Welcome.
Soon, I will figure out a way to add some gadgets to this blog that will allow you to partner with me on this adventure, whether that be through financial donations, giving me the outdoor gear you never use anymore, composing a care package to send to me on the trail, committing to hike a chunk of the trail with me, or simply just keeping me in your prayers...regardless, I want you to be a part of this epic adventure.
So whadya say?
I decided I'm going to post the sponsorship proposal that I wrote as a means of getting you interested...but first I'd like to share a bit about the trail, and why I'm choosing to put myself through the monotony of 2,600 miles of wilderness.
Ok, so the PCT is a trail that stretches from the border of California and Mexico, to the border of Washington and Canada. The trail actually makes its way 8 miles into Canada and ends at Manning Provincial Park in British Columbia. It's exactly 2663.5 miles long. I've had an aspiration to hike the whole thing ever since I learned of its existence when I was at cross country camp my sophomore year in high school. This is where you ask me, "Why in the world would you ever want to do that?" And this is where I reply, "Why wouldn't I?"
Our bodies are such miraculous contraptions. They are capable of more than most people ever dare to attempt. But as a daring individual, I find abundant life in testing this God given body of mine. Of seeing just what I'm capable of. As a distance runner, I've nearly mastered the marathon. I can run for nearly 6 hours straight, and I think that's just the tip of the iceberg. It's time to attempt hiking, walking in the woods for not only 6 hours, but 6 months straight.
Not only do I want to enter a physical challenge, I want to enter into a mental challenge. This adventure is going to be painful, not only physically painful, but mentally stretching, as I spend 6 months walking the same trail, wondering if indeed, there really is an end to it. I want to learn how to train the muscle that is my mind, train it to consistently look to the Lord for strength, for comfort, for direction, for sustenance. Train my mind to overcome the obstacles that my feeble body thinks it can't hurdle. Train my mind to find solace amidst a land of uncertainty.
So we have a physical challenge and a mental challenge. I'd also like to enter into a very spiritual and emotional challenge. I want to enter into a simple life, the simplest life there is with nothing but a 10 lb knapsack on my back, some chap stick in my pocket, and a pair of sturdy running shoes strapped to my feet. A simple life where there's no need for gas money, no need to get pummeled by the latest media footage, no need for exquisite cheese and wine parties in mansions overlooking glistening lakes and million dollar yachts. A simple life. It's what I long for. Simple leads to spiritual. The only thing I need is a pal, a pal named Jesus. And so I'm entering into this spiritual challenge of learning what it means to only have my faith in Him to keep me warm under the stars, to only have my faith in Him to make sure that I'm fed everyday, to only have my faith in Him to keep me safe from angry insects, wretched bears, illegal immigrants, and catastrophic injuries.
This adventure is grand.
And it's grandly expensive.
I took a step in making this dream a reality by purchasing a PCT handbook and planning guide and according to this nifty little packet of info, it's going to cost roughly four to five thousand dollars to complete this epic journey, and that's not including gear and travel to and from the trailheads.
That said, I need your help. I need your prayer. I need the gear that's hanging out in your garage, behind the old baby stroller and the box of discarded clothes that you haven't had to the chance to get to Goodwill yet. I need your company. I need your complementary financial donations. I need your support dear friend. I need your encouragement. And I need any survival tips that you might have up your sleeve.
So after telling you all my pathetic needs, here's a copy of my sponsorship proposal...
Pacific Crest Trail Thru-Hike
Sponsorship Proposal
Proposal Goal: Acquire a sponsor that will support our endeavor to hike the Pacific Crest Trail through the donation of gear, food, friendly words of encouragement, and survival tips, as well as provide ways for us to give back to the communities and corporations that have chosen to support us. We have a dream. Let’s make it come true.
Trip Plan:
Krista Schultz and Sabrina McCarley will hit the Pacific Crest Trail in late April of 2011, and they will hit it with pockets full of confidence, courage, and chapstick.
They will spend between four and five months wrestling bears, eating squirrels, and catching fish with their bare hands. In other words, they will be immersed in the magic and mystery of nature while attempting to dive deeply into living as simply as possible and learning what it means to be stripped of modern society’s materialistic definitions of success.
Along the trail they will volunteer whenever and wherever possible, including but not limited to: homeless shelters, environmental conservation projects, elementary schools, nursing homes, and anywhere else the trailheads drop them into.
Throughout the planning process Krista and Sabrina will be recruiting friends, family, and of course, absolute strangers, to hike chunks of the trail with them. After all, this trip is about living life open-handedly. Learning to be an inviter is the first step toward living an uninhibited life.
You’re invited.
Previous Accomplishments:
Sabrina has been a marathon runner since she was sixteen. With ten marathons under her belt at twenty-two, she knows what it means to be an endurance athlete. Her mental stability and physical stamina are forces to be reckoned with as she sets life goals to run a marathon in every state, summit the seven highest mountains in the world, race across America, and bungee jump off of every continent. With a degree in English from UC Santa Barbara, she aspires to document the trail’s quirks and qualms through nonfictional narrative.
Krista has hundreds of miles hanging out in her basket, hundreds of miles of trails and roads that she’s traversed over the past couple years. She bikes. She runs. She hikes. As a college graduate with a degree in psychology, Krista is fascinated by family dynamics and seeks to become a marriage and family therapist soon after completing the PCT.
Cause:
The cause of this journey is to not only fertilize the notion that dreams can come true, but to donate our hands and feet in any way that we can. We want to be vessels that compassion and hope are able to flow through freely. We want to become as small and as humble as possible in order to demonstrate how much power there is in letting go of inhibition, listening to the gentle but persistent nudges to do things that normal people just don’t do. I won’t put those nudges into a box by attempting to give examples of them. All I know is that we are women, women with big hearts, hearts that want to help, hearts that want to hike, and hearts that want to hold hands with hope in an effort to change the world, one small decision at a time.
Join us.
In choosing to join us on this epic adventure, you will be creating your own rendition of the make a wish foundation by making our dream come true. Your decision to partner with us will not only be a step towards living life open handedly, it will be a giant leap of faith that can’t really be dissected or explained. We will wear your logo wherever you please and your company will prosper as we shout about it from mountaintops scattered along the west coast.
Logistics:
Hiking the trail requires an estimated $5,000, not including gear and travel expenses to and from the starting and finishing locations. We are requesting that you partner with us in any way that you see fit, whether that be in financial donations or gear. Also, we would love for you to recommend any other companies that might be interested in partnering with us on this journey.
Thank you so much for you time and interest in this adventure.
For further questions and follow up, please call Sabrina at 951-565-7885 (cell) or 541-489-3189 (home)
We can also be reached via e-mail at smccarley@umail.ucsb.edu or by snail mail at One Muddy Rd. PO Box 212
Antelope, OR 97001
