Why ?

Most who know me know that physical activity isn't exactly my idea of "fun". So what am I doing thinking that I can hike the canyon in the middle of summer.... surely I must be crazy.. maybe I am.

The idea of wanting to do something about cancer has been an itch since 1999 when Judy's dad C.L. Gilbert succumbed to Leukemia.

Last spring one of our friends - Joyce Piatt trained to hike the canyon and in the process raised money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society who fund research into all kinds of Blood Cancers. I was inspired.

I felt that this fund-raising would be a meaningful contribution to the world-wide efforts against cancer.

Monday, April 2, 2007

Sanguinaria canadensis

A.T. Unicoi Gap to Tray Mountain.

Last week, I posted a couple of pictures of wildflowers that I snapped during the hike at Kennesaw Mountain. My friend Suzy Gruenhagen of Dahlonega, GA. pointed out that the white flowers were called Bloodroot - Sanguinaria canadensis and the red flowers were called Fire Pink - Silene virginica. Well Suzy, I am happy to report that I found a lot more Bloodroot blooms this past weekend. I also found a few other wildflowers that I had fun trying to identify. I found Taraxacum officinale, Rhododendron catawbiense, Conopholis americana and Viola rotundifolia to name some. I also found an Actias luna on the hike back up Rocky Mountain. There are a few that I wasn't able to identify.. so, Suzy, I am looking for your input :-)

We went back to the Appalachian Trail. It was my turn to drive and we had the Sienna full from Canton. There were two groups again, one hiking for 4 hours and I was with the second group going up to Tray Mountain on a 6 hour hike. the weather was perfect (mid 50s). The ice that we saw on the slopes of Rocky Mountain were gone and there were plenty of wildfowers in their place. The hike up Rocky Mountain from Unicoi Gap was just as hard as the last time. We got down to Indian Grave Gap (where I turned back the last time) in about an hour and 15 minutes. After a brief stop, it was back on a long, steady climb over about 2.8 miles to Tray Mountain.

There were 15 of us and a dog and it felt like a crowd at the Summit. We started back after about 20 minutes at the top. The area close to the top was covered with Catawba Rhododendrons. These were still budding, but in trying to identify this plant, I saw pictures of the blooms and I can't wait to go back when they are in full bloom. Of course, I could be totally wrong about what plants these really are... :-(

We started the hike back and I snapped most of the pictures on the way back. After what seemed an eternity and another hike up from Indian Grave Gap to Rocky Mountain, we got to the trail head in 5 hours and 50 minutes. We had hiked 10.8 Miles, climbed 3,500 vertical feet and gone approximately 3.5 dots on the A.T. map. At the parking lot, Dean had home-brewed beer for the group. Of course, I had to drive.

More pictures from my day on the A.T. are here.

Rocky Mountain and Tray Mountain facts:

  • The Rocky Mountain we climbed is one of 9 peaks in Georgia of the same name.

  • At 4,430 feet, Tray Mountain is the seventh highest peak in Georgia. Rocky Mountain is number 27 on the same list. Tray Mountain is also the second highest peak on the Georgia section of the A.T.

  • The climb up to Rocky Mountain took us from an elevation of 2,949 feet at Unicoi Gap to 4,017 feet at the Summit in about 1.3 miles. That is an average climb of 821.5 feet per mile. The most strenuous trail at the Grand Canyon has an elevation change of 2,600 feet over 3.2 miles. That is an average elevation change of only 812.5 feet per mile. I guess I am ready.



Hike Update:
Several of you have asked when exactly I will be hiking the GC. Well, the dates are in. The hike is on June 2nd. Judy and Ashley are also going to fly out with me. We will be leaving for Phoenix on May 31. After spending a night, we travel to our hotel near the canyon on Friday June 1st. After the hike, the team leaves for Phoenix and Atlanta on June 3rd. We are planning to spend June 3rd in the Sedona, AZ area and travel to Las Vegas with a stop at the Hoover Dam on June 4th. We will be leaving Las Vegas on the 5th to get to Phoenix in time to catch a red-eye back to Atlanta.

Are you planning a vacation? How about the Grand Canyon? Come on out and join me on my hike weekend.

Fund raising update:
As of March 31st, We have raised $2,700 Yes!

Next target is to hit the 75% mark - $3,375 by April 15th. We have to raise $675 to make that goal. Thank You everyone.

Power of your money:
As you consider a donation to this cause, consider what your donation can do...

  • $ 500 - allows 10 patients to logon to a webcast and hear the latest information in treatment for their disease.

  • $ 150 - allows 5 patients to make a First Connection with a trained peer volunteer.

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Raffle

Every donor was entered into a raffle with one entry for every $10 donated. There are five prizes that can be one. Each donor can win no more than one prize. The first winner gets to choose any one of the five prizes, The second winner gets to choose any one of the remaining four and so on and so forth.

1. Flora

24" x 24" poster. all photographs by Albert Thomas. See larger image.
2. Sun and Water

24" x 24" poster. all photographs by Albert Thomas. See larger image.

3. Super Bowl I - XXX

A football lovers dream. Collectors set of DVDs of all the Superbowls from I to XXX by NFL films.

4. TaylorMade Golf Balls

A dozen TaylorMade Distance Plus golf balls. According to TaylorMade, these balls are "built to maximize distance and improve scoring for the committed player".

5. Maxfli Golf Balls

A dozen Maxfli Noodle Golf Balls.

... and the winners are

  1. Bill McGregor - Roswell, GA.
  2. Joyce Piatt - Mableton, GA.
  3. Frank Jakse - St. Louis, MO.
  4. Senthil Mukunthan - Indianapolis, IN.
  5. Push Venkat - Chicago, IL.

Options to spend money and feel good about it..

Help bridge the chasm by purchasing one or more of the following unique services. Some of these have a material cost component. This will not count as a tax-deductible contribution. Please send me an email if you would like to commission one of the following. Thank You.
1. Scan and Create Web Album from photos – 75 Photos.

Got a lot of pictures from your pre-digital days? I will scan those and create a slideshow CD. If needed, I can also upload them online and create a web album for you. I can scan up to 75 pictures. If you have more ( I hope you do), please see the next item.

Sponsorship Amount: $75 (entire amount is tax-deductible) Material Cost: $0

2. Scan and Create Web Album from photos – 150 Photos.

Got a lot of pictures from your pre-digital days? I will scan those and create a slideshow CD. If needed, I can also upload them online and create a web album for you. I can scan up to 150 pictures.

Sponsorship Amount: $100 (entire amount is tax-deductible) Material Cost: $0

3. Your own Photo Poster.

How about a photo mosaic of your favorite pictures and/or your favorite people. This will make a great gift for all those times when you have no clue what to buy (Hint: Mother’s Day is 5/13/07 and Father’s Day is 6/17/07).

  • Make poster from Digital images or Prints (up to 30 prints).
  • Poster Size - 24” x 24”.
  • Poster shown here is a sample. Click here for larger samples - Flora : Sun and Water.

Sponsorship Amount: $100 Material Cost: $30 (24” x 24” poster)

4. Painted Wall Mural.

Planning a birthday party? How about a set for the party? The mural will be painted on poster paper and affixed to the wall using push pins so you can remove after the event. No need to repaint.

  • Poster Size – 10’ x 8’.
  • The pictures shown here are from Ashley’s 6th Birthday. Click here to see larger photos of the mural - Photo1 : Photo 2.
  • My painting skills are pretty rudimentary (to say the least) and so we have to stick to cartoons. For your sake, please don’t ask me to paint someone you know
Sponsorship Amount: $200 (entire amount is tax-deductible) Material Cost: $0 ( I already bought way too much paper and paint)

5. Mondrian Coffee Table.

So what does a $500 coffee table look like? Like the dining table pictured here. This is a one of a kind, contemporary coffee table that is also a piece of art. The coffee table is hand-crafted and consists of a Piet Mondrian reproduction using acrylic on canvas, framed by wood with a metallic finish. I don’t have a picture of the coffee table itself, because it hasn’t been made yet. Click here for a larger photo of the dining table. Coffee table will be 48” x 36”.

Sponsorship Amount: $500 Material Cost: $100

6. Warhol at the Georgia Aquarium – Poster.

Warhol never visited the Georgia Aquarium. What if he had? What if he had seen the anemones at the Cold Water Quest? The poster was created using a photo I took of the anemones recently.

Sponsorship Amount: $100 Material Cost: $30 (24” x 24” poster)