Jack Sisson, a 21-year-old Dartmouth College senior took his summer off to skate across the country for a cause. With the support of Rollerblade, Sisson’s transcontinental skate-a-thon will be raising money and awareness for Action Against Hunger, the organization he teamed up with in the fight against global hunger. The Dartmouth student hopes to raise a total of $5,000 by the time he returns to school in the fall.
Sisson will be traveling along a route based in part upon the Trans-Am, Grand Canyon Connector and Southern Tier routes. Beginning on the East Coast, his trip has led him through Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. After Arizona and the Grand Canyon, he plans on arriving in San Diego, CA, between August 20th and 22nd. Rollerblade USA will be waiting for Jack at the finish line in San Diego with new Rollerblade gear, equipment and a check doubling the amount of monies he will have raised.
Sisson travels six days and rests one, using any free time to keep a travel diary via blog, which his mother helps to update by cell phone conversations. Averaging about 50 miles a day, Jack has experienced sore feet and legs, a few hostile dogs, a thunderstorm, and endless miles of wind and unchanging scenery. His backpack holds his tent, sleeping pad, blanket, extra skating equipment, water, cell phone, and a GPS device to track his progress. His mother calls churches in each town where he expects to land, and the churches find families that are willing to let Sisson camp in their yard, thereby avoiding campground fees as much as possible.
