An Introduction

    Hike for the Fallen was conceived on the McGinnis Creek fire in eastern Oregon. As we gridded back and forth on a shadeless slope, digging smoldering embers from burned out stump holes, our minds began to wander. Perhaps it was the blistering sun and the hundred degree drinking water that fed the delirium from which this idea, and many others, emerged.  Whatever it was, here we are, a mere 3 months away from taking those first steps from the Mexican border towards Canada and the dream is beginning to take shape.   Through the course of our years fighting fire, we have learned how to push through physical challenges and begun developing our strength of character. The idea of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail seemed to us like a great way to test ourselves and push on to the next level of our growth as young men. We know we can handle this trail. We know it will be grueling. But we know we can do it.
    We have decided to hike it fast to up the ante on the physical and mental stress that we are willingly setting out to endure. The greater the adversity, the greater the growth. The average time for a PCT thru-hike is 5 and a half to 6 months. We are going to do it in 4.  That means we will have to maintain an average of 25 miles of hiking per day. It may seem crazy to some, but it is somehow feasible to us.
    Beyond the physical and mental challenges of the trail, we have also committed ourselves to raising some money and generating awareness for the Wildland Firefighter Foundation. We feel like, though the hike will be difficult, we can do more than just walk for 4 months. We will attempt to expand the scope of our lives beyond ourselves and do what we can to help out this great foundation.
    We got to see first hand the amazing work the WFF does after the Iron 44 tragedy. The two pilots and seven firefighters were killed when their helicopter crashed in northern California. The WFF was there, helping families to deal with the grief of losing their loved ones. The seven fallen firefighters worked for our company and I remember the day of the crash, when we received the news.  It was a very eerie feeling knowing that could have easily been you, and thinking about the impact on the families and friends of so many lives lost in an instant. We are honored to do what we can to help the foundation in their work supporting people at a time when they need it most.