The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development is proud to receive a unique charitable contribution from Moe Lemire, an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker who dedicated his hike to raise funds for the Catskill Center, while raising awareness about the Catskills. Moe Lemire recently completed the entirety of his thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail and will give a presentation at REI’s SoHo store in New York City on October 27th at 7 pm. Moe Lemire’s talk is entitled, “Storm’s Appalachian Trail Journey: 168 days and 2189.1 miles later, relive an Appalachian Trail journey with Moe Lemire, aka Storm, who just finished his thru-hike from Maine to Georgia”. It’s common for thru-hikers to take a name while on their hike, Moe adopted the moniker “Storm”.

Moe started his hike on April 6, 2016 at Springer Mountain in Georgia after registering as a thru-hiker at Amicalola Falls State Park at the start of the Appalachian Trail Approach Trail. At the start of his hike, he was joined by a friend and together over a week, they hiked north. We here at the Catskill Center are honored to be the recipients of these generous gifts and Moe's generosity to select us as his charity of choice.

Says Mr. Lemire, “Simply put, I walked from Georgia to Maine. It was both the most difficult thing I have ever attempted and one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had. It is not an exaggeration to say that this trip has truly has changed my life. On my journey I met amazing people, experienced trail magic and tested and expanded my own horizons. I created an online community where I was able to bring family, friends and even complete strangers along on my hike with stories, videos and photos from the journey in real time. I also helped to protect my home and the region I love, the Catskills as part of my trip by raising awareness and supporting the Catskill Center’s work to preserve and protect the Catskill Park.”

Moe will be recounting his Appalachian Trail thru hike through photos, stories, and videos at the REI Store in SoHo, New York City. There will be plenty of opportunities to answer audience questions and help anyone who has thought of hiking the Appalachian Trail to learn more. He’ll showcase some of his gear from the trip, provide some tips for would be thru hikers and be on hand to answer questions about his home, the Catskills.

Moe Lemire is an active volunteer with the Catskill Center and the NY-NJ Trail Conference, where he leads their volunteer effort to maintain backcountry lean-tos in the Catskills. When planning his Appalachian Trail thru-hike, he figured out what he wanted to do: support the Catskills with his hike soliciting donations that support the work of the Catskill Center. Moe created the “Moe Hikes the Appalachian Trail” page on GoFundMe (https://www.gofundme.com/MoeHikesTheAT) which allowed his friends, family members and supporters of his hike to make donations in support of his goal. Those funds have gone directly to the Catskill Center to support our work.

Please join Moe at the REI Store in SoHo for a fantastic evening to inspire you to tackle this classic thru-hike. You can learn more about his experience on his Trail Journal (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=524649) and at his GoFundMe campaign page (www.gofundme.com/moehikestheat).

Moe's story and hike were featured in an episode of Bill Green's Maine, which captured video from his final day on the Appalachian Trail as he climbed Mount Katahdin:

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ABOUT THE CATSKILL CENTER FOR CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT
Our Mission: To protect and foster the environmental, cultural and economic well-being of the Catskill region.

Guided by the foundational understanding that conservation creates opportunity, we are the major force advocating for the Catskill region. Since 1969, we have led the effort to protect the Catskill Park and Catskill Forest Preserve, while advancing local and regional economic development initiatives. Our interdisciplinary approach to protecting our ecosystems and creating vibrant communities encompasses four program areas – Arts & Culture, Education, Natural Resources, and Regional Planning.

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