What Is Jenn's Journey North?

About

We all know you can’t predict the future. But when you go head first, slamming into that future, and are thrown violently around, so much so that your life is completely different when you go to bed at night than when you had first awakened, what can you do?

That was me on a day in June 2016. What was supposed to be a kayaking day trip in Maine turned into a nightmare that claimed the life of my husband, Michael, and almost mine, too.

How do you awaken from that nightmare? In all honesty, you can’t fully do so. You’re faced with the emptiness on so many levels, from the moment you wake up.

But you also must move forward. It doesn’t mean you forget; for me, it means I will always treasure the time I had with Michael. I wish it was longer, of course. Who wouldn’t?

Michael was special – he was kind, funny, goofy and nerdy. He was Santa to many kids in my neighborhood, and he probably had more fun than any of those children. And every day I think of him often.

I also thought of a way to honor his memory, and do some good at the same time. In the summer of 2018, I walked from New Jersey to Maine along the East Coast Greenway. Why New Jersey? I live in Plainfield, and the ECG runs near my town, through Nomahegan Park in Cranford, so that was my starting point. And why Maine? Well, we visited every summer for over ten years, and stayed on the Schoodic Peninsula. The accident took place in an area called Gouldsboro, and it so happens that the ECG runs through that town.

My goal was to raise funds to support the East Coast Greenway Alliance and a group called Freewalkers that inspires people to get out and walk. Michael and I had done some walks with the group, and I think you should check out their calendar of events!

My aim was to make this interactive. There were those who walked with me, supported my goal of raising $15K (I ended up raising $17K), followed my updates and put me up for a night or two. I did not not receive any money personally from the funds raised. Thank you to everyone who supported me in my journey north!

#PopperWalkSummer2018

#WalkNJ2ME