My deepest gratitude to everyone who has made this walk possible, either through donations, emotional support, providing housing, or allowing me to talk endlessly about my plans. Here are a few very special Thank You’s for my family, without whom this walk would not have been possible.
Maria Restivo – my amazingly supportive, loving, generous friend. The first person I told about this journey. Thank you for your initial reaction, which included getting down on your knees and throwing your hands up in the air, shouting YES repeatedly, and offering to help in anyway you could. If not for this excited and emotional response, perhaps the idea would have stopped there. I love you.
Mom – I attribute my love for adventure to you – hearing about your journeys on dead tour, your longing for knowledge, the way you worship the god of change, your openness to the unknown, the way you surrender to the powers at be. Thank you for your strength and determination to be a boss at everything you do. Thank you for your support in this walk, for allowing me to talk about only this for weeks on end, and for the logistics planning!
Jimmie- What a gift to have you as a dad – I am inspired by your love of all life, devotion to learning about the planet, and commitment to making everything you touch better than you found it. I am inspired by your stories of through hikes and backpacking adventures, your life-long promotion of world peace, and your expression of gratitude. Thank you for your work ethic, the hikes and camping trips, and for empowering me to find what makes me tick. And thank you for ensuring I had everything I needed for this journey.
AJ Schaerer – my talented, determined, loving friend, former roommate, and so much more, thank you for being there for me. Thank you for hours of help in gear preparation, route finding, mapping and fundraising idea storms. Thank you for use of your computer, without which the planning would have been impossible. For your uplifting spirit and power to make others believe in themselves, I am forever grateful. Shout out to friends Jesse and Anthony for listening and supporting!
Sally & Andrew – the best sister and brother-in-law that I could ever ask for. Your never ending support is more than I deserve. Thank you for the times I’ve lived with you, for the backyard fires, hikes and adventures, for the conversations about haikus and climate change, for encouraging questioning and learning. For this trip, thank you for the website help, listening to my concerns, and validating my ideas. My love for you all is too huge to hold, it is pouring out of my heart and soul and I am forever grateful to have you in my life.
Miles For Climate 