I Hike For Cats – The Trek

Hello Folks,

As I prepare for my JMT hike I would love to share something that is really important to me. As many of my friends and family know, I am a kitty lover. Cats are my favorite animal! I have two cats, Ambika and LoveBug. I also petsit a lot of cats all the time when I’m off trail, but when I’m on trail… I do not get nearly as much time with them. Once in a while I may come across a stray cat or there may be one living near an airbnb when we resupply, but on the actual trail I spend a lot of time thinking about my cats at home and about having a cat sanctuary for older cats later on in my life. 

PJ- Cat video

My Dedications

I find I focus most when hiking if I dedicate my trail time to someone or something. When I get tired or in a shitty mood, it helps me to think about what I’ve dedicated my hike to. For example, I dedicated my hike on the Tahoe Rim Trail last summer to my father, who has passed away. My hike on the John Muir Trail will be dedicated to cats, as you might have guessed from the title. 

IHFC

Today I am introducing a fundraiser for cats! I’ve named it the “I Hike for Cats” (IHFC) fundraiser. I will be hiking the JMT to raise money for a few different cat shelters/sanctuaries. I will be hiking to support the following organizations:

Heart & Soul Animal Sanctuary in Santa Fe, NM

(I volunteered at this sanctuary for a little while when I lived there. It was a peaceful and lovely place.)

Pope Memorial Humane Society in Thomaston, ME

(My mother adopted one of our cats Ambika from this place. Ambika stuck her paw out to my mother and my mother decided she was the one.)

Asheville Humane Society in Asheville, NC

(This is where I met my dear, forever and always, LoveBug.)

I am inviting anyone who wants to pledge a donation to help cats to do so at this GoFundMe link. 100% of donations go to these places. I do not take any of the money for myself. When I’ve completed the JMT, I will give all donations to these causes. I am calling my JMT hike my IHFC hike. 

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