April
9, 2004 - (HOUSTON) - He's not worried about
breaking an ankle and being stranded alone.
Nor is he worried about the potential of
going several days at a time without human
contact. He's not even worried about the
recent-news-making California mountain lions.
It's the bears.
"My biggest fear is a Grizzly,"
confesses 28-year old Derrick Davies of
Houston. "They're extremely territorial
- and it's not like they'll post signs to
politely warn me!"
On April 22, Davies will arrive in Campo,
CA to begin a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest
Trail - a distance totaling 2,650 miles
from Mexico to Canada. "Thru-hike"
means that he will attempt to go the entire
length of the trail in one trip - one that
will take nearly six months.
Funding the trip entirely from his own pocket,
Davies plans to use his "Hike For Kids"
initiative to raise more than $45,000 for
Child Advocates, Inc.
"The first thing people ask me is 'why
are you doing this?'" says Davies.
"Besides the challenges that the trail
presents, I may never have another opportunity
to be this responsible to the abused children
served by Child Advocates."
Davies has wasted no time setting his fundraising
efforts in motion. He has already convinced
a local design firm and print house to produce
promotional brochures and posters; arranged
for Visible Changes to sell cut-out silhouettes
at 16 of their Texas locations in support
of the hike; and begun generating Internet
traffic to the Child Advocates, Inc. website's
online donation center.
Breaking
the Cycle
Child Advocates, Inc. is a local non-profit
organization that trains and mobilizes volunteers
to speak up for the rights of Houston's
most severely abused and neglected children.
Once they have completed 30 hours of Child
Advocates, Inc. training classes, a family
court judge swears-in the volunteers as
Guardian Ad Litems on the cases of children
in custody of the state.
"Our court appointed advocate volunteers
are often the one 'constant' in the life
of a child in care of Child Protective Services
(CPS)," says Sonya Galvan, chief executive
officer for Child Advocates, Inc. "For
a child who has been moved from foster placement
to foster placement, that's an important
role to fill."
The court appointed advocate's main concern
is to ensure that the child (or sibling
group) receives any and all medical, rehabilitative,
educational and psychological services needed
while in custody as well as to seek out
and identify potential long-term or permanent
placement options in which the child(ren)
can thrive.
"I put a lot of thought into choosing
the right charity to benefit from the Hike
For Kids," says Davies. "But in
the end, Child Advocates just felt right."
In researching potential non-profit organizations
via the Internet and through his network
of contacts, Derrick was moved by Child
Advocates, Inc.'s mission. But it wasn't
until after a conversation with a long-time
friend that he made the final decision.
"When she heard I was considering Child
Advocates, she told me about her own life
as a victim of child abuse and how the cycle
of abuse led her to an adult relationship
with an abuser that put her own children
in danger. That's when I knew," says
Davies.
"A
Transitional Thing"
Born in Dallas, and raised in Eden Prairie,
Minnesota, Davies has always been involved
in sports and had a passion for the outdoors
- but not to the extent you'd imagine.
"I'm not a 'professional' hiker - the
closest I've ever come to something like
this was attending camp as a kid with my
church group," confesses Davies.
Upon graduating from high school, he was
offered an ROTC scholarship to attend Texas
A&M University and serve in the Corps
of Cadets there, which he did - while earning
both an undergraduate and a master's degree.
In the winter of 2000, Davies graduated
from Texas A&M with offers from several
large Houston companies.
"I accepted an IT position with a gas
and oil services company and things were
pretty routine for a while - I was doing
what recent college grads do: renting an
apartment with a roommate and working my
nine-to-five," says Davies. "But
the daily grind wasn't sufficiently challenging,
and that's what I was craving."
Last year, when Davies was told that his
job - and most of his department - was being
off-shored to Kuala Lumpur, he started thinking
about what he wanted to do next. Listening
to a co-worker and friend talk about his
own hike of the Appalachian Trail first
got him interested in the possibility of
a thru-hike.
"Whenever he talked about it, you could
see the incredible effect the experience
had on him in his eyes," says Davies.
"Sometimes, he'd even give himself
goose-bumps telling stories about the trip."
It was then that Davies started looking
for that challenge he felt his life was
missing.
"This [Pacific Crest] trail will be
a physical, logistical and mental challenge
for me - all at the same time," he
says. "I can't think of anything else
that can provide me that right now."
Border
to Border
Davies has never actually set foot on any
part of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) -
he has learned everything he knows about
what to expect from his trip on the Internet.
One of America's eight National Scenic Trails,
the PCT zigzags its way from Mexico to Canada
through California, Oregon and Washington.
It also boasts the greatest elevation changes
of all eight trails, allowing it to pass
through six out of seven of North America's
eco-zones including high and low desert,
old-growth forest and artic-alpine country.
As one of [an average of] 300 annual thru-hikers,
Davies will journey through the Mojave Desert,
the Sierra Nevada and Mt. Whitney, Yosemite
National Park, Marble Mountain and the Russian
Wilderness in Northern California, the volcanoes
of the Cascades including Mt. Shasta and
Mt. Hood, Crater Lake, Columbia River Gorge,
Mt. Rainier and the remote Northern Cascades.
The PCT begins in Campo, California - just
south of San Diego - with a simple sign
that says "Start - Pacific Crest Trail,
National Scenic Trail."
"There's a long, metal wall on the
border with enough room underneath for me
to reach under and touch Mexico," says
Davies. "That's how it starts - not
real glamorous."
From that point, Davies will have 2,650
miles between him and the end of the trail
in Canada's Manning Provincial Park.
There are 37 known towns along the way.
The distance from town to town can be anywhere
from 4.5 miles to 157 miles. With help of
maps, books and his compass, Davies is confident
that he will know approximately how far
from each town he is at any given time.
"I've read every book, map and trail
guide I've been able to get my hands on,"
says Davies. "I feel like I've already
hiked it sometimes, I'm that familiar with
certain aspects!"
For
now, Davies concentrates on making sure
his website is up and running and that his
fundraising machine on behalf of Child Advocates,
Inc. has been set into motion before he
leaves.
Oh, and packing - but that won't take long.
Without food and water, the backpack Davies
plans to hike with - containing a tent,
sleeping bag and waterproof pad, a stove,
maps, a pot for cooking, first aid materials,
a few articles of clothing, a compass, a
whistle and "bear spray" - will
weigh only 20 pounds.
"I'm expecting to come back from this
experience with a whole new perspective
on life. Everything you own, you're carrying
on your back," he says. "I imagine
that living like that for six months will
help me to find fulfillment in different
ways upon my return to Houston."
And return to Houston he will.
"My roommate's getting married in October
and I'm in the wedding," Davies chuckles.
"So I have to be back by then!"
-30-
EDITOR'S
NOTE: More information about Hike For Kids
can be found at www.hikeforkids.com and
details on becoming a Child Advocates, Inc.
volunteer as well as information about donating
can be found at www.childadvocates.org.