Hello friends,
As many of you know, on February 26th,2017, I started my mission to hike the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine in order to honor my best friend Roger Pierson.
A long 5 months and 4 days later, I summitted Mount Katahdin, Maine (the northern terminus of the AT) on July 30th, This journey encompassed 2,190 miles, 14 states and approximately 5 million footsteps. On my toughest days on the Trail, I thought of Roger and what he was dealing with to summon the additional motivation I needed to keep going.
Diagnosed with ALS in August of 2016, Roger was an avid hiker, biker and skier. Since his diagnosis, we both became supporters of the ALS Therapy Development Institute and their quest to #EndALS. That is why, in order to raise money and awareness, I decided to embark on this journey. You can see much of my adventure on my Facebook, Instagram or YouTube and please consider sharing it to help me reach my goal.
Sadly Roger succumbed to the disease of ALS on June 27th, 2018, and my commitment to honor his memory through supporting ALS TDI's research efforts to find a cure for ALS is now stronger than ever!.
ALS is not an incurable disease, just an underfunded one!
Any donations to my ALS TDI fundraising page here would be greatly appreciated and every single one will make a huge difference in helping to #EndALS!
With much love and gratitude...
Steven "Rooster" Riecker