Where The Sidewalk Ends
Dave and Michelle Hike 50 miles
of the APPALACHIAN Trail for clean water
July 26th-28th
Dave and Michelle will embark on a 50 mile hike of the Appalachian Trail. They will hike through the Berkshires, a high land plains unique to west Massachusetts. There will be many memorable and challenging climbs but at least it will be in time for blueberry season.
Hiking in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts would be impossible without clean water. This is why Dave and Michelle are raising $2,500 towards clean water.
To donate and get daily updates, visit our link below.
A $25 donation will give one person clean water for a lifetime.
Why Clean Water?
Michelle and Dave’s ability to do long distance hikes would not be possible without clean water. There will be many times during their hike where water is hard to find and needs to be filtered. They are dedicating this hike to help people gain access to clean drinking water. Here is a video showing where every donation is going.
Peak by Peak
Here are a few areas they will be hiking through.
3,500ft Mountain Peaks
Mountain climbs will reveal overlooks that allow over 90 miles to be seen in the distance.
Berkshire Wilderness
Where hiking in forests, through meadows, and seeing wildlife will be a normal occurrence.
Trail Angels
They will meet the many Trail Angels that care for the trail and care for the hikers.
Trail MaGic
The Appalachian Trail has a lot of magic from meeting people, supporting each other, and discovering a new area.
Who Are Dave and Michelle?
Couple Dr. Michelle Marinone and Dave Shyloski initially met founder James Leitner in the Summer of 2015 during a particularly turbulent fire season in Southern California. Since moving to the East Coast in 2017, they have remained in touch and participated in a fundraiser “Arrow’s Water Quest” a 100-mile hike from NJ to CT, in the Summer of 2018. This year, James will again be joining Dave and Michelle for another section hike along the Appalachian Trail in Michelle’s home state of Massachusetts to help kick off funding for Mission Clean Water’s next project. Michelle and Dave feel that caring for the voiceless is even more important now with Climate refugees facing new challenges by the season, often forcing people to walk further and further in search of many of the basic necessities we rely on without effort or consequence. Water being the most elemental of resources a community, a mother, a child can be given.
Fred Rogers once said: "We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say ‘It’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.” Michelle, Dave, and James hope to share some of the responsibility of lifting up the less fortunate, during their 3 day journey.