The Trek Against Trash

For the past three months, Jordan Price and Carlie Roberts have been hiking along the Appalachian Trail on a “Trek Against Trash” to raise $150,000 toward Keep America Beautiful’s efforts. As if the hike wasn’t enough, Jordan and Carlie have been picking up garbage along the trail the entire time and stopping to work on local cleanup efforts in cities along the route. They’ve been chronicling the journey on their blog, and last week, they hit the 1,000-mile halfway mark. IT Editor Janelle Nanos caught up with them on a recent stop.

Update: As of the team’s most recent posting on July 2, Carlie left the trail. But she will continue to help Jordan plan his journey as he continues to the end. Next stop, New Jersey and New York state!

How did the idea for the Trek Against Trash come about?

Jordan: It’s always been a dream of mine to hike the Appalachian trail, and we liked the idea of hiking the trail for environmental awareness. We stumbled onto the KAB website and fell in love with their organization.

Carlie: KAB knew we wanted to hike the entire trail, and they immediately embraced us. Their beliefs paralleled ours. You don’t necessarily have to hike for six months or buy a hybrid car, but everyone should take the responsibility to do their part on their planet.

Were you both active hikers before you embarked on the trip?

Jordan: I’ve done a lot of hiking before, but this is Carlie’s first backpacking experience.

Carlie: It is an adventure every single day, and it’s awesome to be able to undertake this big of a challenge right off the bat. I’ve run marathons and other long-distance races, but on my first day, I walked more miles than I’ve ever done before on a hiking trip.

What is your routine on the trail?

Jordan: Get up, eat, walk, eat some more, walk—you get the idea. We take one day off every week, normally in a KAB-affiliated town.

We’re usually doing a county cleanup on the streets and rivers. The affiliates really enjoy it. And we pick up trash along the roads.

We normally average a ten-pound trash bag a week.

Carlie: It’s a totally different society on the trail. It’s wonderful to feel almost as simple as possible. We were both go-go-go before we got on the trail, and it’s nice to adapt back into nature—it’s really incredible.

How do you stay connected to your friends and family?

Carlie: Luckily Sprint donated a phone, so we can blog every three or four days from the trail itself. Typically at the end of the day we cook dinner and start a blog from inside our sleeping bags. It’s a little BlackBerry.

What are some of the things you think you’ll take away from the experience?

Jordan: Every single day you realize you’re seeing a view that you’d never see if you were traveling by car. You get to an overlook and stop and realize that you’re not going to see this view ever again.

Carlie: The main thing is the feeling of empowerment, and we’re only halfway done. We’ve walked from Georgia to West Virgina. It’s amazing. It’s the feeling of accomplishment and you did it yourself, and you’re carrying everything you need on your back.

You can follow Jordan and Carlie’s journey by visiting their blog, and checking out their online photostream. Or you can make a donation to support their efforts.

Photos: Trek Against Trash