Everyone got a good night rest under the light of a full moon in the Andes before setting out on a trek of a lifetime. This morning they checked in at the Government Checkpoint where the trailhead is at 7,000 feet. They crossed the raging Urubamba River on a rope bridge and will trek for […]
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 […]
By Guest Blogger Caryn Sullivan- Author of Bitter or Better and Columnist for the Pioneer Press September 6, 2015 On August 30 I joined a group of mostly strangers to walk the Portuguese route of the El Camino de Santiago. Unlike several of my fellow trekkers, I was not particularly well-versed on the history of the […]
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 […]
Today our team grows from 18 trekkers and 4 Smile staffers to an additional 8 trekkers and 13 medical providers. The second wave of trekkers arrived Tuesday evening and will repeat the journey of the last group hiking to the famed Machu Pichu built by the Incans hundreds of years ago. This group of adventurous […]
Congratulations to our trekkers! Matt Kleven, Jennifer Hartigan, Tyler Hartigan, Gino Valentini, Anna Pawlenty, Tim Pawlenty, Mara Pawlenty, Pam Borton, Jules Brown, Sarah Buxton, Jackie Nickel, Samantha Nickel, Alex McGraw, Alli Cahill, Mary Kate Rivisto, Janee Harteau, Rony Camosa, Mary Pawlenty, Brenda Leffler Change the world. Change the future. Change your life.
Breaking News! We have been out of touch with the trekkers since we parted ways at the trail head entrance three days ago. At 6:04 pm central daylight time we received a text message which said, ” Had a little service on the mountain so thought I would send along this photo.”All are accounted for. […]
After their first night on the mountain the trekkers rose to frost on the ground, a few aches and bruises from the previous day’s trek and the smell of steaming coffee. By 7 am they will have had breakfast and repack their gear for the tough ascent that lies ahead. Today is the most challenging […]
We have been traveling for four days together. Sharing our stories, getting to know one another. Up to this point there has been a lot of laughter, enthusiasm and excitement. The mood is different today. Excitement has been replaced with some self examination and internal dialog with questions like; “Did I train enough? At age […]
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