Farewell To The Farm

by Robert Louis Stevenson

The coach is at the door at last
The eager children, mounting fast
And kissing hands, in chorus sing:
Good-bye, good-bye, to everything!

To house and garden, field and lawn,
The meadow-gates we swang upon,
To pump and stable, tree and swing,
Good-bye, good-bye, to everything!

And fare you well for evermore,
O ladder at the hayloft door,
O hayloft where the cobwebs cling,
Good-bye, good-bye, to everything!

Crack goes the whip, and off we go;
The trees and houses smaller grow;
Last, round the woody turn we sing:
Good-bye, good-bye, to everything!

So who’s gonna shoe their pretty little feet?

Nothing comes without sacrifices.

We’re selling off stuff we don’t need, things like dreams and the second home. But we are blessed - our oldest got into a tuition-free college and we have a few years before the next one in line has to get her higher ed lined up.

Still, if you want to spot me a beer or a night out of the wet, or a less shrill whistle, I’ll drink to your health, learn your favorite set of tunes, and blow every note your way. If you want to buy my next pair of brogues (a new pair of boots lasts an average of two months on trail), I will thank you with every step!

3% Cover the Fee

To be clear, if you have a good prayer or an especially powerful patron saint that can help me find a good job once I'm back in the lowlands, I'd much prefer that. Also, please note, I'm not tax deductible. I'm probably not even a corporal work of mercy (although I might reconsider that my first cold rainy day). But there has to be some kind of grace that comes from this kind of generosity. I hate the ultimately self-serving concept of "karma" which is not grace at all.

Why give?

  • ✽

    Make A Difference

    Your donation helps create real, measurable change in the lives of the countless hikers, as well as civilians, who could be listening to a much less shrill alto G whistle for the remainder of the 2200 miles ahead. Just saying…

  • ✽

    Support A Cause You Love

    Give back to something that aligns with your values and passions. Think what you might do with a pair of trail runners for the months of June and July (the months between Virginia and Northern PA when the terrain gets serious again). Then think what I will do with ‘em!

  • ✽

    Accompany Me as I Journey

    I’m not hiking the Appalachian Trail for my health. Well OK, I kind of am. I have been pretty sedentary for the last 10 years and my beer to workout ratio has gotten a little out of whack. But while I’d always wanted to hike the trail when I retired, this wasn’t what I had in mind. I didn’t choose this - I have been chosen for this. Join me in person or join at heart by sparing a dime!

  • ✽

    Create Lasting Impact

    Not really. I hate these headers. There is nothing lasting in this world. But my gratitude to you for any donations would last a really long time!

  • ✽

    Fund Grassroots Work

    Inasmuch as I will be sleeping on grass and roots every night, maybe?

  • ✽

    Inspire Others

    Your generosity can motivate friends, family, and colleagues to do the same. Because, you see, I will write a lay, a traditional Irish ballad that a bard would write for his patron, for you that will exalt your magnanimity and proclaim your generosity from Georgia to Maine!

Make a Donation

I mean, sure, there are far worthier causes out there than a guy’s walk in the woods. There are people out there who are weary, hungry, and bedraggled by fate, not by choice. Lord knows if you see one of them, they come first.

There are also men and women out of work thanks to this wretched regime who can’t afford the leisure of the greenwood while they plot national salvation. Their families starve if they don’t find other work fast. They need your help a lot more than I do.

But if there’s anything left over, see below!

3% Cover the Fee

To be clear, if you have a good prayer or an especially powerful patron saint that can help me find a good job once I'm back in the lowlands, I'd much prefer that. Also, please note, I'm not tax deductible. I'm probably not even a corporal work of mercy (although I might reconsider that my first cold rainy day). But there has to be some kind of grace that comes from this kind of generosity. I hate the ultimately self-serving concept of "karma" which is not grace at all.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Not at all. Render unto Trump what is Trump’s.

  • All funds will go toward the items listed. If I am hit by lightning or reinstated in my job and can’t finish the trail this year, I, or my executors will refund your donated funds!

  • If you want to hike with me, just reach out. I’d love company - but I may not see your message immediately.

  • Most gratefully! Reach out direct to me.

  • Donate in memory of a person, in memory of America the Beautiful, in memory of the time when kids were actually taught that song in school, whatever. Memory is a wonderful thing. We can’t recreate 1950s America and we can’t reclaim a national pride and innocence that no longer exists. But we can make America Beautiful again. Together.