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"

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Mt. Greylock into Vermont


  Woke up early wednesday morning and climbed Mt. Greylock. Massachusetts highest peak, Greylock was socked in with clouds. They cleared for a moment and gave me just enough time to snap this picture of the observation tower. 
  Walked thru North Adams, MA around lunch and wouldn't you know it? All you can eat china buffet 1/2 mile down the road. Enjoyed a long lunch with Pancho and Nachita, two thru hikers I met earlier in the day. 5 plates later we were stuffed and started to make the slow wobble back to the trail head. But before hiking back into the woods I walked past a rather conveniently placed liquor store. I grabbed a cheap bottle of "Black Velvet" whiskey to celebrate our newest milestone. It was a 7 mile hike up the ridge before we entered Vermont. The whiskey provided the perfect night cap to a great day. 11 states down, 3 to go!
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