Amyloidosis‏

In 2007 my father, Dennis Blake, was diagnosed with a rare blood disease, Amyloidosis. After years of battling the disease, the correct diagnosis was finally given less then a week before he passed. Amyloidosis is a rare blood disease that can affect one or more organs when abnormal deposits of the amyloid protein are produced. It is debilitating and life threatening. The disease meant nothing to my family weeks before we first heard the word, and then it defined the rest of our lives. It is only in the last 25 years that physicians have started to understand the disease. I have been hiking the Appalachian trail for a little more then a month. Hiking 8 to 12 hours a day, I have had plenty of time to think of my father and what kind of differences I could make in his name. I would love to make this epic adventure about more then myself. The amyloidosis foundation's mission is to increase education and awareness in hopes that it will lead to earlier diagnosis and improved treatment. My goal is to raise $1,000 in the name of my father. I have roughly 200 miles left. Just one penny per mile adds up to $20 when I complete the trail of 2,000 miles. If anybody would like to donate a small amount per every mile I complete, then I am confident that I can reach my goal. Here are the directions and the page link for the donations: Check "In memory of" and add my father's name "Dennis Blake"

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Shenandoah National Park

After 6 days of hiking I'm finally able to put Shenandoah National Park behind me. We averaged 19 miles a day. The SNP has it's pros and cons. the A.T. Crisscrosses skyline drive the entire way thru the park. The road crossings and sounds of traffic make you feel less then secluded. The trail also takes you past several convenient stores and restaurants. This would be a blessing if everything wasn't over priced. It's impossible for me to pass a cheeseburger up even if it costs $8!
The best part of SNP was all the visits from family. On Tuesday I met my sister, Megan. She hiked 15 miles over two days as temperatures reached 95 degrees. She didn't complain once! I was proud! We met mom for lunch at a picnic area on wednesday. She had cheeseburgers, hotdogs, macaroni salad and cold sodas. Best trail magic ever! On Friday my brother, TJ, met us early and we hiked 7 miles into camp with some exceptional views. That evening my girlfriend, Jamie, hiked 1/2 mile in to meet us with 2 cases of beer and a pizza! We had a great night but we paid for it the next day. A 13 mile hike into front royal...we moved slowly. I know TJ and Jamie were happy to reach Rt. 522. My friend, Daniel, lives in Front Royal. He picked us up and we stayed with him Saturday night. Daniel was vey kind to let 7 stinky hikers have free roam at his house. We made a huge spaghetti dinner and relaxed the rest of the evening.
The SNP wasn't my favorite section of trail, but all the time spent with family and friends made me feel like I was on vacation.
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