For most hikers, completing the entire Appalachian
Trail would be the final realization of a lifelong goal.
For Daren Wendell, it's the equivalent of a warm-up lap.
Because 2,175 miles is an easy stroll when one's mission is to walk
around the entire planet.
This is exactly what the 26-year-old had in mind when he arrived at
North Georgia College & State University last Saturday.
His plan calls for a seven-year walk that will circle the globe and
raise awareness for Blood:Water Mission-a charitable organization
that works to provide clean blood to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic in
Africa, and to build clean water wells in the region.
Wendell, an Ohio native, had never visited the NGCSU campus. In fact
he had never been to Dahlonega.
He chose the location as a starting point because of its close
proximity to the Appalachian Trail, and with the optimistic notion
that there will be plenty of room for a triumphant 2015 homecoming.
Scanning the center of campus, Wendell searched for a place to
begin. He was looking for a landmark; one that would be sure to
survive the next seven years.
Finally, he settled on a yellow speed bump that sits in front of the
NGCSU drill field.
He then stood on the bump, stuck his foot forward and jokingly held
it out. A handful of local friends stood poised with digital
cameras.
“Whoaaa,” he said as he pretended to lose his balance.
He then stepped forward.
“One step down,” Wendell said. “38,999,999 to go.”
“Crazy,” is a word Wendell has heard many times over the past
year-and-a-half.
Even his loved ones who saw him off last weekend had no problem
saying it; though in a chummy way.
“Isn't he crazy?” said a smiling friend on Saturday.
“Some people I tell about this and they look at me and are like
‘Yeah right,' admitted Wendell the day before his departure. “They
kind of walk away. But then other people are really interested.”
Wendell was working as a youth pastor in Wisconsin when the epic
idea occurred to him.
In 2005, he biked across the United States from Oregon to Virginia
Beach. The journey seemed to ignite a wanderlust within him that
proved hard to quench.
“During those 74 days I never felt more alive,” he said. “So I kind
of wanted to open another chapter in my life. I thought, instead of
4,400 miles it will be 18,000. And this time I'd walk with a
purpose.”
That purpose belongs to the Blood:Water Mission. His effort has
received the support of 22 sponsors, including Merrill, which will
provide him with shoes, and Kelty, which will furnish his tents.
Wendell has arranged speaking engagements along his route in which
he will detail his journey while drumming up support for the group's
cause.
“I have hopes of raising, over the next seven to 10 years, hundreds
of thousands of dollars for the organization,” he said.
Wendell has chosen his intended overseas walking route as a result
of the current global political climate. Since this climate could be
radically different in a few years his path will be reviewed on a
yearly basis.
“I'm a Westerner with everything I own in my backpack,” he said.
“It's going to get dicey.”
However, politics won't be a problem this summer on the Appalachian
Trail. There Wendelle intends to travel 15 miles a day, camp where
he can and then dine on plenty of pasta at night.
He plans to continue hiking until he reaches Nova Scotia. Then he
will hop a plane and head for Portugal.
There he plans to hike in a northeastern direction through Europe.
This will take him through China and then Russia.
He's hoping to find host families along the way that will provide
him with shelter.
This is where his Web site,
www.theearthexpedition.com, will come in handy.
“I have people five years from now that have written me and said,
‘Hey, I want to host you.”
If things go as planned, at that point Wendell will be heading
through Russia and toward Alaska. This is if he can keep up his
intended road pace of 15 to 20 miles a day.
In order to prepare for this Herculean undertaking, Wendell enlisted
the help of physical trainer Shaun Craft, who offered his services
free of charge.
At first, the Illinois-based fitness guru wasn't sure what to make
of his client.
“I didn't take him seriously,” said Craft. “I mean, come on, think
about it.”
However, a few days into the five-month-long session, Wendell did
something that made Craft a believer.
“He sold everything he owned,” laughed Craft. “And that's when I
knew he was for real. The man sold every stinking thing he had.
There's photos of it. I mean, he was selling his socks.”
The event caught the attention of the local press, which covered the
story of Wendell and his unusual garage sale.
During the following possession-free period, Wendell house-sat for
friends as he slept on their floor and cooked all his meals on a
small gas stove.
Meanwhile, he underwent the kind of grueling physical training that
can prepare a person for a seven-year walk .
“It was a rough five months for that guy, let me tell you,” chuckled
Craft. “When he came to me he had just finished a marathon. So his
cardio was outstanding. But, the rest of him, there was nothing left
of him.”
As a result, Wendell was placed on a program designed to strengthen
his core and tone his muscles. His body quickly responded.
“He went from squatting 65 pounds to 335,” said Craft.
In order to prevent injuries, Craft has prepared a continuous
fitness program that is designed for the differing terrain Wendell
will face in each leg of his journey.
Though the physical workouts were hard, Wendell said nothing was
ever as difficult as his self-imposed dating ban.
From the moment he conceived of his glob-trotting plan, he realized
that a girlfriend would be out of the question.
So he stopped dating in 2006.
“Which was tough,” said Wendell. “It was kind of my weakest point.
But I've been able to stick with it.”
“I know the second I break my rule I'm going to be in trouble,” he
added with a laugh.
Now that Wendell is on the road, however, he said he sees no problem
with finding a potential mate.
The catch is, she'll have to be a big fan of long distance walking.
“There are probably not too many out there,” he said.
Saturday morning, Wendell was not alone as he embarked on the first
steps of his journey. His friends Chris and Marisa Dove, of Dallas,
Ga, plan to hike the first four days alongside of him.
After that, he will be on his own.
“I know that's seven Christmases away from my family and seven
birthdays by myself,” he said. “But for me its not sacrificing seven
years. It's living life to the fullest during those seven years.
This is how I was wired. And so I look at it as the best seven years
of my life. The adventure of a lifetime.”
With all of his worldly possessions on his back, Daren Wendell
stepped off the small yellow speed bump and started on that journey.
“All that planning is coming to fruition,” he said. “It's about
time.”
He then walked away with a purposeful stride, as if he knew full
well the starting line he just crossed was now the finish line.
One that's an entire world away.
“See you in seven,” he said, as he headed for the hills.
