Why are you doing this trip?

This trip has been a dream of ours for several years. We are both committed to the idea that if God gives you a dream, then you should live that dream, so long as you can figure out a way to honor Him in the process. In the 10th chapter of the gospel of John, Jesus speaks to a crowd of people using an illustration from everyday Jewish life. He speaks of a man entering a sheep pen by coming over the wall instead of through the gate like the shepherd does. That kind of man is a thief and someone that the sheep will never follow. Jesus then says that all who have come before Him were theives and robbers, and that He has come so that we may have life more abundantly, life to the fullest. Melissa and I believe that the dreams God gives us are His way of showing us “life to the fullest.” As such, this decision was not only the fulfillment of a dream, but also a way of honoring our Savior and Lord.

How can we get involved?

While this hike is one part the fulfillment of a dream, it is another part an opportunity to raise support for my work and the ministry at Rainbow Christian Camp. There are two links on the right hand side of this page entitled “Trail Blazer Brochure” and “Help Out!” Those two links give detailed information about ways you can get involved, not only in our hike, but in the Kingdom work of the camp.
Is there anything we can do to help?

The two most important ways that you can help are through your invovement in the TrailBlazer Campaign, as listed on the side of the page, and through your prayers. A hike of this distance will require a great deal of time, energy, and patience, and it will certainly take a toll on us, both physically and mentally. As such, we ask that you pray for us as often as you think of us and visit this page.
A final way to help is through posting notes and messages for us on this blog. There will no doubt be times when we are frustrated, tired, or lonely, and words of encouragement from family and friends will go a long way toward easing those emotions. So please, drop us a line anytime, or send and email to joe.wisley@rainbowcamp.org.

How have you prepared for this physically demanding trip?

Melissa and I typically work out 4-5 days per week and we have been trying our best to keep that schedule in the midst of changing jobs, moving from our house, and raising funds for my work at the camp. Instead of doing strength training we have been focusing more on cardiovascular and endurance training. Some of that training has been on a tradmill and some has been outside, hiking with our packs on. The main difficulty with this type of training is the lack of hills in central Indiana. So, while we have been hiking alot of miles, we haven’t really had much chance to train on any terrain similar to what we’ll experience on the Trail. During the first week of March, we’ll spend several days hiking in the Hoosier National Forest near Lake Monroe to try and get our legs more used to the strenous up and downs that we’ll experience. In reality, however, there’s really no way to prepare yourself for a hike life this but to go on a hike life this! As such, we’ll more than likely spend the first few days of the Trail trying to get our walking legs under us. After 3 weeks or so we should be in great hiking shape.

How will you be staying in touch with us back on your blog while you’re out in the middle of the Appalachian Trail?

We’ll stay in touch through this blog, as well as through emails, which can be sent to joe.wisley@rainbowcamp.org, or to melijoywisley@juno.com. We’ll try to respond quickly, but it may take a few days to reply. Please be patient, as our internet connections may be a little sketchy!

What sort of cool tech gadgets are you taking along with you?

There are a few little gizmos we’ll have with us that will hopefully make the trip, as well as keeping up to date with this blog, a little more managable. Below you will find links to a couple different items and the sites offer better descriptions than I ever could

Verizon  XV6800 - http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?item=phoneFirst&action=viewPhoneDetail&selectedPhoneId=3411

SPOT Satellite Personal Messenger - http://www.findmespot.com

Canon PowerShot A710 IS - http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=183&modelid=14117