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Couple completes long distance hike against hunger

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Contributed by: PRWEB on 5/25/2005

Larkspur, CO (PRWEB) May 24, 2005 -- A Colorado couple has completed the first leg of a long distance hike and bike tour to raise money to ease hunger across the United States. Their trek has taken them 520 miles along the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Virginia. Their next stop will be Astoria, Oregon, where they will attempt to cycle across the United States to Portland, Maine.

Kurt Siefken and JoAnne Smart, both of Longmont, Colorado, started hiking on March 24th from Springer Mountain in Georgia, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. During their 51 day trek, they hiked north through North Carolina and Tennessee, ending 520 miles later at the Mount Rogers Visitor Center in Marion, Virginia. Along their hike, they encountered two major snowstorms, personal illness, a snake encounter, and a scary hitchhiking experience. They have been keeping an active journal with photos and accepting donations to fight hunger on their web site: www.mercuryworm.com.

The second leg of Kurt and JoAnne’s adventure is a 4,500 mile bike tour across the United States. Beginning at the Pacific Ocean near Astoria, Oregon on June 1st, they will be cycling along the northern tier of the United States to the Atlantic Ocean in Portland, Maine. They are expecting this cross-country cycling tour to take between 2 and 3 months.

Kurt and JoAnne have joined America’s Second Harvest in their fight against hunger because of the basic necessities of food that so many Americans are missing. America’s Second Harvest is the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization with a network of more than 200 regional food banks. The food banks annually provide emergency assistance to over 23 million hungry Americans. Thanks to generous donations by readers of their online journal, Kurt and JoAnne have already raised enough money to buy 4,500 meals for those who cannot afford a sufficient amount of food.

Kurt and JoAnne, better known in hiking communities with the nicknames of “Tank” and “Willow”, met while hiking the entire Appalachian Trail in 2003. After their hike, they worked for 16 months until they could afford another long-distance adventure. They thought this would be an excellent opportunity to raise some money for an important and deserving cause.

For additional information, please visit www.mercuryworm.com.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Kurt Siefken
303-919-6043
www.mercuryworm.com

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Jeff Thomas

Jeff Thomas has posted 1629 stories and 83 comments since joining on 9/14/2005. Jeff Thomas's average story rating is 4.73.

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