KFTC member hikes the Appalachian trail to raise awareness about mountaintop removal
Central Kentucky KFTC member Christian Torp has been hiking the Appalachian Trail since March of this year to raise awareness about the devastating practice of mountaintop removal mining and to raise money for KFTC
The Appalachian Trail is one of the longest continuously marked footpaths in the world, measuring roughly 2,180 miles in length. The Trail goes through fourteen states along the crests and valleys of the Appalachian mountain range from the southern terminus at Springer Mountain, Georgia, to the Trail’s northern terminus at Katahdin, Maine.
This is definitely no walk in the park and challenges even the most experienced hikers. Christian, who was in a serious motorcycle accident in 2003 which left him with a traumatic brain injury, had to prepare for months before setting off on this journey. Beverley Fortune at the Lexington Herald Leader wrote a great article about Christian's story and the way he prepared for this experience which you can read here: Wreck won't ruin childhood dream
Earlier this month Christian passed his 1,000 mile mark. When he meets new people it is always the same. Once pleasantries are exchanged, inevitably hikers get around to asking one another their reasons for hiking. It is the perfect opening for him to discuss KFTC and the work he has engaged in with us.
“My goal is education. So few people I meet out here are even aware of it. It is astounding to me. They are hiking in mountains that may not be there much longer. They need to be made aware and then go research it for themselves," he said.
Christian has been keeping a blog with the help of his wife Tanya to document this experience. Christian and Tanya would like the blog to be as interactive as possible, so feel free to read along and comment. You can get to it by clicking this link: Appalachian Voyage.
We at KFTC would like to thank Christian for his dedication and commitment to educating people about the work that's being done to preserve our mountain heritage.
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