About a month ago, a story about a PCT thru hiker ran in a small town Washington Paper. It turns out that just as most PCTers were completing the trail this year, another hiker was quietly reaching the OR/WA border. Astro Andy started his hike on April 7th and had about 500mi left to get to Canada. As he hiked the steep ups and downs of S Washington, he was experiencing numbness in his leg. A numbness that would concern many hikers, but Astro Andy knew that it was more than a nagging pain that comes from 6 months of hiking…
At the age of 23, Astro Andy set off to do the PCT after he got the diagnosis that his reoccurring (since 2008) Hodgkin’s Lymphoma had once again returned…and this time the tumor (on his lower spine) was there to stay. He had terminal cancer. Astro had tried western medicine with Chemotherapy and even a stem cell transplant. He decided in January of this past year that it was time for him to find his own treatment…in nature on the Pacific Crest Trail.
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| True BLISS! After over 6 months of hiking with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Astro Andy reached Monument 78 on Oct 20, 2012. |
Just this past weekend, Astro Andy made it to Monument 78. He and his mom maintained a journal along his six months of hiking that is emotional, real, humorous, and INSPIRING! This journal was not mainstream and many people did not know about Andy until the article came out in Washington. The journal is only about 30 entries, so I encourage you all to take the time to read what Astro Andy and his mom have written. Thank you to Andy and his mom for sharing such an inspiring story!!! Here is the link: Andy’s Big Adventure
