Hikers Pass Through Allendale, Grant City, and Sheridan

Hikers Kolton Rackham and Amanda Autrey passed through Allendale, Grant City, and Sheridan Monday after passing through Eagleville and Hatfield Saturday and resting Sunday. They are on a 2,918 mile journey from Tybee Island in Georgia to Don David Park in Oregon. They are on a journey of self-discovery and are raising money for the Make-a-Wish Foundation as well as the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Asked why they had selected those charities, Kolton said that they chose Make-a-Wish because of how they help kids heal by giving them hope. “I’m a mentor and she’s a healer, and we both try to help create what kids want,” he said. Amanda said that she had struggled with suicide in the past, and that it was a beacon of light for people whose loved ones had taken their own lives.

They grew up in Utah; Kolton is a 1 on 1 mentor and helps people reach personal goals and identify mental blocks keeping them from reaching those goals. Amanda is a holistic healer and helps people with healing energy and processing out negativity. She said that in Australia, some people make a journey across the Outback, which is sparsely populated, for personal discovery. Kolton and Amanda said that they met many wonderful people along the way, helping someone celebrate their 40th birthday. “We’ve met a lot of kind people along the way, and they’ve shown a lot of hospitality to us,” she said. Amanda said that they are like family to them.

Their goal is to get to Oregon by Thanksgiving, but will take longer if necessary. Both say they want to travel more down the road. Amanda was in China for two weeks once, while Kolton took a cruise that took him to Mexico, Haiti, and Jamaica.

After their walk, their goal is to stay in Oregon, get married, and keep doing what they’re doing. Amanda said that she wanted to work with veterans and rescue animals that need a home. Kolton said that he wants to work with kids and the homeless. He said that he had a lot of good conversations with homeless people along the way and that he wanted to help people to find hope.

While between Grant City and Sheridan, they got to meet some camels. Kolton admitted that he had an irrational fear of camels. “At first, there were one; then there was six,” he wrote on their Facebook page, 2918 Miles, Monday. Kolton said that he faced his fear by feeding one an apple; then, it tried to eat his whole bag hoping for more snacks. “Amanda thought they were adorable, but that’s probably just because they didn’t try to eat her,” he wrote.