Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Three Southbounders from Savannah

According to an article in the 9 July 2007 Savannah Morning News, three young men from the area have started a southbound thru-hike attempt. Marshall Cheyne Strong, Blake Clark and Elliott Day are profiled in the article by Dana Clark Felty titled "Young Men Tackle Appalachian Trail."
"The friends said the long journey promises a chance to reflect on their spirituality and their futures.

"'We want to go out and have an adventure instead of sitting around like a lot of other people doing drugs or getting stuck in a menial job,' Strong said. 'It's something I don't think enough people do - instead of getting caught up in the rush to become adults - just sit back and figure out what's going to happen here the next 60 years.'"
They're also fundraising to support the "mentoring program Guardians Investing in Generations, which provides tutoring and support to at-risk youths at Groves High School." The head of the program is Shawn Mannix, who
"helped the hikers find donated backpacking equipment for the journey. He plans to seek support from other members of Unity Church of Savannah, where he runs a spirituality discussion group.

"He describes Strong, who attends the group, as 'a little Buddha.'

"'He's been a source of inspiration for everybody,' Mannix said."

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