Who are Sandy and Simon?
 
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Some people believe that hiking a 2200 mile path through the woods from Georgia to Maine in all types of weather conditions, sleeping in tents or shelters on hard ground or floors, and hiking while listening to a growling empty tummy is excruciating pain, but I don’t think so.  I’ll keep my picture under the word “stupid” and continue on my way. I have this unexplainable desire that keeps pulling me to the trail. 

When I am hiking, I find myself in God’s church. I enjoy listening to the quiet sounds of nature, the rustling of leaves, the chirping of birds, and the scurry of small animals as they stealthily move from log to log. I can watch with awe the sunrises and sunsets high from the mountain ridges where eagles soar.  From the highest peaks, I can see puffy white clouds trapped within the valleys, the bluest skies, the crashing thunderstorms, and the brightest rainbows from the top, not from the ground up.  I enjoy the hiking friends I meet, the historical sites, and the various cultures found in small hamlets along the trail.

Hiking the AT is truly a once in a lifetime challenging experience; however, enjoyment and desire aren't enough to get me through the long, tiring, cloud-covered, rain soaking days!  So I began searching for a better incentive. I thought about hiking the AT for various organizations:  Cancer, Leukemia, the burn units, heart, Miracle Workers, and Life Flights to name a few.   None satisfied my need! Still, this unexplainable force or desire to hike the AT was foremost on my mind.

  

The soul-searching continued for two more years.  Finally, two weeks before Christmas, in the same week almost to the same day, the “doors of opportunity” opened, and I was ready!  The time was right.  I not only had one benefit but two; one is church oriented, and the second one is an IRS approved non profit 501 ( c ) 3 charity, Newborns In Need.

 

The First Methodist Church Jubilant Bell choir wanted to purchase a new “D” bass bell to go along with the new “C” bell that was recently purchased with gifted monies. Since I am a member of the bell choir, hiking the AT to purchase a new “D” bell to ring for the glory of God was a wonderful incentive for me. The idea was presented: If Simon and I hike 2200 miles for a penny a mile, we would have enough donated monies from the First Methodist Jubilant Bell Choir and other congregational members who wish to support our newest endeavor to purchase not only the “D” bass bell, but also a table and cover.  The idea was accepted.

 

Secondly, and disconnected from the first fundraiser, we will be hiking for the Newborns in Need organization.  It is a non-profit, volunteer organization that provides for the needs of premature and newborn babies in crisis at no expense to the families.
 

Volunteers spend hours sewing clothing, knitting blankets, crocheting tiny hats and booties to keep little bodies toasty.
  

The organization supplies needed items both locally and state wide to hospitals, funeral homes, and other social organizations that are in need of assistance.
  

Please explore the Newborns In Need link, www.newbornsinneed.org.   You’ll discover what a great service this organization provides to the tiniest of God’s children; Then,  open up your heart and volunteer your time to a local chapter in your area, or send a monetary donation to  Newborns In Need, Inc.

Click on Pledge Card  for the addresses and Pledge Form.

Charitable gifts to Newborns In Need (NIN) are tax deductible.  NIN will gladly provide a tax deduction receipt if it is requested.  For those companies or individuals sending contributions such as yarns, new materials, gift cards, new or slightly used clothing, hygiene products, toys or monetary donations, please indicate how you would like your business name or individual names to appear as contributors in area newspapers from Georgia to Maine or on my website listed below.

 

Simon cannot speak; He communicates with his big brown eyes, his wagging tail, and lots of licks.  If Si could speak, I know he would say: Please include a new Lucky Bear, a tiny brown bear with a red ribbon tied around its neck, to be sent to the hospitals for placement in the neonatal intensive care units as a reminder to the families of newborns in need that someone like you cares. It’s a symbol of faith, hope, and prayers for the tiniest of God’s children who are struggling to survive.

 

So in a nutshell, Simon and I will be hiking for the glory of God, and for His tiniest children, the newborns who are seriously ill or in crisis.   Come join us on the trail, or wave when you see us along the road, or, better still, we’ll find a spot to sit and chat awhile.  I’m excited to meet each of you!

 

Sandy Garey (AT trail name:  Swing’n Jane)   

www.oocities.org/sgarey42                 
 

Greetings Friends:

 

Thank you for venturing into my website for the Appalachian Trail.  I’m excited that you can follow Simon and me on the AT through pictures and words.  First, a little about me!

 

About Me: My husband and I have lived in Heath, 30 miles east of Columbus, Ohio, for nearly 40 years.  We have 2 grown children and 5 wonderful grandchildren.  We live in a log cabin on a small farm with many cats, cows, dogs, chickens, and a horse. 

I taught in the public schools for 30 years, mostly in the Heath City Schools from where I retired. 

 As a young child, the family homestead was perched on top of Point Mountain near the Elkins, West Virginia area.   Mountains, thick hardwood forests, and crystal clear rivers surrounded us.  My love for the woods and mountains began when my Dad would take me into the woods where we would spend hours hiking and talking about various things found in nature, or plowing up soil with my pony to plant the family vegetables, and mowing sweet smelling hay.  My brother would drag me off over the hill to the crick or river to catch the native brook trout; however, we never caught much, but we did have a fun time and created many memories. For me, the mountains are still home, and full of pleasant memories that keep calling me back.
 

Simon:  Simon is a well-behaved black lab, and my constant companion.  He will have had his 5th birthday when we begin the Appalachian Trail.   Si loves to be around children and would lick them to death if they would let him. He likes to play chase or catch with a ball, but his favorite toy is Lucky Bear, a small brown teddy that he packs around, sleeps with, and sometimes tries to bury!

 

Simon is a great hiker, too, and loves to be on the trail.  He becomes excited and playful, his tail wags constantly, his eyes are alert, and his feet sound like the patty-pat trot of a horse.  Simon always hikes in front of me about 20 to 30 feet but always coming back to check on me.  He hikes every trail twice!  He has had lots of practice hiking since his first hike was a 7 miler at 3 months.

 

Together Simon and I have backpacked 330 miles on the Allegheny Trail that runs from West Virginia’s northern boarder to its southern terminus in Virginia.  In March of 2004, I completed 1300 miles of the Buckeye Trail, a continuous loop around the state of Ohio.  Si has hiked sections of the BT with me in the areas that were off road and safe.
 

In July 2004, I had the privilege of backpacking Isle Royale National Park, located in the middle of Lake Superior, with Boy Scout Troop 6 from Cincinnati, Ohio.  Isle Royale National Park is only accessible by boat or float plane. We were there for 6 nights and 7 days.  This backpacking trip afforded me the perfect opportunity to hone my backpacking skills, especially experimenting with my homemade tarp, before tackling 2200 miles of the Appalachian Trail.
  

Simon could not go on this adventure since all pets are banned from the island to avoid spreading diseases to the native animals that inhabit the area.  Besides that, Si wouldn’t have enjoyed eating those yucky scrambled eggs!  So this brings me to the question of why hike the Appalachian Trail?

 

Reasons:  Stupid, maybe? When completing the Buckeye Trail, my hiking friend, Kelly, and I would hike in all kinds of weather, sunshine, rain, sleet, snow, or ice.  It didn’t matter.  This one particular winter day, we were hiking in the southern region of Ohio in a mountainous area on backcountry roads. (Sane people wouldn’t have ventured out in weather like that!)  The roads were so slick that we were slipping on snow-covered ice, staggering all over the area trying to keep some footing.  My friend said, “You know, if you’d look up the word “stupid” in the dictionary, you’d find our pictures plastered underneath.”  We had a good laugh and continued on.