Nancy “Seal Mom” East and Chris “Pacer” Ford hope to raise $60,000 for Great Smoky Mountains National Park's preventive search and rescue program/Friends of the Smokies

A couple of backpackers are planning to embark next month on hiking the 900 miles of trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in a bid to raise $60,000 for Friends of the Smokies, with the money going to the park’s Preventative Search and Rescue program. 

Nancy “Seal Mom” East and Chris “Pacer” Ford plan to start their Tour de Smokies on September 5. They’ll be featuring their “Tour De Smokies” journey on East’s blog, Hope and Feather Travels, which can be found at hopeandfeathertravels.com. Along the way, they’ll be showing hikers first-hand what it takes to properly prepare and train for this 900-mile adventure in the Smokies.  

East and Ford are experienced Smokies hikers. East has completed two 900 Miler maps, and Ford has completed three 900 Miler maps. Hikers use the national park's trail map to mark off trails as they complete them. Completing a map means they have completed the 900 miles of trails.

Ranger Liz Hall, the park's first emergency manager, said East and Ford’s fundraising effort for preventive search and rescue will be important for the success of the program.

“The funds they are raising will be a huge help,” said Hall. “Those funds will go directly to fund two seasonal rangers.”

Those rangers will have duties both to assist with search and rescue and to be part of the park's increased efforts in preventive search and rescue, which is a program to help hikers learn how to avoid running into problems.

Hall explained that the rangers will oversee a cadre of volunteers who will be in hiking locations in the park to “help visitors make good choices about their hiking.”

Donations to support East and Ford’s fundraiser can be made online at FriendsoftheSmokies.org, by phone at 800-845-5665 or check mailed to Friends of the Smokies, PO Box 1660, Kodak, TN 37764.