Springer Mountain (09/2008)

About Me

I am a nobody.

This isn’t a statement of self-esteem or purpose. However, it’s to say there’s nothing special about me that makes this trip easy, expected, or possible. You too could daydream about, plan, and prepare for a similar journey! Here’s my mini-autobiography. I give you permission to read it over several sittings. Or not to read it at all.

Growing Up
I had a semi-rural upbringing. As a kid I enjoyed endless summer days of trail blazing and building tree houses in the woods, fishing with the neighbors, and playing kickball in the front yard. At night, we’d camp out, make s’mores, and hang bells on fishing lines in the hopes of catching a catfish overnight. It was really the southern Ohio version of the Wonder Years.

The more I grew up, the less time I had to enjoy the outdoors. While I spent three of my summers during and after college as a counselor at a church camp, I studied music while in college. This meant more halogen than UV rays back in those days.

During the past 6½ years I’ve developed a love for all things traveling. And Starbucks. But that’s more of an addiction. Anyway, it began my fifth year of college with a job as the sound tech for a music ministry team. We traveled to various churches and camps on weekends during the school year and for nine weeks straight during the summer. You’d think after nine weeks being cooped up in a van with eight other people I’d never want to see a steering wheel again. Not me, I wanted to keep traveling. So I moved to Nashville, and of course, I got a job at Starbucks.

Life After College
My real dream was to travel and play piano, but I was happy with one or the other. My first job was selling band merchandise on a music tour. It wasn’t a good fit. It was on this first tour, however, that I met someone from the organization World Vision. I didn’t know a lot about World Vision—something about needy kids needing my money. After that first tour I continued meeting other people who worked for World Vision and realized that I could also travel around the country, be involved with music, and help people sign up to save lives and sponsor a child. This was a better fit.

Mind you, at the time I started working for World Vision, I was scraping by working at coffee shops, yet setting aside large portions of my non-existent budget for Prada sunglasses and Diesel jeans. I had a lot to learning about the value of money. Still do.

Eventually, I ended up playing piano for and traveling with Scott Phillips, an artist who also represented World Vision. I had the best of three worlds: traveling, music, and World Vision. I don’t know how you define the “American Dream,” but for me a large part of it is having a job that you enjoy and work that is meaningful to you. I know, it’s a privilege.

6½ years later, I’ve traveled through 43 states (and 5 Canadian Provinces), and participated in 206 events and concerts in 174 different cities. Last year alone I was on the road for work 240+ days.

The Trail Ahead
So how does this lead me to spend six months on foot hiking over small mountains? Well, I think I’m too young to be having my mid-life crisis. On the other hand I feel like I “need” the trail for many personal reasons. Thoughts like “renewal,” “adventure,” “exercise,” and “meditate” come to mind. And it feels like a “now or never” time of life.

Most outdoor enthusiasts seek solitude and adventure to distance themselves from technology and work. While I am looking forward to a less-tethered, less-digital, more natural lifestyle for a few months, I don’t feel overworked, over-traveled, or computerized to the point of exhaustion. There are two reasons I’ve decided to blog about my hike as it happens.

Whistle While You Work
First, I don’t desire to separate myself from friends and family. Rather, I think this will be a unique way to stay in touch and entertain you as I stumble and fall through the woods. I’m hoping you vicariously hike with me, and if I enjoy the Trail as much as I think I will, I’ll certainly encourage everyone to seek out the same type of adventure if time and circumstance allows.

The second reason for the blog is to bring my work with me. When you’re paid to tell the American people about the poorest people in the world—well, that’s the definition of irony. Part of my work with World Vision involves learning and staying informed about what’s happening in the world. I also try to represent World Vision in the way I live and by pointing people to ways they can be involved and help the less fortunate. Like I mentioned, I still have a lot to learn about how I spend money, but I’ve begun to invest in others in a very rewarding way, one of which is covered under the “Sponsorship” link.

Lastly, I feel that I should explain the tone of some of what you’ll read here in the next few months. Having grown up in church, the Bible has shaped my worldview from a very young age when I became a Christian. Whether you feel that the earth is the result of the “Big Bang” or an intelligent designer, I feel blessed to be a part of a country where we’re free to believe what we want and free to share what we believe. Because we are a free country, this conversation can exist and we can love those with whom we disagree. That is something we can all be thankful for. I pray my faith translates into hope for those who don’t share my freedom all around the world.

Chris Hennig
Franklin, TN
March 2009
chris@2200miles.com

What Others Are Saying

I’ve been blessed to share my story in other places. You can read more below:

Relevant Magazine
The Williamson County Herald in Franklin, TN
The Chillicothe Gazette in Chillicothe, OH (Unfortunately, this article is no longer free to read.)

Plus, view the trailer for the documentary my hike is part of called “The Road Less Traveled.”