled with depression and some suicidal ideations, and as of 2 and a half years ago I was re-diagnosed with bipolar disorder. And it’s so scary to share that, but I’ve found that sharing our stories begins to put a crack in the stigma. Sharing stories connects us to the people around us to make life bearable. And being listened to saves lives.
Read more...Looking to get involved with HIKE for Mental Health?
Looking to get involved with HIKE for Mental Health from your own home? We are seeking a volunteer to help with outreach for the #hikeOctober program this year. The role involves identifying and contacting hiking and mental health-oriented groups via email and phone to ask them to share the #hikeOctober campaign with their members/audience. The time commitment is 2-3 hours per month from March through October. You must have internet access, be able to do independent Google searches to find information, be organized, and comfortable talking with and writing to strangers.
Read more...Grants for brain & behavior research top $275k
In December 2018, we presented the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation with a check for $55,750, our largest award ever! That grant brings the total amount raised for brain and behavior research since HIKE for Mental Health was founded to more than $275,000. Wow!
Read more...Westside Veterinary Hospital raises Veterans Walk to new heights
Just in time for the holidays we finished distributing the record-setting proceeds from the fifth annual Pearland Veterans Day Walk. These funds were possible only because hundreds of members of the greater Pearland, TX, community came out on Saturday, November 10 for our fifth annual Veterans Day Walk to honor Texas veterans, to celebrate the freedom their bravery has secured for us, and to raise funds for those still battling Post Traumatic Stress. How much did we raise and where did the money go?
Read more...I hikeOctober
By Allen Irwin. Mental health was never once a topic in my household and when it reeled its ugly head, a purple elephant showed up to the party that was somehow invisible. Crazy to look back and try to wrap my head around the fact that any of this could ever be ignored. Yet, this has been the very same story being told all around the world. Why would anyone want to talk about something that can’t be seen. I found myself sitting in a jail cell detoxing from Oxycontin and wondering where it had all gone wrong. And this was how I disguised my mental health by digging myself a hole that I nearly couldn’t climb out of.
Read more...Oktoberfest hikers trek on despite drippy weather
Our 2018 Oktoberfest hikers did not let a little rain dampen their spirits or shorten their hike at Bear Mountain in upstate New York this … Read more…
I hikeOctober
By Zach Davis. The year was 2011. I was both stressed and depressed – largely the result of working on my laptop 70 hours a week. What little free time I had was filled with alcohol and even more screen time in the form of Netflix, YouTube, and the black hole that is social media. One night out at the local watering hole, a friend confided his plan to hike from Georgia to Maine on a path called the Appalachian Trail. This was the first time I had heard these two words used consecutively. Despite not having any outdoor experience or a clear path to escape my current obligations, I committed to join him.
Read more...I hikeOctober
By Judy Gross. The outdoors were my sanctuary – a place I could be alone and explore. I also grew up thinking the outdoors were a women’s sanctuary, that men didn’t go out in nature – I told this to someone recently (a man) and was laughed at – what little does he know – if you look at recent statistics, there are more women than men in many outdoor activities.
Read more...I hikeOctober
by Cindy Ross. Hiking gave me my life. It began with the Appalachian Trail which I hiked as a young woman. Upon reaching Mount Katahdin in Maine, I ran my finger across the routed wooden sign that pointed south and read Springer Mountain, Georgia, 2100 miles. I suddenly realized that I could have a dream and if I worked hard enough and believed in it deeply enough, it would come true. All it took was a strong passion and a lot of perseverance. Hiking gave me many gifts, but the most priceless one was this incredible self-confidence and belief in myself. The trail taught me to not see limits.
Read more...I #hikeOctober
By Betsy Kane. In college, I found myself seeking out local trails to find peace and solitude away from campus. Hiking became an escape from reality in my mid-twenties, when I was facing divorce at a young age. When I was almost 30, a car slammed into mine on my way home from work one day, and I ended up needing spinal surgery. During that time of physical weakness, I decided that I should go for a hike on the Appalachian Trail. My mom angrily reacted to this decision by telling me to stick a note in my pocket saying where to send my dead body.
Read more...I #hikeOctober
By Amanda Moutsoulas. Before this past summer, I never hiked. In my entire 35 years, I had hiked exactly once, ten years ago, on New Hampshire’s Mt. Major, with my husband. I have spent much of my life battling intermittent depression, and even during the periods when getting out of bed wasn’t a struggle, I wasn’t what anyone would call “active.” That changed when a sudden, devastating loss led me to begin running in January.
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