I #hikeOctober
by Ron Tipton, retired President/CEO of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. My life was transformed by my A.T. journey. I decided my mission was to spend the rest of my career protecting national parks and wilderness areas and other special places in the American landscape, including the Appalachian Trail. When I hiked in 1978, more than 200 miles of the Trail were on public roads and more than 600 miles were in private ownership. Today the entire A.T. is publicly owned, permanently protected and managed by federal and state conservation agencies. I am proud to say I had a role in that historic achievement.
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By Cristen Heavens. I remember when I cried because I wasn’t sure I’d ever enjoy hiking again. The hiking backpack I’d bought, clean and new, was still beckoning me from the corner of my room. I kept promising myself that, once I felt well again, I’d take it on a trip. It still pains me that I sold the backpack before that day ever came.
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by Mark Larabee. The thing is, while we joke about the exertion and the exhaustion that hiking can bring, there’s no place either of us feels more at peace. We both spend our working days at the keyboard, so time outside is always precious, no matter how arduous. Whenever life’s daily grind becomes overwhelming, a walk in the woods is typically the cure.
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by Timmy Le. Living with cerebral palsy, I love to challenge and push myself beyond what I once thought was my outer boundaries. If I can reach the summit of a mountain then all of the challenges that I face in my daily life are easy in comparison. This lesson, just like everything I learned in the lab as a scientist, taught me that the best teacher is nature…
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I often feel like I’m moments away from losing my mind. As a child I watched my grandmother lose touch with reality and somehow I knew I would go the same way. In a world that fears what it does not understand, we simply never talk about mental illness for fear of being shunned. I think that most who suffer, still do so silently and alone. Through years of work and education the stigma is starting fade, but we still have work to do. My name is Odie and I’m as crazy as the Loons in the ponds of southern Maine.
Read more...Intensive Outpatient Treatment Reduced Vets’ Symptoms of PTSD Within Weeks
Three weeks of intensive outpatient treatment can significantly reduce the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans who suffer from the illness, according to a study reported July 27th in the journal BMC Psychiatry. The short course of treatment also enabled most of the participants to stay with the the program to its conclusion, an important factor in its success, researchers noted.
Read more...Summit Mount Washington Smashes Goal
Our seventh annual Summit Mt. Washington hike created memories that will last a lifetime, forged new friendships, spawned dozens of stunning photos and raised a record amount for mental health research and trail conservation. In fact, more than 50% higher than any previous year! Wow! How much? Click to find out.
Read more...“Disorganized Thinking” in Psychosis is Linked to Brain Processing Problem in Cerebellum
Those who experience psychosis may also be familiar with disorganized thinking. A recent study supports the theory that disorganized thoughts may be the result of a dysfunctional brain circuit involved in the brain’s learning process. Click to learn more about the relationship between the brain’s learning process and psychosis, and how the data informs research for schizophrenia.
Read more...hikeOctober is back! Are you in?
Last October, walkers and hikers around the country trekked more than 1,800 combined miles and raised $4,000 to alleviate the suffering associated with mental illness and conserve wilderness trails. We set our sights even higher for hikeOctober 2018! Will you join us? It’s free, fun and can be done anywhere!
Read more...Cupcakes Anonymous soars to the summit
Last month, a group of eight powerful women who call themselves Cupcakes Anonymous, along with hike leader Adam Leiser, completed a hike for mental health to the summit of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. Read what group organizer Tina Potenti had to say about their adventure.
Read more...Knoxville hikers chase waterfalls and raise funds
Hello from East Tennessee! We enjoyed a beautiful day hiking to Piney Falls in Grandview, TN on Saturday, June 23. Any day on a trail is a good day, but the camaraderie, the sun chasing the rain clouds away, and the natural beauty of this area made for a spectacular and memorable morning.
Read more...Thank you, Judy!
Look what just came in the mail! Judy from Lightheart Gear sent five awesome HIKE for Mental Health orange tarps for give-aways on our hikes!
Judy and her company make awesome lightweight tents and rain gear, all made here in the USA according her amazing designs and exacting standards. And she is just breaking ground on a new factory in North Carolina to keep up with the growing demand. If you are not familiar with her gear, do yourself a favor and check it out!
Read more...Appreciation from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
A wonderful certificate of appreciation for our 2017 contribution to the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation arrived in the mail, along with a warm letter of thanks from President and CEO Jeffrey Borenstein.
Read more...Pat, we will miss you
With a heavy heart I must announce the passing of Pat Horsch. Those of you who had the pleasure of hiking with Pat know what a loss this is for so many. Her joy at being on the trail was genuine and contagious. She led numerous hikes for HIKE for Mental Health and joined on us many others. Pat passed away doing what she loved, setting out on a hike with a group of fellow hikers.
Read more...Hooray! $9,500 for the Pacific Crest Trail Association!
For many of us, getting out on the trail grounds and reconnects us with something we don’t always find in the hustle and bustle of … Read more…
2017 Pearland Veterans Day Walk Sets Record
Despite Hurricane Harvey, Pearland and surrounding communities set new records for attendees, sponsors, and net proceeds raised with the 2017 edition of Pearland Veterans Day Walk on November 11. City, County, State and Federal officials were on hand to help kick-off the walk. Perennial supporter Representative Ed Thompson again gave a beautiful invocation and read the State of Texas Proclamation that he and Representative Bonnen sponsored commemorating the event. Congressman Pete Olson gave a rousing welcome and presented a Certificate of Congressional Recognition to HIKE for Mental Health and the City of Pearland for organizing the event to honor veterans and raise funds for organizations that help those battling PTSD. See all the event photos.
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by Sugar. I #hikeOctober because I can! In 1997 I was in a bad car accident and was told I would never walk again… it brought on a lot of depression and the fact that I was raised in a very abusive and dysfunctional household made it even worse. Until I hiked the John Muir trail in ’07, I didn’t have much confidence in myself as a person much of it from my upbringing. I found that hiking sometimes alone for many hours not only helped me spiritually but with my self confidence as well. It gave me much time to reflect on my life and where I was going and what I wanted to make of myself.
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by Keely Carney. When I was 22, I found myself in rehab. Years of daily blackout drinking and a crippling case of alcoholism will do that. But I wasn’t just in rehab because I struggled with alcoholism. I was in rehab because I struggled with life. Like most people battling mental illness, my story was complex. I’d dealt with depression. I’d dabbled in eating disorders. I’d spent the majority of my life feeling deeply uncomfortable in my skin and in this world. So there I was. While most of my classmates were preparing to graduate college, I was livin’ it up in rehab. At this particular rehab, livin’ it up included going on weekly hikes. Even though it was January. In Connecticut. And snowing. Nothing like forcing someone who’s already uncomfortable all the time to get more uncomfortable… And it was. My first hike was deeply uncomfortable.
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by Kerry “Cyndi Loppers” Stewart. I #hikeOctober because fear can be crippling. I was afraid of one thing or another my entire childhood. I was afraid of more than one thing or another most of my adult life. I am scared of crossing the street without a crosswalk, making unprotected left turns while driving, being alone, peanut shells, anything that flies, crowded rooms, physical contact with strangers, heights, clowns, thunder, strange dogs, germs … The list goes on. I am not completely agoraphobic but I choose to rarely leave my home unless it’s to go to work or to the grocery store.
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by Leo Walker. Today would be my mom’s birthday. As kids growing up, it was obvious to us that there was something different about her. I tell people she had schizophrenia although strictly speaking I never heard that diagnosis said. In fact, I never heard any specific explanation for her unusual and at times frightening behavior. My dad was a very private person and felt things like that were best not talked about, even within the family.
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