THREE WEEKS TO GO!
Three weeks to go until I start the Appalachian Trail. Ryan McKeel produced an amazing feature on HikeRossHike which appeared on the SFAF website this month. Today, we received our first gift of $35 from this second campaign (the first campaign raised $2,500... I cannot wait to see how much we raise this time around!). What is even more exciting is that it is from someone I do not know directly or through friends in my social networks online. I am very ready to start my hike... I am nervous, but I guess you could say that this is a "good" nervous... I am excited and cannot wait to get out there on the Trail!

by Ross Hayduk on Mon, Feb 20, 2012 @ 3:29 PM

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WE DID IT!
Thank you for your support... I was able to complete the John Muir Trail, starting in Tuolumne Meadows and ending at Whitney Portal. I am now looking forward to planning the 2,000+ mile Appalachian Trail Hike in 2012. But, it is going to take some planning! I hope I can secure additional sponsorship to help cover health insurance and medication while I am on the AT. Now that I know I can handle the physical and mental rigors of hiking, I just need to address the financial. :)

by Ross Hayduk on Mon, Aug 22, 2011 @ 12:34 PM

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TRACK ME ON THE TRAIL!
IF YOU WANT TO FOLLOW MY FOOTPRINTS ON THE JOHN MUIR TRAIL, please bookmark -
http://www.tinyurl.com/hikerosshike
You will begin to see my electronic "footprints" beginning Thursday, July 21st, as I depart from Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite!

by Ross Hayduk on Mon, Jul 18, 2011 @ 4:54 PM

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Back from AIDS/LifeCycle 10
Just got back from AIDS/LifeCycle 10, where many records were broken... least of all, raising >$13 Million for HIV/AIDS services in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Now, will my Appalachian Trail Hike or my John Muir Trail training hike raise that amount? Well, I would be delighted if I could raise $13,000.
So, help me raise $2,011 for 2011 by underwriting this training hike. Once I return, I will have 7 months to prepare for the Appalachian Trail.
This is going to be a lot of work, planning, training, and working out all the logistics. If I wanted to go on a vacation, I would have taken all the money I have spent on gear, training, and supplies and used it to go on my dream cruise to Alaska or the Italian Coast. My goal with these two hikes is to draw attention, increase awareness, and reduce stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS, depression, addiction, and mental health care.
I hope I will have your support!

by Ross Hayduk on Wed, Jun 15, 2011 @ 1:02 PM

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This Is Why I Hike...
The newest video for the AIDS ENDS HERE campaign at the SF AIDS Foundation...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHWnQ_brIDE

by Ross Hayduk on Wed, Mar 30, 2011 @ 1:25 PM

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Rainy Training
On Saturday, March 19th, I went on my first training hike with Daniel and Amanda, my official Training Hike Leaders... Daniel and Amanda completed the Appalachian Trail as thru-hikers in 2009. We completed a 10 mile hike in the Windy Hill Open Space Preserve in the cold and rain in about three-and-a-half hours... and we rewarded ourselves with a trip to Wendy's on the way home. :)

by Ross Hayduk on Thu, Mar 24, 2011 @ 2:58 PM

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One Year to GO!
In exactly one year from today, I will be heading out on the Appalachian Trail. I have been excited to see the messages of support from friends and family around the country. I used nearly all my personal savings & tax return funds to purchase the necessary gear, because training begins this weekend!! In addition to training, I will be raising money for SFAF, as well as save up to cover my health insurance (COBRA) while I am unemployed (approximately $550 per month, with another $100 for prescription medication co-pays). Most hikers can drop everything and hit the Trail, but unfortunately, it is necessary for me to maintain health insurance coverage while I am away. Luckily, I am saving money on pet care, as a "Trail Angel" family in Pennsylvania will be caring for Oscar during the spring and summer while I am on the Trail. AND, I will get to hike with him for a few days when I pass near their house. Additionally, my landlord / housemate has offered to store my motorcycle and my household possessions for seven months "rent free". Otherwise, pet boarding would be $8,000 and rent would be $5,000. I am very lucky to have such supportive people in my life!

by Ross Hayduk on Wed, Mar 16, 2011 @ 2:09 PM

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Inspiration
Be of good cheer. Do not think of to-day's failures, but of the success that may come to-morrow. You have set yourselves a difficult task, but you will succeed if you persevere, and you will find a joy in overcoming obstacles -- a delight in climbing rugged paths, which you would perhaps never know if you did not sometime slip backward -- if the road was always smooth and pleasant. Remember, no effort that we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost. -- Helen Keller (8 July 1896)

by Ross Hayduk on Sun, Feb 13, 2011 @ 2:58 PM

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Setting Up Shop
With Robin Easterbrook's help, I was able to set up this fantastic donation page for my Greater Than One "Create Your Own Event". -- I am also creating a Facebook presence, starting with a Note. Maybe I will create a fan page, too. ;) -- Additionally, I will be working on my trail journal at TrailJournals.com. This is a really interesting way to follow the progress of hikers on their adventures. -- And the donation page works! My first donation of $11 came in today from Daniel Holloway, my Training Hike Leader, who completed the Appalachian Trail with his partner Amanda Mitchell in 2009. -- Did you know, it was Daniel who suggested I take on the Appalachian Trail as an HIV/AIDS fundraiser?!?

by Ross Hayduk on Mon, Feb 07, 2011 @ 3:30 PM

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