Old Fort Strong Endurance Festival

Dear friends, colleagues & family - maybe some strangers, who knows!

On Saturday, December 7, I will participate in the Old Fort Strong Endurance Festival.  I'm sure you know the exhilaration I experience in the wilderness, whether hiking, riding, backpacking, swimming or hanging off of some rock face on a piece of gear - ha!  I'm so grateful for this opportunity to channel my grief from the devastation and loss, and my hope for renewal, into this 6-hour ride.  This is an opportunity to engage my physical strength and mental endurance doing something I love alongside others. As I ride through the beauty of Pisgah National Forest, I'll be praying for the healing of peoples' hearts and minds, communities, and the land. I'm also grateful for the way initial relief efforts, and now this ride, are deepening my connections with the Old Fort community.

Help me in my effort to raise money for the Old Fort Strong Fund. This fund is dedicated to helping support community members in Old Fort who have lost their homes or had significant damage to their homes by hurricane Helene and will not receive any help to pay for rebuilding from insurance.  Due to the massive flooding that took place outside of historic flood zones, many homes did not have flood insurance to cover this cost.  In total 50+ homes were lost in McDowell County alone.  The goal is to raise $2,000,000 from this event alone to help in this cause.  All donations will go directly to helping those in need in our community.  My individual goal (suggested by the fundraiser) is to raise a minimum of $1,500.00.  

The Old Fort Strong Endurance Festival is 6/12/24 hour trail run and mountain bike ride on the trails that encompass Camp Grier, right in the backyard of Old Fort, NC (I can ride there from my front door).  The weekend will have a festival atmosphere with multiple vendors, live music, and special guest speakers across the trail running and mountain bike world. There will be separate loops, roughly 3 miles each, for runners and mountain bikers with a common start/finish area.

Thank you for joining me in this endeavor and for contributing whatever donation you are able to give!

With love and gratitude,

Heather