The Longest Day

The Longest Day has taken on new meaning beyond hiking from sun up to sun down. The longest day of year is on it's way to the Northern Hemisphere, by the way. Out on the trail, I have felt the temperature increasing as Summer creeps in, rain and all. On the day of the Summer Solstice, June 21st, I am officially inviting you to follow my lead and do something you love to do - like take a hike! Do something that leaves a sweet, loving memory of quality time spent. Now dedicate that memory to those who have lost theirs - to the more than 5 million Americans currently suffering from Alzheimer's Disease.

Let me introduce you to the Alzheimer's Association's annual event being held this June in honor of Alzheimer's Disease awareness, care, and research. The Longest Day seeks to expand the invitation that I have extended to you and call upon advocates to donate toward the cause of fighting a disease  that affects 1 in 4 aging Americans. Scientists are working to explain and treat the cause of this most common form of dementia. Do you know someone who has had Alzheimer's Disease? What about someone who has had to care for a dementia patient?

I believe in the good work being done to engage communities in raising awareness as to the seriousness surrounding the future of Alzheimer's Disease. Many flags are raised when you investigate the prevalence of the disease among genetic and environmental influences that worry me about the future quality of life for our elders (of me one day!) if this disease isn't put in check. From memory loss to dizziness, frustration, depression and confusion, a shrinking brain causes eventual death to its sufferer.

In dedication of those suffering to remember who they are, the lives they have lived, and how to function, I have started a fundraising campaign in conjunction with The Longest Day. Donations to my page do directly to the Alzheimer's Association, which dedicates 77% of its total expenses directly to care, support, research, awareness and advocacy. Please join me in engaging in this substantial cause. You can visit my Facebook Fundraiser or access my Longest Day page to donate toward my personal goal.

Let's not forget,
Love.
b.

Hiking for a Great Cause!

Since I have returned home from Africa, I have been regaining connections with family and friends and hearing their stories of events that have taken place in the time that I was living abroad. I have missed births, deaths and marriages, among countless other achievements and upsets. I have told my own stories of life in Zambia, including all the aforementioned staples, albeit with different cultural elements. I mean, I witnessed MANY births, deaths and marriages while I was living in a communal village setting, where generations of large families might all reside in the same area (which I loved in a sense of security). There were countless differences to society between Zambia and the US, of course, but one little aspect that I noticed in Zambia was how strong elderly people there are. While here in America, our aging citizens are riddled with diseases like the one I'm presently calling attention to  - Alzheimer's Disease (and more largely, dementia). Rates of Alzheimer's Disease and dementia are much higher among societies that consume a "Western" diet and, possibly more specifically, animal fat. I recall my mother's late grandfather and other family members who struggled at the end of their lives with memory loss, dizziness, confusion, and depression associated with this disease which chokes and degenerates their brain to the point of nonfunction.

There has not been a single survivor of Alzheimer's Disease but research is being done to decelerate and reverse this abnormally to aging. The numbers in the U.S. are already high - the statistics claim a new case is formed every 65 SECONDS. Now, links are being drawn between Alzheimer's Disease and advanced forms of diabetes - casting blame on genetics and the Western diet that I mentioned. The way civilizations around the world are turning are increasingly toward a diet of fewer grains and more animal products. I have witnessed the increased consumption of salt and cooking oil to the diets of Zambians in both the villages and in the cities. The difference is that in the village, people conduct hard labor daily, while in town people lead sedentary lives with motor vehicle communities and stationary jobs. The only obese people are in town. They ail of ulcers and the number of diabetes patients is on the rise. What does this mean for our global society?

Could we possibly lose our quality of live in old age to more diseases that limit our body function and health? I know that you or someone you know has been affected by Alzheimer's Disease in some way. Loved ones facing memory loss and those who must then care for them face daily struggles to retain the love and strength that this disease wipes away. I'm so passionate about this issue because I believe that not only is it gaining in prevalence but that we are also coming closer to scientifically understanding the disease and how to fight it in order to end it. Will you or I be 1 out of every 4 Americans to develop dementia before we die?

Next, I'll let you know about the Alzheimer's Association campaign that I am participating in to raise awareness for the fight to end the disease.

Thanks for reading and make a new memory with a loved one today,
Brandi

The Longest Day Campaign

Bopping Along

Sunday's hike was 11.5 miles of easy beginnings and on up to a bald mountain called Max Patch. It's a popular spot for day visitors, with no exception this day. The views were great all around and the breeze was so nice. I played down a bit and ate some snacks. I continued on to find the place I had planned to camp for the night. GQ showed up and asked to join. We ate our dinners and chatted about the world as we know it. Did I mention he is almost 72?!! According to his DNA ancestry report, he told me that he's got roots all over the world, most notably from the Congo and Tanzania. I talked about my Peace Corps experience in Zambia and he told me about his travels with the military, including two tours in Vietnam. What amazing dialogue we've had!

Heading up to Max Patch

Another night in my hammock made for an exciting evening. I was visited by a young white tail deer who munched grass all around my set up, no more than 5-10 feet away. It apparently did not fear my bug net covered suspension and I was able to observe it for 15-20 mins. Later in the night, it visited again and led me to watch fireflies dance about in the moonless dark.

I've now made it to a hiker town that the Appalachian Trail cuts right through. Hot Springs is an adorable little community with a few artisan shops, hiker-friendly grocery stores, a pub and a tavern, along with several inns and hostels. Fate has it that my new kindred spirit friend GQ is heading home for a short two weeks in Frederick, MD. I'm taking the opportunity to hitch along to DC, where I can rest my knee and visit my close friend Alicia.


I've got another few weeks before I have to be back in Florida for a couple summer celebrations with friends and family, so I'll head back to where I left off and hike as far as I can until then!!


Take Good Care,
B

Bruce Sausage Willis, a dog hiking the AT.

Holed up on Mount Cammerer

On my third day of hiking (an eventual 13 miles for the day), I was hiking with my new friends up to Mt. Cammerer - a nearly 5,000 footer with a modern style fire tower on top offering 360 degree views of rolling mountains. Approaching the trail up to the tower we encountered another hiker (a 71 year old recently retired veteran whose trail name is GQ) that we had met the night before. He informed us of impending foul weather so we all decided to set up camp in the fully enclosed octagonal fire tower instead of walking another 5 miles to the next shelter. You see, in the Smokies, hikers are relegated to camp only in designated areas, mostly shelters.

After a short, rocky climb to the tower, we all got inside just as the rain came. It passed quickly and left amazing views of sparkling terrain and a giant rainbow. The next day we all liked out of the Northern terminus of the Smokies, which marked the end of the Koreans' trip. One of them, Brian, from San Francisco, lent me his knee braces and trekking poles for the rest of my trip - I don't know what I would have done without them. God bless them and mountain magic.

I walked several miles to a little hiker's oasis called Standing Bear Hostel. It was complete with a cat, dogs, and a rooster - which made for a Zambian sounding morning with the first crow at 4 AM.... Ah felt like home!! Not that anyone else agreed. But the hostel had everything a weary hiker could ask for  - laundry service, pizza oven, beer, and a jam packed snack and gear store. It was a great stay!

The next day's hike had some high ups and downs but I finished early after only 7 miles, since I was nursing my knee. I met back up with GQ and we found the next shelter just in time for rain. Since we weren't restricted to only staying in shelters like in GSMNP, I pitched my hammock under the great trees - alongside 8 other people... including 2 more Floridians!



If you are curious what music I have been bopping along the trail to, I created a youtube playlist for examples :)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLo7hi_-OeEyKVtvu1qVSe7CAkmCD4k2ZA


Remember two things: Love your Mother and leave nothing but footprints.
b.

Smokies Section

For whatever reason, I decided to start my hike at the highest point on the A.T...

I got an Uber from my lovely hostel in West Asheville to get to Clingman's Dome in the middle of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park (GSMNP). My Uber driver was a retired Vietnam War Veteran from North Carolina. He played excellent mountain music the entire 2 hour ride, so I was feeling inspired to get to walking. I should mention that I have not conditioned myself for this endeavor besides the past 2 years constantly using outdoor gear, living (far) off the grid, and on a carb-heavy staple diet. My legs, however, haven't done this much walking since my last half-marathon a year ago. I don't suggest my approach.

Anyhow, I arrived at my destination and my new pal wished me well before I took off uphill for a 13% steep gradient, half-mile hike up to the Observation Deck on top of the Dome (6,643 ft). The overcast blue mountains were showing off their colors today, so I took a deep breath and dove onto the trail. I walked 10.5 miles until sundown when I reached my first shelter, Ice water Creek. There I met a whole cast of people - some that I would subsequently see throughout the trip since we were headed in the same direction. One couple heading south graduated from Eckerd College near my previous residence and another guy was born in my hometown! Imagine that. Anyway, we prepared our sleeping bags across 2 long wooden platforms under the 3-walled shelter and cozied in for the night. Around 9:30 PM, 4 more people showed up so we made room for them to pile in.

The next day we all ate, packed up and headed out in our respective directions. Since it was Day 2 for me I was already feeling sore with a 25 lb. pack pulling down on me and a bum knee acting up. The weather was cloudy and at our elevation... we were IN the clouds!

About a mile up the way I happened upon the 4 shelter latecomers, they were retired Korean men hiking the Smokies. We became instant friends and for the next 2 days they fed me Korean market food and I think I even started speaking their language! Ha! Two of them were avid hikers. There was a novice at the age of 70. And one guy was very comical and would shout out variations of, "Smokey Highway!!" or, when it was a flat section, "Florida Highway!", they made the hike so entertaining.

I am looking forward to stretches of alone time on the trail but I have met countless hikers with unique stories, all of whom have the same dedication and reverence to the Trail, with the ultimate goal of walking all 2,200+ miles of it. Me, I simply want to take advantage of the blessing of time that I have post Peace Corps and get some fresh air.



Happy Trails is the wise way to say I acknowledge your journey and I wish you strength and pleasure along the way.


Happy Trails!
b.

I'm a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer!

Wow, two years have flown by! Obviously I did not diligently keep this blog updated the whole time... but I have closed my service with Peace Corps Zambia! I'll tell you, the last three months were easily the hardest... saying goodbye was nearly impossible. For all the local languages I learned to speak, there was no way to express through them the abundant gratitude, pride, and love that I have for the citizens of Mulaushi Village and for the Peace Corps staff headquartered in Lusaka. I have learned more than I have taught, I have gained strength in ways I never imagined and I have parted in time and space with my Zambian family and friends; and, as a result, I feel a void in my heart that will take extensive reflection to fill back up.

I am indeed back in the US and trying to reintegrate! Ha! Seriously, I've been reconnecting with friends and family and Florida and consumer choices and voter opinions and traffic! But I'm having a blast figuring out what comes next. Maybe I have it figured out? I'm planning to start Grad school in the Fall, which means the Summer is all mine!

So what am I up to now? Well, currently I'm resisting the race race and hiking along the Appalachian Trail!! I've missed our wild places and I've grown so used to the outdoor, off-the-grid lifestyle so I dropped onto the Trail in the Smokies and I'm walking north. I'll be updating this journal along my merry way, so stay tuned!

Have an adventure for you and I to explore? Just let me know and we'll go! Oh the places....

Keep It Simple Society.
Your Girl, B.

Missing my fur baby and her babes.

It left like losing my innocence when I parted with two of my best friends/helpers!

This is one of the strongest women I know! And the one who take care of me for 2 yrs. My sister, Noria.