I am writing to ask you to contribute to the Cystic Fibrosis Xtreme Hike for a Cure which will be held September 26-28 2025.  Our destination this year is the Grand Canyon. We intend to hike Rim to Rim north to south in one day to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.  

How did we get here?

In 2009, John Barlow and I decided to hike the Art Loeb Trail (30 miles, 10000 feet of gain) in a day to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. It was a long 14 hour trek but we did it. We also raised $50,000 and the Foundation asked us to do it again, this time with more people. 

There are now 25 hikes across the US and those hikers have raised almost $30 million to find a cure for CF.  I have had the privilege to hike in South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Massachusetts, Arizona, and Colorado to help find a cure for CF.  During Covid, we took the Hike to the UK and trekked across Northumbria to raise money for a cure. Some of my best friends have been made sharing the Xtreme Hike experience.

How does a 30 mile day in the woods relate to cystic fibrosis? To complete a 30 mile hike you need good nutrition and strong lungs. Cystic fibrosis attacks the lungs and impedes the bodies ability to metabolize nutrition.  The Foundation is a form of ‘venture philanthropy’ - the money we raise goes to finding a cure for CF.  We’ve been fortunate that the Foundation has developed several remarkable gene-based therapies in the past 50 years, but we are not done yet.  The Foundation will keep working until a therapy is developed for everyone with CF.  

As I mentioned at the beginning of this note, the hike we are doing is North Rim to South Rim in the Grand Canyon.  We will be descending 6000 feet. We will be crossing 23 miles of baking desert and then we will be ascending 5000 feet.  The last time I did this hike I drank 14 quarts of water - 3.5 gallons - and I was still thirsty when I got out.  

It’s a long day but the terrain is beautiful and our crew is well prepared. No one will be hiking alone and we will be supporting each other along the way.   I’ll be training a lot for this hike in Pisgah National Forest, on Crowder’s and King’s Mountain, and on the Greenway around Charlotte. 

Please let me know if you’d like to come out and train and we can put some miles in.   If you have the capacity to make a donation to the Hike there’s a link below that you can tap.   Thank you as always for your encouragement and support.  Without you, this would be just another walk in the woods.