Appalachian Trail Hike A group of very hardy backpackers marked the end of the drought in New England this May with the completion of Expedition Inspiration's first Appalachian Trail Hike. The hike started near Beckett, MA and was completed 51 miles later, close to Bennington, VT. Martha Lutz and her daughter, Abby Lutz, of Carlisle, PA, Michele Zousmer, EI Board member of Rancho Santa Fe, CA and Carol O'Loughlin, EI Programs Manager of Ketchum, ID, faced unrelenting rain and wind conditions for much of the hike. All participants successfully completed the hike, including reaching the summit of Mt. Greylock, the highest point in MA. Melody Blaney, of Bluemont, VA, who completed her own "thru-hike" of the entire 2,155 mile Appalachian Trail in 1996, led the hike. EI's challenging backpacking trip was an especially moving tribute to our founder, Laura Evans, as the Lutz women are Laura's sister and niece. Thank you to all the hikers for their fundraising efforts on behalf of EI. A special thank you to Melody Blaney, for the generous donation of her time and expertise, in order to make this event a success. EI will offer another Appalachian Trail Hike in the Fall of 2002. Celebrating the completion of the Appalachian Trail Hike near Bennington, Vermont, (left to right) Carol O'Loughlin, Michele Zousmer, Martha Lutz, Abby Lutz and Melody Blaney. Volunteer Appreciation Month Every month is volunteer appreciation month at Expedition Inspiration. Our incredibly awesome team of volunteers makes all of our events possible - from concerts to climbs to Take-A-Hikes. The volunteers include the talented Board of Directors as well as the Medical Board. A MILLION thanks to our volunteers for their time, energy and dedication to finding a cure for breast cancer. We are always looking for additional help, so please contact us if you are interested in chairing or helping with any of our events.