WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT

Hi, my name is Josh and I'm from Hampton, (London), although I'm currently studying at the University of West of England in Bristol. As you may or may not know, last year I walked 365 miles from Reading to Manchester, via Bristol and Cardiff.
See last year's blog here: (http://www.bestfoot4wood.blogspot.com/).

This year I'm back with a new challenge, Manchester to Edinburgh, and this year there are two of us. Isaac McCardle (who also studies at UWE), and myself will be walking 280 miles, side by side, with the addition of my wonderful girlfriend, Megan Cooper, who will be joining us from Manchester to Sheffield. So, exactly what does Hike for MND 2009 entail I hear you cry in raw anticipation. Well, sit down and I shall tell you.

On Moday the 27th of July 2009 Isaac, Megan and myself will be departing Stockport in SE Manchester. From there we shall be heading over to Sheffield via the Trans-Pennine trail. Now at this point you may be thinking... Sheffield? That's not exactly a direct route to Edinburgh, but that isn't what this journey is about. It is about the experiences along the way. So, from Sheffield we will be heading up into the Peak District and following the Pennine Way right the way up. We will eventually veer off, towards and through Hexham, and on and up to Edinburgh.

The Rules:
- We will be walking the whole way. We can't step foot in, or on, a vehicle, even if it would drop us off again at the same location before we continue.
- We will be carrying everything that we need on our backs.
- We will have an amazing time.

I will be keeping this blog online the whole way, with the assistance of my dad, so you can follow our progress. Keep an eye on here and sign up for the updates.

And finally, the cause for which we are doing this: the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks the upper and lower motor neurones. Degeneration of the motor neurones leads to weakness and wasting of muscles, causing increasing loss of mobility in the limbs and difficulty with speech, swallowing and breathing and eventually fatality. MND can affect anyone regardless of age or physical fitness. MNDA is working hard caring for those with MND and researching for a better understanding of the causes with the hope of finding a cure.

Please make a donation to the MNDA: http://www.justgiving.com/hike2009/

The funds go directly to the charity. If you do not wish to sponsor online you can donate offline, simply contact us through this blog. Even a single donation of £5 will help.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

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*A little message from Megan, just to explain why I'm taking part in this hike*

I am not a walker... My mum has always given me more lifts than I deserve; to town, to school, to work, to Eva's house 5 minutes up the road, (haha). I moan when I'm on long walks or evening strolls. This is why I am putting myself to the test, and through wind and rain, or the hottest sweatiest summer. I will join Josh and Isaac in walking my way to my home in Sheffiel from 'that other Northern place', Manchester. It's a very tiny hike compared to the guys' but for me it's a challenge. MND is a charity close to the hearts of both my boyfiend and my best friend si I'm doing it for them.

-Megan-

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Preparation Preparation Preparation

Ok, I know this is very early on but I thought I would just let you know whats happening at the moment.
Right now we are just deciding on roughly what route to take. it will be around 280 miles and should take between 12 and 16 days.
I would just like to get this idea out there now so that if anyone has any challenges or tasks for us to try and complete on our journey please let us know by commenting on this post.