Short Hills College Student Takes On Appalachian Trail, Raises Funds For Orphans

SHORT HILLS, NJ — If you ask nature lovers what their top 10 “bucket list” hikes would include, there’s a good chance that most will include the Appalachian Trail.

The reasons for embarking on the iconic, 2,200-mile journey - the longest hiking-only footpath in the world – are as diverse as the people who decide to take it on. But when college student Harris Goldstein set off on the approach trail at Amacalola Falls State Park, he had a worthy goal driving him onward… the children of the Joy House Education Center.

Goldstein, a Short Hills resident and student at Tulane University in New Orleans, made it 50 days and 617 miles during his attempt at the hike, finishing on July 9 in Virginia, about 140 miles north of Damascus.

“All in all I loved my trip,” Goldstein told Patch. “I had a fantastic time and I saw some of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. I loved fully immersing myself in nature while disconnecting from my normal life for a while.”

His effort has raised more than $8,000 through an online fundraising campaign, which will pay for teacher stipends and school supplies at the Joy House Education Center in Nairobi, Kenya.

“Located in the Mukuru slum in Nairobi, Kenya, the Joy House Education Center oversees three Mukuru-based schools, with over 600 kids attending these schools,” Goldstein said. “The Mukuru slum is among the poorest slums in all of Kenya, with crime, drugs, and prostitution seen daily throughout the region. Many of Joy House’s students are orphans. But despite limited access to water, sanitation and healthcare, these children remain resilient and excited to learn.”

See the fundraising campaign and make a donation here.

Goldstein recently told Patch about some of the biggest challenges of hiking the Appalachian Trail. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Millburn-Short Hills Facebook page here.

SOLITUDE - “I would say hiking the trail is equal parts mentally challenging as it is physically challenging. One of the biggest challenges was travelling by myself for 50 days. While I saw some familiar faces every few days, I was travelling by myself. In the beginning, down in Georgia there were a lot more people, but the further north I hiked I saw less and less hikers. About four weeks into my trip there were significantly less hikers on the trail and sometimes I would go seven or eight hours without seeing another person. Some nights I would sleep at a campsite completely alone, out of earshot of any other people.”

DAILY GRIND - “After a lot of time passed it became difficult to hike every single day. Physically I was fine, but after many weeks of doing the same activity every day I was beginning to lose my motivation. Mentally, this became tough. Another challenge was keeping my pack weight down while carrying enough food. The goal is to have your pack weigh as little as possible, but you must carry all of your own food. You have to find the balance between enough food and keeping weight down.”

THINGS THAT FLY - “Some days the bugs were fine, but other days the bugs were unbearable. Some days large clouds of gnats would follow you around. Other days flies and bees would follow your every move with no escape.”

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Photos: Harris Goldstein