On the morning of August 1, 2015, well before the sun came up, 53 Ultimate Hikers, coaches, and volunteers ate a quick breakfast in a dark parking lot before piling into vans to depart for the wilderness. The Dolly Sods Wilderness Ultimate Hike team included young parents, senior citizens, and even children — all committed to completing the 20.7 mile Hike to help end children’s cancer. Because of their dedication, this special group of Hikers set several new CureSearch Ultimate Hike records.
Daniel Griffith, age nine, hiked with his ten-year-old sister, Natalie, and mom, Christy. Five years ago, Daniels’ sister, Eve, was diagnosed with Wilms tumor. After watching their mom complete Ultimate Hikes for the past four years, Daniel and Natalie decided to join her. This year, they became the youngest Hikers ever to participate in the Ultimate Hike. Family members, including Eve, volunteered at aid stations along the trail to show support.
Veteran Hiker Nikki Zablocki was the captain of another enthusiastic Ultimate Hike team, Wesley’s Warriors. Hiking in honor of her son, Wesley, Nikki was joined by her husband and many supporters, including three of Wesley’s young classmates. Wesley’s Warriors became the highest fundraising team in Ultimate Hike history, raising over $55,000 and counting.
Wesley’s Warriors was not the only team to see great fundraising success. More than $130,000 in total was raised by Hikers to drive research to find cures, making the 2015 Dolly Sods Wilderness Hike the top fundraising Hike in the Northeast!
“It wasn’t just the fundraising that set this group apart. It was their dedication to hiking every mile and ensuring every teammate finished,” said Brecka Putnam, Manager, Signature Events. “The Dolly Sods Wilderness Ultimate Hike is the first large Hike where every participant completed the entire Hike distance.”
In addition to setting several records, the Dolly Sods Ultimate Hike is the first one to be completed by a member of the CureSearch Board of Directors. Board member Annie Gould completed all 20.7 miles in memory of her daughter, Eloise.
Thank you to our Ultimate Hikers, who made this and other Hike events a success! To view this year’s event photos, please visit www.facebook.com/ultimatehike. To learn how you can participate in our Ultimate Hike to help find cures for children’s cancer, please visit www.ultimatehike.org or contact us at ultimatehike@curesearch.org.
Watch our video to see the start of our record-breaking Dolly Sods Ultimate Hike:
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