Dale Heider of Humboldt, Iowa, will celebrate his 75th birthday in a very unusual way.
He’s planning a daring 28-mile rim-to-rim hike around the Grand Canyon with his friend and fellow hiker David Lensing.
The two Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus are using their canyon hike to raise money for Mary's Meals, a global nonprofit that feeds schoolchildren.
Heider and Lensing are training and preparing for the trek of a lifetime on September 25. They estimate it will take them about 15 hours to complete.
An unforgettable day
Heider decided to dedicate this “hike of a lifetime” to a great cause after a day of unusual coincidences.
He wanted to hike the Grand Canyon for his 75th birthday, and was trying to think of ways to make the hike more worthwhile.
On one of his training bike days, Heider happened to run into three different people in need, and these encounters inspired in him a desire to help people in need through his hike.
He had heard of Mary’s Meals at a Catholic conference, and as soon as the idea came to him to raise funds for the nonprofit, he put his plan into action.
“I had never started a fundraiser before,” he said, but “On my way home that day, I made some phone calls. By the time I got home, I had $300 pledged to this cause.”
He invited his biking friend, Lensing, to join him, and the next day he called Mary’s Meals and they helped him set up the fundraiser.
Local parish groups, including St Mary’s Knights of Columbus and Women of the Spirit, jumped in to support the cause and made donations to Mary’s Meals.
The friends are preparing for their intense hike by riding 60-100 miles on their bikes and walking 8-12 miles in hills around their homes.
“You don’t have to be anyone special or a celebrity to find a way to help people in need,” Heider said. “Anyone can help others in their own way.”
An awe-inspiring experience
Heider and Lensing have each completed this hike twice before, and Lensing is looking forward to doing it again. “The Grand Canyon is a very inspiring place,” he said. “As you hike through the canyon, it’s hard to believe what you are hiking through and the millions of years it has taken to carve it.”
Lensing encourages looking for ways to make a difference in small ways. “We have a purpose in our lives, and we need to follow the calling of that purpose,” he said. “Big or small, you can make a difference in people’s lives by what you do and share. Life is about ‘Time, Talent, and Treasures’ and how we share these to make a difference.”
If you’d like to donate to Heider and Lensing’s epic trek, you can find their fundraising page here.
