Tag: Smile Network

A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. Our campsite day three. All have arrived to the destination safely.

Yesterday the trekkers accessed the famed Inca trail under sunny skies and a light breeze, the perfect weather conditions for trekking in the Andes. The four-day forecast called for sunshine and more importantly, no rain. All were emotional and apprehensive as they set out. The started the trek at 7,000 feet and trekked eight miles […]

Great accomplishments generally have their roots in humble beginnings. Today nine adventurous individuals from Minnesota and South Dakota started their trek on the Inca Trail. It is estimated that the 26-mile trek through the Andes is made up of over 82,000 steps and 55,000 stairs. They are hiking to create awareness for the plight of […]

Dead women’s pass is not for the faint of heart. By days end each trekker will know what they are made of. They will ascend to this infamous pass high in the Andes and summit about 3pm. They will climb over 3,600 vertical feet to an elevation to nearly 14,000 feet to the summit. Before […]

We total 15. We are walking the Camino de Santiago from Portugal to Spain to support the efforts of Smile Network International, but today we walk to honor the memory of a young boy who reminded all of us that life can change in the blink of an eye. From the Camino, we are sending […]

Today the trekkers will arrive to their destination, the famed Machu Picchu.  Tonight they will celebrate their achievement in the mountain town of Aguascalientes.   They will get their first shower in over four days and get to sleep in a real bed! Tomorrow they will travel back to Lima to meet the children for whom […]

Yesterday the trekkers set out on a trip of a lifetime, hiking the famed Inca Trail. Today, they were faced with one of the most difficult challenges of their life – the climb to Dead Woman’s Pass at 13,828 feet up in the Andes Mountains. In camp tonight they will celebrate their victory. Thank you […]

This afternoon, five volunteers embarked on the adventure of a lifetime, to raise awareness and funds to bring smiles to children across the globe through Smile Network International. The group consists of a wide range of individuals ages 17-61 including a US Air Force Veteran, psychologist and 17-year old high school student. They departed today from […]

30 adventurous Smile Network donors walked 80 miles from the tip of Portugal through Spain on the famed Camino in September.  The group raised $95,000 that will  provide free life-changing surgeries to impoverished children in developing countries.   Thank you to all our donors, and their friends and families who raised both awareness and dollars […]

Guest Blog by By Caryn Sullivan, Pioneer PRess When I heard about the mix of Minnesotans who were going to climb the Inca Trail together in July, I thought, “I’d like to be a fly in that mess tent!” After all, former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau and Pam Borton, former Minnesota […]