by Kerry Golden, grade 7 (Maple Hill)
(interview for the school newspaper - great job Kerry!)
(interview for the school newspaper - great job Kerry!)
Many of you may not know him, but he is an important part of our every day life at school. Who is this person? This person is Mr. Matt LaClair, Superintendent of Building and Grounds. He is the person responsible for keeping our buildings running and our grounds safe for students and ready for sports.
On March 28th, Mr. LaClair will be starting an adventure of a lifetime. He will be hiking the Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian Trail is the nation's longest foot path which starts at Springer Mountain, Georgia and crosses fourteen states before ending in Katahdin, Maine. The hike will take an estimated 5 million steps and will take approximately six months to hike.
Mr. LaClair has hiked all of his life. He is a New York State licensed guide and every summer tries to hike at least 100 miles. Mr. LaClair decided to take a leave from work and take this hike because two of his friends have suffered life altering illnesses. He did not want to put off his lifelong dream until retirement because he feared he might not be able to walk the entire trail. Only 1,200 - 1,500 people attempt to hike the trail, and of those less than one-third complete it. According to Mr. LaClair nearly 25% drop out in the first 30 days.
To prepare for the hike, Mr. LaClair has been wearing his pack to get used to the weight, and walking outdoors in rain, snow and sun to test his gear. He has even made his house the same as the outdoor weather. Two weeks ago Mr. LaClair turned the heat off in one of the rooms in his house just to test his 20 degree sleeping bag. Mr. LaClair does three days a week of balance and core training to build muscle. He is packing his gear, and has gotten the base weight of items he will carry down to sixteen pounds. This does not include food or water, which he will have to resupply as he goes along. Mr. LaClair will get his water from streams or ponds and put it through a filter to clean it and make it safe to drink.
Leaving home for five 1/2 months will not be easy. Mr. LaClair's biggest fear is sustaining an injury that will prevent him from finishing his hike. He will miss his wife who is unable to go with him due to an injury she suffered while training for the hike. However, Mr. LaClair is very excited about the people he will meet, eating whatever he wants, and seeing fourteen different states.
While he is away, people will be able to keep track of Mr. LaClair's progress. He will carry a GPS spotter while on the hike. It will send his location to a satellite which will then go to a website. He will use his trail name, Porter, a name he was given while hiking the Long Trail in Vermont because he was carrying so much stuff. Mr. LaClair will carry a cell phone with him, but only plans to turn it on once a week.
Before he leaves, Mr. LaClair will be visiting several classes and speaking about his upcoming adventure. He would like all students at Maple Hill to know that, "If you work hard, plan well, communicate and treat others as you would want to be treated, the sky is the limit."
Good Luck Mr. LaClair, the eyes of the WildCats will be watching!
