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The Earth Expedition Progress:
 Right now I am sitting on a friend's porch on Long Island, NY. Yesterday... July 8th (My birthday) I travelled from Pawling, NY to New York City via train to meet with a journalist from "Vanity Fair". From Grand Central Station "Pigeon" and I walked to Bryant Park to wait for the journalist (Austin). After swapping stories, fielding questions, and enjoying pretty good coffee at a park table we walked a few blocks to Times Square where we snapped some pictures, shook hands with Austin, and got some last minute directions. We really had no desire to walk around the city too much for Pigeon has 11 blisters on her feet and we had friends (The Reischels) waiting in Long Island for our arrival. We decided to head to Penn Station and grab the train for Ronkonkoma which is where I will sit for a couple days of updating the site, replying to E-mails and of course some rest.
The past month has proved to be quite interesting. In one town I stayed at the Mayor's house. Another town a illegal hitch turned out to be two meals, a pool, a hot tub, and new friends. Two days ago a small talk conversation at the laundry mat turned out to be a night of movies, air conditioning, Jamaican food, a unique drink called "Tamarindo", and talks of a biker gang that he leads. Lol... I never know what is going to happen next.
At this point I am exactly 1,459 miles into the expedition and have a tentative Appalachian Trail completion date of late August ( I have 743.2 miles to go). This also means that I plan on completing Canada early November. From there I will take a few weeks off to ascertain the necessary visa requirements. During this time I will also be traveling the Midwest speaking and presenting the Expedition and the cause it supports.
I feel good, my feet are doing extremely well as they are well calloused. I dropped about 7 lbs since the Expedition began. Tomorrow I am travelling to Manhasset, NY to meet with a professional nutritionist that will help me with a diet that will suit the specific needs that the expedition demands.
Pledge Per Mile Campaign: 
For some time The Earth Expedition Team and I have wanted to make this part of the Expedition become a reality. Please read on and consider ways that you can make a difference...
To make it simple: When you "Pledge Per Mile" your donation will go directly to Blood:Water Mission.
Your tax-deductable donation will be used towards the "1,000 Wells Campaign", in which Blood:Water Mission aims to build exactly one thousand fresh-water wells in one thousand communities across Africa.
Giving Africans the gift of clean water is the single greatest defense we can give children and people with HIV to protect them from life-threatening illnesses. Thanks to your financial contribution, they will live stronger, longer lives and their communities will flourish and be changed.
It is true that nearly 80% of all natural deaths in Africa are attributed to unsafe drinking water and every 15 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease. But it is also amazingly true that $1 = One Year of Clean Water for an African. This means... together, you and I can make an enormous impact on the lives of countless people!
The Pledge Per Mile Campaign works like this:
Choose which amount of "small change" you desire to monthly pledge per mile from the menu below (or customize your amount to best suit your needs).
Penny Per Mile = $4.00 donation per month
Nickel Per mile = $20.00 donation per month
Dime Per mile = $40.00 donation per month
Quarter Per Mile = $100.00 donation per month
The pledges are calculated based on Daren walking a dependable 400 miles each month through the course of his expedition. With even a penny per mile pledge, you will be bringing clean water for an entire year to 4 individuals every month, an astounding 48 Africans per year!
Click on this link to Blood:Water Mission's secure online giving page to make your donation,
https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/BloodWaterMission/OnlineDonation.html
Or mail your check to:
Blood:Water Mission
P.O.Box 60381
Nashville, TN 37206
**Please be sure to type in "The Earth Expedition" in the memo section/ "How You Heard of Blood:Water Mission" portion of the online giving page or write it in the memo portion of your check.
Thank you so much for your generosity and for your desire to bring "life to the fullest" to everyone! I would love for you to drop me a comment if you decide to come "on board" with this campaign.
Sincerely, Daren Wendell
Ride for Clean Blood and Water:
 I want to personally give a shout-out to some wonderful supporters and friends of The Earth Expedition who recently embarked on an adventure of their own in an effort to raise support for our mission. My good friend and member of the Earth Expedition team, physical trainer, Shaun Craft, assembled a team of eight volunteers to ride touring bikes from Caledonia to Lake Geneva State Park. The 105- mile-mission was well-planned out, including built-in donation fees, a camp out, and van accompaniment.
Much like my adventures, the crew quickly realized that nature doesn't always accommodate good intentions. On Day 2 of the ride, the gang was plagued my heavy downpours and 50+ mph straight winds. After a few mechanical failures with bike gears, loose chains, and some failed tires, four of the original members (Shaun, Bethany, Ryan, and Faith) crossed their finishing line despite the many stumbling blocks along the way. And when I say stumbling blocks, I mean literally! Shaun and Ryan both suffered from some good scrapes and bruises...and well... let's just say....Shaun may be in need of a new helmet before he hits the road again!
After all was said and done, the gang was able to bring in a generous donation to The Earth Expedition to help fuel this mission further up the trail. My sincere thanks go out to the entire group; Bethany, Faith, Jonny, Jonrael, Kathy, Lynn, Mark, Ryan, and Shaun! Thank you for not only believing in me and supporting this mission, but also for being willing to personally take the message to the streets in a tangible way! God bless!
In the News:
Here are a couple of Media Outlets that have covered The Expedition this past month:
The Sentinel:
Berks Mont News:
Larabar:
Web Banners:
Feel free to copy these and use them as banners on your personal sites!
Thank all of you who support The Earth Expedition financially and prayerfully. You all rock and help make this dream a success, Daren Wendell
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