Éclat Travel's Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Pacific Crest Trail’

I’m continually awed and inspired by my kids. One of my daughters showed her perseverance, strength, and generous heart through a tremendously challenging and rewarding personal accomplishment. This past spring and summer, she was fortunate to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, from beginning to end, a 2,665 mile hike from Mexico to Canada.

Non=stop, Sunshine and Maybelline

When I first heard about the idea I was less than enthused and thought she was anything but “fortunate”. She was going with her father, but he would not be able to complete the whole journey due to work commitments, so she would have to finish hiking through the state of Washington alone. Thankfully, I found out later, that she really wouldn’t be alone; she would finish with two friends who she and her father met at the start of the trail, “Non-stop” and “Maybelline”. Non-stop and Maybelline are trail names. Everyone who hikes the PCT eventually ends up with one. My daughter’s moniker was “Sunshine” which fits her more for her sunny disposition, than the reason her father gave her the name, which was because she wouldn’t emerge from her tent until the sun was shining on it.

Sometime after she decided to cut off all her hair and donate it to Locks of Love (my other daughters, and I, have done this too) at the beginning of the trail, she heard about Hike for Haiti and decided to dedicate her hike to raise money to help rebuild Haiti. One hundred percent of the pledged money per mile would be used to help people in Haiti get back to some sense of normalcy since the January earthquake. It’s now been 11 months and they are still struggling, still living in tents, and still in need of help.

Éclat Travel is a donor. Sunshine did her part by finishing the hike and now it’s time for me to make good on my promise. I would like to share how this donation will help the people of Haiti rebuild their community in the hope that you too, will choose to somehow get involved.

Hike for Haiti is a non-profit organization that was created to be able to collect donations for the people of Haiti through the PCT hike. The conduit Hike For is working through is Kleiwerks International and if you haven’t heard of them, by all means, watch the video. It is a non-profit organization that teaches communities sustainable building and living practices based the principle of “teach a man to fish.” Using any number of natural building methods people in the communities learn how to construct buildings using readily available natural materials and resources to build homes and other structures, that are durable, extremely inexpensive, easy to build, and easily replicable.

I encourage you to get involved. If you would like to do more than donate, check out the opportunities to learn and to build along with the people in these international communities who need your help. Or investigate other opportunities to help Haiti, at home, or any other world community for that matter. My stepson, who is a firefighter and served in Iraq as a Navy Corpsman went to Haiti shortly after the tragedy occurred to provide medical assistance. My point is; do something. Give what you can whether it’s time, skills or money.

In fact, you can make this part of your next custom made journey. Plan your next vacation around learning natural building techniques and helping to rebuild lives. Ask me how.