Doug Walsh hiking the Pacific Crest Trail on a raw food diet

In the summer of 2001, I spent 4 1/2 months fulfilling a dream by walking the 2650-mile Pacific Crest Trail through the wilderness mountains of California, Oregon and Washington powered by 100% raw foods. The vivid memory of this transformational pilgrimage is with me still, yet something has lingered in my psyche about an opportunity missed. The concept of eating raw food is often a challenging one for people -- fears of being undernourished persist for many. Over the last year I have connected with an inner desire to begin to make my life about something bigger than myself. An idea has begun to immerge about doing something to prove conclusively that one can not only live, but thrive on raw food. This idea has taken the form of the Raw Food Hike-a-thon, a walk along the Continental Divide Trail from Mexico to Canada through the wilderness mountains of New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. The raw food diet is about eating food still close to the source of life. What better way to spread the message about raw food than to walk 3000 miles along the “backbone” of the continent -- the source of the life-giving waters.

The Continental Divide Trail is the most challenging long distance trail in America. It is a couple of steps up in difficulty from the Pacific Crest Trail -- longer, higher, drier, lonelier, colder. Also, the trail is only 70% complete, which means I will be navigating cross-country by map and compass, often. I will begin on Earth Day, in April, on the Mexican border in New Mexico. There, in the desert, I will encounter 100-degree temperatures, rattle snakes, and scorpions. The trail slowly climbs out of the desert and into the 10,000 ft. mountains of the Black Range -- Geronimo’s stronghold where I will encounter potentially deep snow. Then it’s down into the canyons of the Gila River with nearly 200 difficult river crossings in spring snow melt. Then more desert with long waterless sections as I make my way into the San Juan Mountains on the Colorado/New Mexico border. Much of the trail in Colorado is above tree-line. The 800-mile Colorado segment averages over 11,000 ft in elevation. I will encounter deep snow and freezing temperatures in the southern Colorado mountains which will slow my progress considerably. I will reach central Colorado just as summer thunderstorm season is getting under way, and lightning dangers will be on my mind as I traverse the exposed tundra above tree-line. Wyoming begins with 200 miles of travel through the trackless Red Desert at 7000 ft elevation. Temperatures will soar up to 100 degrees again and water sources will sometimes be 60 miles apart. Wyoming ends with many miles of high mountain travel through the Wind River Range and the Grizzly Bear country of Yellowstone National Park. Idaho and Montana comprise nearly 1000 miles of trail through many different mountain ranges, sometimes traveling nearly 200 miles without crossing a road. The last 300 miles of trail to the Canadian Border are through Grizzly Bear country. The idea is to get to the Canadian Border in Glacier National Park in September before the winter snows begin in the mountains. Clearly, it is a journey worthy of my intentions -- a pilgrimage of epic proportions. Yet, in truth, it’s just walking.

Doug Walsh is a former Colorado Outward Bound Instructor with years of back country experience. He has climbed the highest 100 peaks in Colorado and most of these hikes have been accomplished on a diet of 100% raw foods. He also hiked the 2650-mile Pacific Crest Trail (www.pcta.org) in 4 ½ months in the summer of 2001 on 100% raw foods. Doug has been a vegan since 1988 and a raw foods vegan since 1996. He is a 2001 graduate of Cherie Soria’s Living Light Culinary Institute Chef Training Program.

Living Light Culinary Arts Institute has a vision of creating a center that will serve as an exemplary culinary arts school and event center to host the raw community. We are proud of our graduates and committed to supporting them in their efforts to take the raw food message world wide. We believe in Doug and his mission; his passion and integrity; his willingness to follow trough and finish what he starts; his ability to hike this treacherous course and to do it on 100% raw foods.

The Amazing Raw Hike-a-Thon will help to put raw food in the forefront and assist us in creating the center we believe is long overdue -- a place where people from around the world can come and learn about the raw food lifestyle from the leaders of the raw world.

Doug cannot accomplish this alone -- he needs help from all of us to make the Raw Food Hike-a-Thon an event that will make news around the world! Here is a partial list of the supplies required to make this a successful adventure. There are many ways to help:

You can donate supplies or money to buy supplies.
- You can volunteer to coordinate food drops; write press releases; help set up media interviews; help with the web site or any number of other things that are essential to making this a success.
- You can help by pledging one penny or one dollar per mile.
- Any help you can offer will be welcome. Remember -- Teamwork makes the Dream work!

If you have been looking for something to devote several hours of your time to each week that will make a HUGE difference in the world -- something that will help spread the message of raw foods and sustainable living to people across the globe -- take the leap of faith and volunteer to head a committee -- and make Doug’s pledge your own. “Make your life stand for something greater than yourself.”

Here is a list of the supplies required to make this a successful adventure:

Hike-a-thon Gear List
Item Quantity Needed Cost each Total Cost
Tennis shoes 4 pairs $80 $320
2) Socks 10 pairs $12 $120
3) Insoles 2 pairs $20 $40
4) Liner Gloves 1 pair $20 $20
5) Fleece pants 1 $40 $40
6) Rain Jacket 1 $100 $100
7) Backpack 1 $250 $250
8) Sleeping Bag 1 $300 $300
9) Tarp Shelter 1 $150 $150
10) Pocketmail* 1 $100 $100
11) Digital Camera** 1 $400 $400
12) Transportation to trailhead $600 $600
13.) Foods like dates, nuts, dehydrated goodies, water, and some fresh foods.

The following volunteers have offered to share their time and energy to make this event a success. We still more more help, so please offer a few hours of your time to get out the word about this amazing adventure!

Here are is our list of volunteers so far!
Hike-a-thon Accountant: Cindy Schwimmer
Hike-a-thon Webmaster: Alex Malinsky
Sponsor Coordinator: Julie Chiron
Media Coordinator for the Rocky Mountain States: Carol Giambri

We still need volunteers to help with these important jobs:
Hike-a-thon Director
National Media Coordinator
Food Drop Coordinator
Trail Angel Coordinator
Regional Sponsor Coordinators

Here is a list of what it all means:

The Hike-a-thon Director:
Is responsible for overseeing the committee of Volunteer Coordinators and Managers. This is a key position, since they will coordinate the activities of many people. They must be computer literate and have good writing skills so they can help edit press releases and articles. Experience that could be helpful would be event coordination, project management, good leadership. They must be a good self-starter, with good time-management and organizational skills, since the “buck” stops here. Doug will work closely with this person, but won't be able to help much once the hike begins.

Hike-a-thon Accountant:
Helps with pledge activities. Keeps the database of people who have made pledges. Opens an account and keeps records of pledges. Distributes funds as needed for Hike-a-thon media expenses.This position requires good accounting skills. Works closely with the Hike-a-thon Director and Doug.

Media Coordinator:
Writes press releases, talks to media, helps Doug with interviews, sets-up a media conference in Boulder, Colorado (with Doug). Requirements include good writing skills, tenacity, likeable personality, good people skills, good organizational skills, passion for raw foods and the healthy-promoting benefits, good knowledge of raw nutritional science (so they can answer questions posed by the media). Works with The Hike-a-thon Director, Doug, and the Web Master

Food Drop Coordinator:
Responsible for making sure that food is shipped to locations along the way for pick-up. Responsible for coordinating donations by sponsors and others who want to provide food stuffs for the Hike-a-thon. Works with Doug to establish a route for food drops. Keeps accounting of expenses and provides them to the Hike-a-thon Accountant. Good organization skills are required along with exceptional management skills.This person is responsible to make sure that the food is at the receiving site when Doug arrives there (hungry)! This requires a very responsible person. Works with The Hike-a-thon Director and Doug

Web Master (Designer/Manager):
Design and manage the website from start to finish, so people can go there, read about the trip, follow the adventure (digital photos and e-journal will be sent by Doug every few days). Create a story page as well as a place where people can sign-up to make pledges and become donors and sponsors. This must be someone who will not “drop the ball” and is committed to staying with it for the next 8 months! Works with The Hike-a-thon Director and Doug, as well as the rest of the committee.

Trail Angel Coordinator:
This person actively seeks out corporate Trail Angels (companies who make donations of food and supplies for the trip). Distributes donated food and gear to Food Drop Coordinator and any donated monies to Hike-a-thon Accountant. The Trail Angel Coordinator will work closely with the Hike-a-thon Director, Doug, and the Web Master

Hike-a-thon Sponsor Coordinator:
Actively seeks out corporate Sponsors and manages follow-up. Communicates information for all $/mile corporate donations to Accountant. Requirements include good writing skills, tenacity, likeable personality, good people skills, and good organizational skills. Works with The Hike-a-thon Director and Doug.

If you are interested in volunteering to help Doug with this amazing adventure or sponsor him with donations of equipment or food, contact him at: 808-264-2487 or email dougwalsh64@hotmail.com. Check-out www.rawfoodchef.com for more details, pictures, and a complete list of the supplies and trail foods Doug will need for the Amazing Raw Food Hike-a-thon: A 3000-mile fundraising hike along the spectacular Continental Divide.

~ Cherie Soria, director of Living Light Culinary Arts Institute, says,
"The Amazing Raw Food Hike-a-thon has more potential to reach into the hearts and consciousness of people than anything I have seen in the 14 years I have been involved in spreading the message of raw living foods to the world. Thanks to television and modern technology, this extraordinary venture has the ability to capture people's attention in a way that other forms of education can not even hope to do. I am so excited that Doug Walsh has chosen to take on this challenge to benefit the raw community and, indeed, the world. I have known Doug since he attended our raw chef and instructor training (shortly after he hiked the 2,650-mile Pacific Coast Trail (PCT) on 100% raw foods) and I fully believe that he can and will complete his goal and conquer the even more difficult and challenging 3,000-mile Continental Divide Trail (CDT). The PCT was done without fanfare, but the CDT will have the world watching! Doug will email his journal and digital photos to us regularly along the way, so everyone can experience his journey in real time. He will demonstrate to people from all walks of life that the raw food diet is one that can fuel amazing athletic endeavors, beyond our imagination. Go Doug!"

Doug's idea is for Living Light Culinary Institute to receive donations and pledge funds to help build a long-awaited Living Light Center where people can go to learn more about the raw food lifestyle.