Who’s involved?

Alex Maier and Amy Robin

The film will be centered around Alex and Amy's hike of the Continental Divide Trail. Read about them here on the about page. This project will encompass much more than their hike though. The contributors below will provide a wide array of perspectives, expertise and life experience, proving that nature has something for everyone.

Dale "Greybeard" Sanders

Dale is best known for being the oldest person to hike the 2,100 mile-long Appalachian Trail at 82 years old. Some other world records include, the oldest person to paddle the length of the Mississippi River and the oldest person to hike the Rim-to-rim-to-rim trail in the Grand Canyon. When people told him he was too old to hike the AT he set out to prove them wrong. He sets a great example as someone who continues to thrive into old age.

M.J. "Nimblewill Nomad" Eberhart

It might be easier to list the trails that Nimblewill has not hiked rather than the ones he has. His resume includes a thru-hike of all 11 of America's National Scenic Trails, many of our National Historic Trails, the Lewis and Clark route a couple times and much more. Nimblewill, also known as Sunny, has probably hiked over 50,000 miles. He's not keeping track anymore and he scoffs at the importance of such numbers. For him, hiking is about something much deeper than statistics. Traveling in nature on his own two feet is how he found inner peace and true acceptance of his place in the world.

Meagan Hennekens, MS C-EP LMT ERYT

Meagan Hennekens has her MS in Exercise Science and is a Certified Exercise Physiologist through the American College of Sports Medicine. She will be conducting tests on Alex and Amy to determine how their cortisol and vitamin D levels change during the hike.

Annie's Full Interview

Annie Nelson

Annie lives in Minnesota and has always had a love for the north woods. She spent much of her 20's self medicating with alcohol until she went on a trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Five days of sobriety in the wilderness helped her realize that it was time for a change. She worked on getting clean, and a few years later she embarked on a 1,500 mile hike on the North Country Trail. Nature helped show her that a life of inner peace and acceptance was possible. Now she works in the service of others, helping people in unfortunate situations find housing.

Bill "One Gallon" Nedderman

Bill has criss-crossed the entire North American continent and much of Europe by human-powered travel. During our interview, it took him half an hour just to list all the routes that he has hiked, paddled, or cycled. One notable title that he holds is a quadruple triple crown. That means he has hiked the Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail and Pacific Crest Trail four times each! Most people have a "regular life" that they occasionally leave to go be in the wilderness. One Gallon's regular life is in the wilderness, he spends about 10 months out of the year traveling under his own power. Like many of these ultra-accomplished adventurers, Bill doesn't really care about the miles or the titles. He just wants to be out there all the time.

Anthony Pompa

Anthony spent four years in the Marines, then three years in the Navy before becoming a firefighter. He's a high achiever and good at his jobs. When life threw a few curve balls at him he decided to go for a section-hike on the Appalachian Trail. The military had given him experience in the outdoors but the mental baggage that he carried into that hike was almost unbearable and it forced him off the trail. He was drawn back to the wilderness though and soon found a passion for backpacking. Eventually that passion evolved in his company, True North Expeditions. Now he helps others who are interested in backpacking overcome that initial learning curve.

Heather Sipes

Anxiety and bouts of depression in Heather's life steered her in the direction of nature. She had never gone on a real backpacking trip but something told her it would help. Getting into the wilderness can be intimidating and confusing for someone with little experience, so she joined Tony at True North Expeditions for one of their trips in the Appalachian Mountains. She found that nature allowed her mind to calm down and put things in perspective. It provided a safe environment and the tools she needed to understand the source of anxiety and deal with it in a healthy way.

Paul Classon

Paul is an eagle scout with a lifetime of experience in the outdoors. Anytime he feels down or has questions about life he retreats to the solitude of the wilderness. It has been such a beneficial force in his life that he started Redline Summiteers Mountain Guides to introduce others to the healing powers of nature. Now he finds great joy and satisfaction in guiding others, not just on a physical trail but along a path in life as well.

Dale Painter

Dale lives a life in devotion to Christ. He and his wife Kathy do mission work in Mexico and New Mexico every year, where they help build houses for people. He is also devoted to hiking, having completed the Pacific Crest Trail twice, all 1,100 miles of Michigan on the North Country Trail (including many of those sections more than once) and about 600 miles on the Grand Enchantment Trail. He sees God's work in nature and feels closest to the creator in the wilderness. Dale has hiked solo, with Kathy and with their two children as a family. Each form of hiking is very different, with its own pros and cons but he credits a long lasting marriage and raising a strong, happy family to those times they spent in the backcountry.